Johnny’s metaphorical hackles lowered and he patted me on the shoulder. “We’re here to help man. We’ll get her back. I promise you, I know how it feels.”
I hissed and turned away. Even that little reminder to when my sister had been kidnapped was not something I needed at the moment. “Yeah, but my sister was held as collateral. Hillcrest has been obsessed with Maya for the last ten years.”
“We’ll get her back, man,” Johnny said again, his tone brokering no argument.
I could only nod. “Hey, uh, I’m sure Adams already told you, but I thought you should hear it from me too. The Seratelli’s are working heavily with us on this. Nico made peace with his family.”
Johnny rubbed at his bearded jaw with his knuckles and nodded slowly. “I appreciate the transparency. Any word on a sit down?”
“I’ll press Leonardo myself for it after Maya’s found.”
“Understood.”
“The bratva giving you a hard time?” I asked.
Johnny shook his head. “Not yet. They’re icing us out currently, which isn’t great either. But Tarasov said he wouldn’t talk to us unless we cut ties with the Italians. So I’m not expecting anything until afterwards.”
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my head. “Yeah.”
Marcos
Luke’s first lesson at the boxing gym was a thing of beauty, and a learning experience for me too.
Nico was an amazing fighter and had the patience of a saint. He walked Luke through each move step by step. Teaching him how to land his hit on the bag as to not break his own knuckles or wrist.
Seeing Nico in his element, teaching and boxing, had shown me how much being stuck at the clubhouse working on cars was draining him. It was like life was being poured back into Nico. Despite our current worries, Nico was happy teaching Luke how to box.
Luke had taken to boxing like a fish to water. Once his hands were in gloves, that Nico had pulled out of his duffle bag, he had immediately tried swinging on the bag, only to realize how fucking hard it actually was. Filled with sand and covered in layers of leather, it was not an easy hit.
I stepped away while Nico taught, letting both Luke and Nico get lost in the lesson. I hung back for a while watching, before he headed over to the weight machines and started lifting. I could at least burn off some energy of my own while they worked.
I was on my back, doing bench presses when a shadow loomed over me. Turning my head to the side, I saw none other than Leonardo Seratelli standing before me in a black three-piece suit that was clearly tailored and perfectly coifed hair. I would think he was a pansy if not for how ruthless the motherfucker was known to be. “Seratelli.”
“Candella.” Leo nodded his head in greeting.
I racked the bar and sat up. Facing Seratelli, I rested my elbows on my knees. “Find anything?”
“One of the mothers in The Edges came forward. She said she saw a young woman being shot before she was thrown over a shoulder of a guy with a jagged scar across his face and tossed into a trunk of a late model white Buick Sabre.”
“We knew most of that already.” I didn’t need to hear the gruesome details on how my woman was hurt and kidnapped. I already knew she was. I needed to knowwhereshe was.
“Yeah. It’s about all we got though. People are talking at least.”
I could only nod. I was drowning in misery and didn’t know how to track down Maya anymore.
“I’ve got a tech guy on it,” Seratelli continued, before I could say anything. “He’s searching for any cameras in the area and hoping to trail after the Buick. The Edges aren’t known for the security cameras though.”
“Only two ways out of The Edges, though,” Marcos said.
“Exactly. My guy is good. He’ll find the car, eventually.”
“I’ve got a tech guy working on it too. Looking into a possible FBI connection. Looks like Hillcrest is highly protected from someone high in the government.”
“Who’s your guy?” Seratelli asked.
“Who’s yours?” I countered, meeting his gaze.
Seratelli’s lips twitched slightly. “My brother, Stefano.”
