Mafia Obsession

Leo

Two months later…

The clock on the wall of my bedroom ticks away, goading me. It feels like it’s telling me you can’t find her

repeatedly. It’s been two months to the day since she was taken from me.

I’m fucking exhausted, barely able to sleep or eat since she was taken. I can’t find her and neither can my men. The drug dealers I put in hospital on the night I saved her have fled town, along with others. No one knows where they’ve gone, or if they do, they’re not speaking.

We’ve been searching for them and have come up blank. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re involved, and so is her piece of shit ex- boyfriend. They’ve taken her away from me.

A knock at my bedroom door has me shifting upright. I jump to my feet and walk toward the door, opening it to find Austin on the other side. Our spy whose job is to report on anything rival families might be planning. He has a knack for gathering information.

Austin has a sly smirk on his face, as he holds up a file in his hand. Kane hates Austin and always has, and I can’t deny I’m not crazy about the guy. However, if anyone can locate my Ellie, it’s him.

“I think I’ve found them, and I’ve got a feeling they have her,” he says, nodding for me to walk with him.

My heart rate accelerates and a flood of hope enters me. I step out of my room, not caring that I’m only wearing a pair of pants. “Where are they?”

“The border of Mexico, El Paso. One of my men tipped me off that the guys from up here have fled down there and gave me their location.” He digs his phone out of his pocket, pulling up an image of one of the guys I put in the hospital over two months ago. “I sent him this picture, and he confirmed they are there.” He passes me the file. “They said they’re keeping a girl locked up.”

My fists ball and I can feel the rage heating me. “Bastards.” Austin eyes me carefully. “What’s your plan of action?”

Kill every single one of them for touching my woman.

“I’ll head down there and get her,” I say through gritted teeth.

Austin tilts his head to the side. “Rick won’t allow it, not with the news I’ve just given him this morning.” He shakes his head.

I raise a questioning eyebrow.

Austin holds his hands up in the air. “Ask him about it, as it’s not my place to tell you.”

I sigh heavily. “I’ll go alone, and I won’t tell Rick.”

A whisper of a smirk plays at Austin’s lips. “I thought you might say that, but it will be dangerous.”

I crack my knuckles. “Who do you think you are talking to?”

He nods. “Fair enough, maybe ask Kane to go along with you. He will help out, I’m sure.”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ll run it by him. Thanks Austin, I appreciate this.” I clap him on the back.

“No problem.” He gives me a short nod, before heading down the corridor and out of sight.

I gaze down at the file in my hand, thankful that Austin has found her. All those guys will wish they were never born when I get my hands on them. First, I need to get some breakfast. Suddenly, there’s a light at the end of this tunnel of darkness I’ve spiraled into.

Rick is sitting at the table, holding a cup of coffee. His shoulders are hunched and tense.

“Morning, Rick, what has your panties in a twist?” I say, jesting at him. He looks up at me for a moment and then back down at his coffee.

“Morning,” he mutters.

Okay, something is up with him. My brother takes so much stress in his position, never once wishing for the power he has been lumped with. Kane never wanted it, and I know it would go to my head if I was in his position. He was always the perfect candidate to take control when our father was murdered.

“Seriously, what the hell is up with you?” I ask, sitting down across from him.

He looks up and shakes his head. “Nick Juliano has crossed us,” he mutters, taking a sip from his coffee.

Shit.

“Are you serious? What did he do?”

Rick shrugs. “Austin found out his mob have been undercutting us on gun sales here in our own fucking territory.”

I rub my hand across the back of my neck, feeling sick to the stomach. Eight years since my father died, and we’ve had no problems. This is the first proper challenge to our power since then. It makes sense why Austin was certain Rick wouldn’t let me go down to Texas to save Ellie.

If we’re on the brink of war with the Juliano Mafia, then I shouldn’t go. They run the county and will kill any Romano that steps foot into their territory, especially the underboss. “Shit, what are we going to do?”

He takes a sip of his coffee. “I’ve already put the plan in place with Austin, but I don’t like it.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What is the plan?”

“Blackmail.” Rick shakes his head. “It was that or an all-out mafia war.”

There’s no way this will go down well. I have to go to Texas, but I know I can’t tell him. “What are you going to blackmail him with?”

Rick’s jaw clenches. “His daughter.”

“Fuck,” I say, knowing how much my journey down there could screw up everything.

“When are they taking her?” I ask, rapping my fingers on the kitchen table.

“Austin has a team ready to snatch her, they’re waiting until nightfall to take her. I hate snatching relatives, but it’s our best option.”

I nod my head, trying to work out how I will get around this. The timing couldn’t be fucking worse. A long silence stretches between us as I search my brain, trying to come up with a plan. “I will be gone for a few days,” I say, glancing down at the table.

“Where are you going?”

I shrug. “A potential lead on Ellie up north.” I hate lying to my brother, but I know it’s my only choice. There’s no chance in hell he would let me go down to Texas, not with the fall out with the Juliano Mafia.

“You should take some guys with you,” Rick says, absentmindedly.

It’s clear from the look in his eyes, he’s somewhere else right now. “I thought I might ask Kane if he could come along.”

Rick glances up and nods. “Perhaps, I should come too?”

Oh shit. “That’s not really a good idea considering, is it? You need to be here when the guys return with Juliano’s daughter.”

His shoulders slump and I feel guilty for dissuading him, but Rick trying to tag along would ruin everything. Ellie means the world to me, even if that means lying to my brother. I stand from the table and grab a box of cereals and a bowl, pouring myself some. “Do you want any?” I ask, holding the box of Lucky Charms up in the air.

“No, thanks. I already ate and I’m not ten years old.”

I shoot him a stern look and laugh. “You don’t have to be ten years old to enjoy food that tastes good, Rick.” I glance back at the box and my chest aches.

Ellie loves these too, and hopefully I will find her soon. I carry the bowl over to the table and sit down.

El Paso is at least a thirty-hour drive from Philly. If Kane agrees to go with me, we can keep going through the night taking turns driving. It would be easier to fly, but that would require clearance from Rick. I shovel my cereal into my mouth mindlessly, eating in silence.

Rick gets up from the table, running a hand through his hair. “I’m going to make preparations for our guest.” He winces at the word, as he knows she’s not going to be a guest.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I give him a nod.

“Be careful when you go up north and make sure you get Kane to go with you,” he says.

“I will do.” I keep my attention on my bowl rather than him. If I look at him, I know my eyes will betray me. I’ve always looked up to Rick and lying to him doesn’t sit well with me.

He walks out and leaves me in peace, but I’ve still got to get Kane to help me. My mind is running wild with so many thoughts. What has Ellie been though during her time captive? I hope none of them were stupid enough to have hurt her, but I’ve got a feeling that’s wishful thinking. The guys that took her are the lowest of the low.

I stand from the table and put my bowl in the sink, heading back upstairs toward Kane’s room. Hopefully, he will help me with this, as I’ve got no other choice. As I near his room, loud moans echo down the corridor.

I can’t help but smirk as I remember him interrupting me two months ago. Then, a sadness sets in as that was the last time I saw Ellie. It is time I repay the favor.

I knock the door hard three times.

“What the fuck?” Kane growls, I hear him walk toward the door. He flings it open and glares at me. “What is it, Leo?”

“Emergency, Ellie has been located, and I need you to come with me.”

Kane looks irritated, as he glances back into his room. “Fine, give me five minutes and I’ll meet you downstairs.” He slams the door shut before I can reply.

Oh, and Kane, I’ve lied to Rick about where she is because she’s in Texas. We’re about to kidnap the daughter of the mob boss that runs Texas because they have crossed us.

Those details I will have to run by him in the car on the way there. At least then he can’t back out, or perhaps he can.

Fuck.

I glance down and realize I haven’t even put on a shirt yet. The prospect of finding Ellie has obliterated everything else from my mind. The pure desperation to see her and hold her driving me wild.

I head down the corridor to my room to grab a shirt. I’d started to lose hope over ever seeing Ellie again. Suddenly, I feel the glimmer of hope returning like a ray of sunshine breaking through the dense clouds of despair that have filled me for two months.