DRACO "What am I paying you four for again?" "Sir?" Reel it in Draco; you can't blame them for not being able to do what you yourself can't. Yeah, but I'm at the end of my rope. I've been racing against the clock in the last couple of weeks, trying to get ahead of my son and failing miserably. It's not just the Sicily situation that has me on edge these days either, but my son seems to have gone rogue in a way that not even I expected. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that the only reason I know anything about his doings is because he's allowing me to. What do I mean by that? The boy has straight-up run an Op singlehandedly from his bedroom where he knows I can easily see what he's up to. I'm not sure, but I think my guys are having way more fun working with him than they ever did with me. Of course, I'm the mook who's trying to go legit while these fucks live for the dark side. I guess they were getting bored with my shit, and he's lit a spark under their asses. It would be fun
GABRIEL "Hey, your guy just moved a shit ton of cash in the last few days. I traced the transfer to an account that has been open in his daughter's name since she was about three months old." "Oh really!" "Yeah. Not only that, but from his movements, it looks like he's tying up loose ends almost like he's preparing to go away or something." "Ok, thank you." I sat back and smiled after hanging up the phone with one of dad's people who specializes in financial forensics. I've been keeping my eye on Felix this whole time, watching his movements listening in on his calls to get a feel for where his mind is at. He had no idea that Becky had been attacked and was in the hospital until I made sure that one of the women she'd tried so hard to befriend knew about her circumstances. Of course, word had already got back to him that she'd been staying in a motel, and then once she was moved to the homeless city, I made sure those same women were made aware. Just to up her embarrassment a
GABRIEL I thought it best to give Fontane a call and let him know we were coming. He's been living in the bottom of a bottle the last two weeks. This visit was as much for him as it was her; even though he didn't know I knew it, he should at least get to say goodbye. I may have overshot this one as well because she was visibly shocked by his appearance. He looked gaunt as if he'd lost weight since the last time we saw him, and there was a sadness in his eyes that I personally thought was too little too late, but that's just me. She's his kid, and as much of an ass as she knows he is, I could understand how his appearance rocked her a little. I guess I was here for myself as well to some extent. Maybe it was my last shot at giving him a chance to be some type of father to his daughter and not the selfish prick he's always been. I'm still not sure where we landed on that scale. First, he answered the door looking like a lost puppy. His conversation was disjointed at best, with a
GABRIEL Paris! What's not to love? I already had my plans mapped out before we even left the states because I knew I would be playing it close. Even though the flights in between the two cities are relatively short, especially by private plane, the drive out to the convent where the runaway was supposed to be would bite into my time. I hadn't had time to find an airport or landing strip close to where she is because a lot of Sicily is still old school, it seems like, and the place she's at is like stepping back in time, at least that's what it looks like on paper. So, knowing my family and their personalities, I set things in motion through well-placed hints and suggestions. I knew the girls would hit the ground running, which works out perfectly for me. The whole family had decided to get involved, and Gianna's grandmother, due to her reconnection with my nana and wanting to be there for her granddaughter's first coming out ball, was no exception. Pop was nervous as hell from
GABRIEL I excused myself to the restroom at the first available opportunity so I could make a call to the lawyer to who I'd asked Pop to give a heads-up. I gave him a rundown of the situation in as concise a manner as I could, to which he didn't ask any questions and acted as though the call was just another of its kind in a long line of many. He's been around since a little before the end of Gramps' reign, so I'm sure that may be true. "Try to get him off with manslaughter with extenuating circumstances." "Anything else?" "Yes, I have some evidence that should help his case." At least I have enough good in me to do this. Without Gianna's involvement, I would've let him rot, but I can't help but worry that she may look back someday and want this piece of trash in her life. Westerners are big on giving forgiveness, especially to those who never get around to asking for it. The evidence I had consisted of all of Becky's actions in the last couple of days. Unbeknownst to her, 'F
GABRIEL The ball, the main event. I did my part well. It was no hardship; I was genuinely and sincerely blown away by Gianna when I got my first look at her in the haute couture ball gown she'd chosen from one of the leading fashion houses in Paris. Unlike other debutante balls, this one was all about introducing high fashion, and the gown she wore along with the jewelry was provided by a very well-known designer. Words cannot describe what I felt as I took her in; her beauty, so surreal, like a picture, come to life. Not a hair was out of place, her skin flawless, the midnight blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly and hugged her curves in all the right places, she looked like a dream. "You're beautiful." I kept myself in check, taking only the touch of her hand and a soft kiss to her brow for myself, though it was hard to stop there. I warred viciously, with myself internally fighting hard not to cross the line. I knew it was going to be almost impossible to let go of somet
GABRIEL The look of confusion on my followers' faces when we didn't head in the direction they expected was priceless. I'm surprised it took them this long to question the early morning outing seeing as how nothing was open this early except maybe cafes. But I'd decided to throw them off the scent entirely by waking them myself and inviting them to join me. Of course, I never told them we were going back to the catacombs; they just assumed since I'd made mention of finishing up my tour—a bit misleading but not an outright lie. But I'm sure they knew the place didn't open this early. They were even more flustered when the driver pulled onto the tarmac where the jet was waiting. I pretended not to notice their shared looks when the jammer in my pocket blocked them from making any calls. I'm sure they suspected me of sabotage, but what were they going to do? Of the five of us, only one of us is a level ten grandmaster, and besides, I'm the boss's son, they wouldn't dare lay a
GABRIEL "Tell me!" If I were sitting down, I'd be at the edge of my seat. The fact that I'd imagined just this scenario wasn't lost on me. From the time I found out that she'd disappeared and when I'd tried to triangulate between her disappearance and his, but having nothing to go on, I could only speculate and surmise. Now I did sit down on the bench as my whole body felt like it was on fire, and I was in danger of passing out any second as the blood rushed from my head. "It was just a few days after the incident. I'm not sure why I kept going around them. I didn't want to be ostracized, I guess, didn't want them turning their hatred against me. I'm sorry I wasn't a better person back then." "They all moved on as if nothing happened, even joked about it amongst themselves in the following days. There were whispers around the village, so we knew word had gotten out somehow. Then one night, your grandfather Mr. Antonelli showed up at the place where we were all hanging out. It was
GABRIEL "Pop, I'm back." "Gabe, are you okay?" He looked me up and down as he came around from behind his desk, where he'd been sitting gazing off into space. His hug was meant more for someone coming back from war than a son who'd only been gone for a few days, less than a week, in fact. He pulled back and clasped my shoulders while looking into my eyes. "I'm sorry… "No, you're back, you're okay, that's all that matters. Are you going to tell me what you did over there?" "Not yet!" I could tell he had a hard time accepting that answer, but, in the end, he let it go. I already knew he'd gone to see nana; she's been keeping me up to date on his activities. "You needn't have worried Uncle Guy had someone on me the whole time I was there. I was never in any real danger." "You knew you were being followed?" "Of course!" "Ah, stupid question, sorry. So, you should go see your mother. She's been worried about you. And call Lancelot before he drives both his dad and I
GABRIEL I wasn't surprised at the results the next day, but I was by the fact that Sal cried. He never stopped thanking me and was already making plans for me to come to his palazzo and meet the rest of his family. I begged off with the excuse that I had to get back home. "Ah, it's Alonzo; you do not want to meet him yet. Still, this is your home, the home your great-great-great-grandfather built, and where all the eldest sons have continued the line." "Yes, but I'm not part of that." "Who says? You are the eldest grandson; of course, you must come." "Doesn't your sons have any children?" I knew, of course, that Alonzo had a son and a daughter. "Si´ but you are the eldest; this is the way it's done." "Do you really think that's fair? I'm not here to take anything away from your grandson. My father has more than enough.…." "No-no, this cannot be. I won't have it." I wore a confused expression, but in reality, I already knew this. I knew that his sense of honor
DRACO "Sofia, upstairs, now." Both she and Sheila, who was in the kitchen having one of their gabfests, turned to me in shock. I hadn't raised my voice, but it was obvious that I was pissed. I turned and walked away, heading up the stairs to our room. Like I said, I've never raised my voice to my wife, was never even tempted to, but when she walked into our bedroom, I was barely holding back my anger. "Draco, what's the matter? Did something happen?" "Do you know where our son is?" "Gabe? Did something happen to Gabe?" She walked towards me, and for the first time since we'd met, I stepped back away from her. I could see the hurt and confusion on her face. But I was way past caring at this point. Gabe is smart; he's the smartest person I know, truth be told, and I went to one of the leading Ivy League universities in the world. But he's a child, my child, and I can't help but hold her responsible for this. There's also the guilt of not stepping up and putting an end to this s
GIANNA Traumatized! What made me think I could do this on my own? Giving birth was the easy part. Connie yelled for them to give me every drug available once the pain started. Well, not exactly easy, but the pain was nowhere near what I expected. But once the ordeal was over and I could breathe again, the real fear set in. I spent the first few minutes after marveling at the fact that I'd given life, imagining it and living it are two separate animals altogether. But once the adrenaline wore off, all the fears came at me hard. I'm terrified. I'm giving serious thought to going home, or at the very least to grandma's. One minute I wished Gabriel was here, I wanted to share this with him, and the next, I was mad at him for not being here. I hid my fear well once I was allowed visitors, and Connie and Ron came into the room. I didn't correct the staff who thought they were grandma and grandpa, but it reminded me that my parents weren't here. That thought only made me break down ag
GABRIEL I stepped off the plane in Palermo and into the car that was waiting there for me. I'd planned ahead because even though I'd never been there before, I knew where I was going and that I needed to be there at a specific time. It had taken weeks of research to pin down the specifics once I came up with a plan. I couldn't act right away; I had to be sure before making my move. Now that the routine was set, I was almost certain, barring natural disaster, that my prey would be there when I showed up. I'd given myself a few days here just in case things didn't happen the first day because I know Pop won't let me out of his sight no time soon again, so there was no room for failure. No one back home knew where I was, but I'd brought the ninja turtles with me just to keep Pop off my scent for as long as I could. I could hear the four of them mumbling once we got off the plane, the words 'not again' were said plenty, but I ignored them, only talking to them long enough to send the
DRACO "So, where we at now? Still nothing?" All four of them shook their heads at me the same way they've been doing every time I asked for the last eight months or so. I'm beginning to think we're never going to find this kid, and I'm not sure what that means for my son. Watching over him is like babysitting a tiger; you never know when but there's always the possibility that he'll strike. For the first few months, when we all held out so much hope of finding Gia, he was able to keep an almost positive outlook on things. But, somewhere in the last couple of months, he'd switched into some sort of mode that not even I recognized. Of course, life for everyone else has moved on, but my boy, I don't know what's true and what's not. He tells me daily that he's fine. He'd thrown himself into his new studies at my old alma mater even though he'd opted into studying from home instead of heading to campus. His mother and sisters spend almost every day worried about him, and since he move
GABRIEL Nothing! I spent all night into the morning looking. It's like she never existed. There's no way she could've disappeared that fast on her own, but then again, she had help, didn't she? The contact I got from Diego is lucky she does good work for women in need, or I would've ended her already. She gave me nothing when I called and even refused to meet with me face to face. I've played around with the idea of holding someone hostage until I get some answers, but that's the monster in me. I have to keep that shit on lock, he's already cost me more than enough, but it's hard not to lose it at every turn. I even paid Felix a visit, but he had no idea where she was and was now spending his days worrying about her instead of the sentence he was facing. Good, the monster is very pleased that he's not the only one suffering. Her grandmother had returned home with a promise to come back soon. For some reason watching her go was like losing my last connection to Gianna. Now I'm beg
GABRIEL It only took five minutes into the car ride back home for me to realize what Pop had said to my Uncle Marvin, or at least for me to get the gist of it. He spent the time switching off between trying to comfort his son and keeping me calm. I don't know why they thought I would do something; I hadn't said a word, and Lance didn't give a shit about some low-wage scumbag with one too many bags of Doritos under his belt using some outdated insult that really just boils down to calling him lazy. And as if to prove my point, Lancelot said just as much to his dad. "Dad, that word doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to the people on television and in the news. Gabe and I defanged that word when we were about ten." "Oh! How did you do that?" Lance looked at me as if to ask if I wanted to explain. "You do it." "Okay, remember how Gabe and I met? When those kids used to bully me? Well, when Gabe went back to New York that time, I think we were like seven, he did some res
GABRIEL I admit to blanking out on the way up the steps and into the building since I could pretty much guess where this was going, and my mind was rightfully still back in that little grove where I'd last spoken to her. Lance's words were making me on edge a bit as well. Why did her grandmother have to come get her? Of course, I expect her to be upset, I'm upset at the situation, but the thought of her hurting so much she had to leave school is making me feel like even more of an asshole than I already do. Whatever this is Pop's about to do, I want over with, so I can get back to the house and have the twins go look after her. Levi, the snake charmer, met us inside the doors, and that's when my focus shifted. Why the heck is Pop bringing him in? Somebody's feelings are about to get hurt and hurt real bad. "Gabe, Lance, you boys have grown." Since when? He just saw us a few weeks ago at the twins' sweet sixteen. I didn't say a word, though, because he was wearing his yellow tie.