“Oh, really? And why is that?”
“Because he’s an idiot with no people skills and the moral compass of a cockroach.”
She slapped me hard across my face. More stars, great!
“You little bitch! You have no idea the sacrifices a real mother makes for her child. Gino is my son, and even if his father won’t acknowledge him, I will always be in his corner.” Her face was red and her hands were shaking. This woman had some serious anger issues. I thought it better not to toy with her too much. I was too young to die.
“Why take me? What’s your plan?”
“My plan is to rid the Coli family of you and Joe. I can’t have another line of descendants getting in Gino’s way of claiming what is his. I’m using you to lure Joe. Then I’ll take care of both of you, personally. You know what they say, darling, ‘if you want the job done…’”
My mind was racing. Then, it hit me like a bad smell. I remembered something else I was doing before they nabbed me. I was waiting for the results of the pregnancy test I’d taken. The tube was still sitting on the side of the vanity cabinet.
JOE
The word on the street was that there was no word on the street. How the hell a woman could be taken from her house at night without anybody seeing or knowing about it blew my mind. My gut was telling me that it wasn’t a crime of opportunity. Whoever had Ella had planned it for a while. They knew that we’d be back in Palermo and that it was the perfect time to strike.
“Mario, who can help us roll over a few stones? The lowlife must be hiding somewhere nearby. Nothing in Palermo happens in a vacuum. Somebody must know something.”
“This isn’t just any old criminal, Joe. It smells like money. None of the usual lowlifes were hired for the job, which tells me the kidnappers have their own people. It took pros to pull this off.”
“Where does that leave us?”
“Up Shit Creek without a paddle,” Franco chirped. “Can’t we break some faces until someone squeals?”
“As satisfying as that sounds, Franco, we can’t start a turf war. If we whack the wrong people, we’ll be in a world of pain and all destruction. We better make damn sure or we’ll fuck up.” Mario turned away from Franco, back to me.
“Joe, I’ve got a friend down at the precinct who owes me a favor. I’ll find out if the fingerprints they lifted from the house matches anyone we know. I’ll be right back.”
He went to a callbox and dialed. After talking briefly to someone on the line, he hung up and made his way back to us.
“And? Anything?”
“One of the prints they lifted was partially visible. He’s doing comparisons to their database, now. He should have an answer for me within the hour.”
“Let’s have a coffee. My nerves could do with a caffeine kick.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea, Franco. Come, Joe, you need sustenance. It may be a long day.”
The three of us sat in the coffee house, waiting for news of the identity of the filthy bastard that took my Ella. I saw her beautiful face every time I closed my eyes. I should have never left her alone in Sicily. What was I thinking? A wave of guilt washed over me as I thought of her lying somewhere, alone and afraid.
After forty-five minutes, Mario went back to the callbox to check with his contact, while Franco and I waited. He hung up and shook his head. Fuck!
“Sorry, Joe. They’ve got nothing.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? How can they have no clues whatsoever? Why do we bother lining their pockets if they can’t come up with shit?”
“I’m sorry, Joe. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Let’s go back home and see if there’s any news.” I stalked off to the car, Mario, Franco, and Fabio in tow.
Back at the house, I found my father talking to Alicia and mama. The gang waited outside for me out of respect for the family. Poor Alicia was in a state; the woman had been through enough. They looked up at me as I entered the room.
“Joe, my son, where did you go? We were worried about you.” My mother came over to me and hugged me.
“Have you heard anything, Joe?” Alicia was in tears. I sat down next to her on the sofa and held her hand.
“Alicia, I promise we’ll find her. Please, don’t worry. We have everybody out there looking for her.”
“Joe, there's something I haven’t been able to show you, yet.” Alicia took a handkerchief from her bag and opened it slowly. She gave the contents to me. It was a glass tube, wrapped in plastic.
“What is it?” I stopped dead as I realized what it was. It was a pregnancy test, and the little donut shape was as clear as day. Oh my god! My wife is pregnant. Ella is carrying our baby!
ELEANORA
I’d been alone in the dank coffee spot for quite some time when a young man in a fancy suit brought in a glass of water and a sandwich. For a batshit crazy bitch on wheels, Abriana had good manners. I was starving, and after sniffing and tasting the filling with the tip of my tongue, I dove in and devoured the food. I had no idea why I was so hungry. It probably had something to do with the fact that I’d vomited four times since waking up in the dump of a room I was in. It was most likely due to the concussion I sustained
