I delete the message and shove the phone back into my pocket as Giovanni and Mark storm toward the car. From the look on his face I can tell it didn’t go well.
“What happened?” I demand, falling into step beside him.
“They say they don’t have her.”
“And you believe them?” I snort, not wanting to believe that this is all my fault.
“What do they get out of lying to me, Pietro? The only reason they would take her is to get my attention. They have it.”
Then who the fuck has her?
Giovanni drops me back at my apartment after I convince him I’m more help making sure she doesn’t show up there or back at her own place. I wait until the car disappears into the traffic before I head for Screamers.
I’m running late when I finally reach the bar and I’m relieved to see Benito is still there. Huddled in a booth and nursing a beer, he doesn’t look up. I slide into the booth.
“What’s this about?” I ask. I’m not stupid. I know this is about me asking the wrong people too many questions. “I have a situation, Benito. I don’t really have time for this.”
“Pietro, you need to stop.” He still won’t meet my eyes, and his dark tone is scaring me. “You have no idea how far they’ll go to keep you from finding out the truth. No, actually, you do know. You know exactly how this shit works, man.”
“How is this any of your business?” I ask, my voice harsh. “You made it clear that you couldn’t help me, so why have you dragged me out here?”
“Because I’m trying to help you now.” He slams his fist down on the table, showing his frustration. “If you don’t care about your own safety, do it for your girlfriend, okay? Keep digging, and they’ll kill her.”
My blood runs cold. Wetting my lips, I wonder if I just heard him correctly.
“Where is she, Benito? Where the fuck is Lucy?” Both my hands lie flat on the table as I stare at him. I’m almost willing him to give me a reason to punch the shit out of him.
“Look, I had no idea of her connection to you. I knew who she was and that you knew her, but I didn’t realize how close you two were.”
“Benito—”
“She’s in Brooklyn. She’s fine, but if you don’t bury this obsession, you’ll be burying her.”
His words hit me in the face. He’s right. I need to let this go for Lucy. For now at least. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to her because of me and I know better than anyone, these guys don’t mess around.
“So, how do I get her back?” I ask.
“She’s in a warehouse over in Brooklyn, Carmen Industries, down in the basement. Come tonight at eleven. There’ll only be two of us there. Keep Giovanni on a leash, okay? If he starts a war, it will blow up in your face.”
I nod, already trying to think of a way to keep Giovanni out of this. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get her back unhurt. I stand up and push myself from the booth.
“Thanks,” I mutter to him before walking out.
The only way I can see this working is to avoid Giovanni for the rest of the day. He’ll be ready to murder me, but he’ll get over it if I bring Lucy back safely. In the pit of my stomach, I feel sick. This is my fault. I was so quick to blame Giovanni for getting her into this mess when, in reality, it was all me.
I switch off my phone and brace myself for what I know is coming next.
Chapter 28
Pietro
I stand outside the warehouse that Lucy is apparently being held in. I glance at my watch again. 10:49 p.m. The clock is dragging. Cursing, I kick at the stones beneath my feet, my hands deep in my pockets. This might be the worst decision I’ve made in my life. What if I’m walking directly into a trap? If people are pissed off that I’m hunting for information, who knows how far they’ll go to silence me? I want to think I can trust Benito, but my gut is telling me not to trust anyone but myself.
God, if anything happens to her…
I shake the thought from my head. I need to focus on getting in there and getting her out. When my watch finally reads eleven, I enter through the side door, which is unlocked, just like Benito told me it would be.
Inside, it’s dark, and the only sound I can hear is my heart pounding. I walk slowly, praying with each step that I don’t bump into anything and alert them that I’m there.