Twisted Bonds (The Camorra Chronicles 4)

“As if luck had anything to do with it. That plastic surgeon almost shit his pants when Remo talked to him.”

“He was lucky I didn’t just kill him, so there you go,” Remo muttered.

I headed outside to tell Kiara. From the worried look on her face she knew already. “You’re leaving to search for Adamo?”

“Have to. This kid … he’s …” I shook my head and stroked Alessio’s hair.

“Find him. Help him,” Kiara said. “We’ll be all right. Maybe you’ll find him before his cake goes stale.”

“I think you should eat it today. His birthday will be over by the time we find him and I suspect he won’t deserve a reward.”

Kiara pursed her lip. “It’s his birthday cake.”

Serafina sat on the grass and the twins were in the small baby pool she’d gotten them but she looked toward us. “We can bake something fresh once he’s back. Nino’s right, the key lime pie won’t last long.”

When Remo joined us outside, she looked at him and her face reflected the same concern I’d seen on Kiara’s.

Remo and I weren’t only responsible for our brothers anymore, we had wives and children. He gave me a pissed look, thinking the same and eager to kick Adamo’s ass. I wasn’t sure what to do with Adamo, how to handle him. If it wasn’t him, the solution would have been clear—torture, then death.

“I don’t know what to do with him if he’s drugged again,” Remo said when we sat in the car, ready to head out.

“We’ll figure it out. We can try again. Lock him in longer this time.”

Remo started the car. “What if it’s not enough?”

I didn’t say anything, because for once I couldn’t think of other options.

KIARA

I was stretched out on the sofa beside Alessio, trying to get some rest after a sleepless night. Alessio was sleeping soundly now. Despite my tiredness I couldn’t fall asleep. I loved watching his sweet face too much. Nino and Remo had been gone for one day and we hadn’t heard from them yet, which wasn’t unusual considering Nino despised unnecessary messages.

My phone buzzed on the table beside me. Turning awkwardly, I reached for it, trying not to wake Alessio. Adamo’s name flashed across the screen. I picked up at once, surprised he’d call me. “Where are you? I baked you a cake for your birthday yesterday but you just disappeared. We’re worried about you.” I hoped he hadn’t celebrated his sixteenth birthday alone. Maybe Savio was right and he’d spent it at the races, maybe with friends he’d made there, but why hadn’t Remo and Nino found him yet?

“Kiara…” The word was slurred.

“Adamo, what’s wrong? Where are you?” I asked, sitting up carefully.

“With my mother … I was there to see her…”

Shock washed over me. I’d thought Adamo had put her out of his mind like his brothers seemed to have done. Why had he visited her, on his birthday no less?

“And now? Where are you now? Still in the hospital?”

“Nah … ” he said quietly, a hint of hesitation in his voice, as if he wasn’t telling me everything. “Didn’t stay long … she’s not right in the head … she’s …”

“Adamo, why don’t you come home? Take a cab. Don’t drive. You are drunk, right?” He couldn’t be far. The mental institution was in the outer suburbs of Vegas.

Adamo laughed. It was a soft, despondent sound. “Drunk, drugged.”

I began pacing the room, growing more and more nervous. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

“Don’t tell my brothers,” he said quickly.

There was no way his brothers wouldn’t find out. They’d suspected his relapse after all.

“I won’t. I can pick you up by myself. I’ll take a car. There are enough to choose from.”

“When’s the last time you’ve driven a car?”

I hadn’t driven a car in years, only during driving lessons when I was still in school.

“Adamo, tell me where you are. Let me help you.” I glanced down at Alessio who was moving his fingers in his sleep. If it was just me, I wouldn’t have hesitated to drive the car even if I was inexperienced. However, I wouldn’t risk it with Alessio in the same car, and I couldn’t leave him with Serafina. She had the twins to take care of, who were enough work, especially Nevio. Leona was on campus, and Savio and Fabiano couldn’t take care of a newborn.

“You won’t drive yourself. You’ll send someone, right?” he said miserably.

“No,” I lied even as I felt bad, but I couldn’t drive no matter how much I wanted to, and maybe Adamo needed someone who could carry him if he passed out.

“She ran away,” he said.

“Who ran away?” The conversation was confusing me. With my lack of sleep, I just couldn’t keep up.

“I thought it would be nice to see her on my birthday. She was nice. She told me it was okay if I needed to escape reality now and then. She stayed at my side while I got myself a fix.”