Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

Crow ignored my affectionate words. “Pearl is more important. If you really cared about my life that much, you wouldn’t have asked me to free Adelina. If you really cared that much about protecting me, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

He would never say that to me under ordinary circumstances, even if he thought it. He’d definitely picked up on what I was doing. “I’m sorry. Now I’m doing what I can to get you out.”

“Pearl has already suffered. When she was a prisoner to Bones, he did terrible things to her. The bruises, the broken bones, the trauma…it’s a miracle she didn’t lose her mind. I’m not letting another man repeat those actions.”

Crow hated talking about Bones. He never even said his name. To go into detail about her captivity didn’t make any sense. He was definitely trying to tell me something. But what was it?

“I’m not letting that happen again,” he repeated. “So this is it. This is the last time we’ll ever speak.”

“Crow, come on. Just tell me.”

“Forget it.”

Tristan and the other men in the room didn’t interrupt. Tristan was probably hoping Crow would give in and hand over the address. Having Pearl would be the greatest revenge Tristan could possibly have. It would hurt both Crow and me.

“Remember when we were kids, and Dad took us to that coffee shop down the street from the Colosseum?”

We’d never done anything like that in our lives. “Yeah. You stole that pack of gum from underneath the register, and Dad spanked your ass for it. But he also spanked mine for tattling on you.” I had to make it more convincing that we weren’t speaking in a coded message. I knew Crow was trying to tell me exactly where he was.

Crow released a faint chuckle. “Yeah. He knew what he was doing. And he taught me what it means to be a brother… I’ll never forget that.”

“Crow, you know what’s going to happen if you don’t tell me where she is. I’m telling you, Pearl would want this.”

Crow was silent.

“She would rather suffer for the rest of her life than let you die.”

Again, silence.

“Goddammit, Crow. Just tell me. Would you really deny your wife’s wishes?” I had to make this convincing, and Crow couldn’t give in too easily. If he did, it would be obvious this was just a ploy.

“I’m supposed to protect her. If I give her up, I’d be worthless.”

“Not if she wants you to. Marriage is a two-way street. This way, you both get to live.”

Crow was quiet.

“Please.”

Nothing.

“I need you, Crow. Don’t make me be the only Barsetti left.”

“You can carry on our legacy, Cane.”

“No, I can’t,” I snapped. “I’m not the better brother. You are. I should be in that chair right now. I should be the one being held as a prisoner. I can’t live with this guilt, Crow. I can’t live knowing I’m the reason you…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

Crow didn’t say anything else.

There was silence, which was followed by more silence.

I continued to wait for him to make a move.

But nothing came.

“We’re running out of time, Crow. Just tell—”

“Serengeti, Tanzania.”

It was a random place, and the exact opposite direction of Pearl. It was remote and unremarkable, which made it believable.

“She’s staying at the Four Seasons,” Crow whispered.

I knew he was in Rome, somewhere close to the Colosseum. He also mentioned Bones, who had lived in Rome. Those were the two clues, and once I looked at a map, I’d probably be able to narrow it down.

The plan worked.

Tristan took the phone. “I’ll send men to fetch her now. But I’m not letting him go until she’s in my custody.” He hung up without giving me the opportunity to say another word.

I grabbed my laptop and did some research into the area. I identified the coffee shop Crow had mentioned, and I also put in the coordinates of Bones’s residence. It was fifteen miles to the east, so that didn’t narrow it down enough.

Then I realized he was talking about a different address.

Bones’s factory.

I entered that in next. Between the coffee shop and his warehouse, there was just a single road. The road led to an abandoned compound with old warehouses. The property had been purchased by a hotel company, and it was going to be built for tourists.

Now I knew where he was.

It was time to get my brother out of there.

* * *

We met at a rendezvous point two miles away so we wouldn’t arouse the suspicion of Tristan and his men. Crow was smart to pick a location that was at least a twenty-hour plane ride away. They wouldn’t figure out Crow was lying for at least ten hours, at the earliest.

Bran was in one of the Hummers parked in the alleyway, speaking to the tech guys back on the base. He was waiting for a scan of the area to determine the lay of the land. I assumed Tristan only had a few men working for him, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.