The Woman in the Back Room (Costa Family)

The Gio Morelli Sr. was almost always at home or his business, making him a tough person to get to as well. The Morelli brothers were a little easier to catch alone. But Alessa was likely the easiest of all. Because she wasn't technically in the Family, she wasn't given the same level of protection. She flitted around the city being a walking target.

I was just reaching for my phone to text Alessa, so she could start racking her brain to try to figure out who it might have been when it started to ring in my hand.

Salvatore.

It was the third time that day that the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

I nearly dropped my phone in my rush to answer.

"Sal—"

"They took her," he ground out, making my stomach plummet.

"Alessa?" I asked, voice tight as I turned to Brio who went suddenly silent on his own call. "They took Alessa?" I asked.

"Yes," Salvatore said, sounding like he could barely get the one syllable out.

"Who took her?" I asked. "Where's Avi?"

"Hiding. Cameras," Salvatore said, hissing and grunting.

"Are you hit?" I asked, waving toward the SUV as I rushed to climb in myself.

"Yo, boss, Alessa was taken," Brio said. "Sounds like Salvatore was hit. Yep. Ten minutes out. Okay. Yep."

"Yeah, hit," Salvatore growled. "Where's the tweezers?" he asked.

"No, don't take the fucking bullets out yourself," I snapped, my head racing too much for pleasantries. "We are ten minutes out. Lorenzo might beat us there. Wait for someone."

"I fucked up," Salvatore said, sounding defeated.

"It sounds like you did all you could," I countered. "We will find her," I added, hanging up. "We will find her," I added again. To Brio. To myself.

Because we had to.

We had to find her.

When we got back to my apartment, Lorenzo, Emilio, and a few of their men were already there, bringing up the camera footage.

"Brio," Lorenzo barked as my gaze slid to the ground outside of the door where an alarmingly large puddle of blood was sinking into the carpet. My stomach dropped immediately until I saw the drag marks of blood leading into my apartment. Salvatore's blood, not Alessa. "You need to get over here and assist this fucker who won't go to the hospital," Lorenzo said, waving toward Salvatore who was half-collapsed in one of my dining room chairs, his shirt off, blood dripping down his side. He was breathing hard and fast as he uncapped the bottle of vodka, took a swig, then poured it down his body with a chorus of curses.

"Where's Avi?" I asked, heart pounding so hard I could barely hear anything else.

"She probably told him not to come out for anyone but you," Salvatore explained as Brio moved in close to check out his wounds.

"Go ahead," Lorenzo said, nodding. "We don't have anything to go on yet. Mom is on her way, though. We're going to need you," he explained.

Even if he didn't, he was stuck with me.

"Did you tell Christopher to expect the Morellis?" Emilio asked, talking about the guard stationed by the elevators.

"Yeah. They're all on their way. Crazy fucking Ricco is flying in too. So he should be here to help," Lorenzo explained, talking about another of Alessa's half-brothers, the one who was almost always loaned out on jobs because of his particular skill set.

"Avi?" I called, walking through the living room, but knowing she wouldn't have stashed him somewhere so close if she had an extra minute to put him somewhere else. "Avi, come out," I called, voice getting louder as I dipped into his room, then Alessa's, not finding him anywhere. "Ottavio!" I yelled, moving into my own room.

It was in there that I heard quiet sniffling coming from my closet.

"Avi," I said, breathing a small sigh of relief as I pulled the door open, finding him stashed behind my suits in the back, all but invisible if I didn't know he was there.

"They took Less," he cried, launching himself at me as soon as he saw me. "They took her."

"I know, bud. I know," I said, arms going around him, squeezing tight. "But we're going to find her. That's why everyone is here. They're all going to help find her."

"She saved me," he said, voice wobbling.

To an extent, she did. Since she hadn't known the threat at the door was for her, not my son. She'd done what she could. She'd hidden him away, then went to try to make a stand, protect him.

She was an amazing fucking woman.

And we had to get her back.

"Yeah, she did, bud."

"I need to thank her."

"You will," I assured him.

"Soon?"

Fuck, I hoped so.

There was no telling what they might be doing to her in the interim.

"Yes. But I need to help Uncle Enzo for a bit. Nonna is coming to sit with you, though," I told him, pulling him back to wipe his cheeks. "Think you can be strong for me for just a little bit, so I can help find Less?"