Mia Figlia

Chapter 41 ✔️

PoV Stella

Frustrated, I stared at the alarm clock. I had slept for two hours and a half since Riccardo had left the estate. I wished that this damn crap was finally over, and I could sleep in peace again. Too often I was plagued by nightmares from the playground. Especially since I had discovered that Aiden's organization was behind the near kidnapping of my daughter.

Again, I looked at the clock. It was still too early for a result. Hopefully they would blow up the whole damn building. After all the girls were brought into safety, of course. A fucking human trafficking ring! According to Daniel, the biggest in the entire north. Little girls were kidnapped and sold to rich childless families. The older ones were mostly teenagers who had fled their broken homes. They were enslaved and put up for auction. Or used to entertain high politicians, businessmen or even police chiefs. Many of them were not yet fourteen years old. I shook my head. Tears ran down my cheeks again. As often when I thought of the girls. Daniel, a simple patrolman, had infiltrated there under the name Jack to save his younger cousin. He had found her, but instead of escaping with her, he had thought about how to free all the girls. Esmée had not wanted to leave them behind. At nineteen, she was one of the oldest. For five long years she had endured all the torments, giving courage to the younger ones. Unlike her, I was weak, useless.

I got up and ran to the window. Why was I this restless tonight? Two mafia families took care of the problem. What could go wrong?

True, Riccardo was once again not wearing a bulletproof vest. Precisely like back in the boxing club. I remembered how nervously I had reacted to his injury and how they had persuaded me to stand guard with him so that he would not rise unnoticed. Persuaded! The doctor had instructed me to watch his don because the stubborn one listened to me better. How well that worked, I had seen again this evening.

I stared out into the night through the large window. The moon and the stars were hidden behind thick clouds. The air seemed to be filled with electric particles. A storm was threatening to break over us. As well in the figurative sense. I shivered, rubbed my cold arms. My inner restlessness continued to roar until it became an all-destroying storm. Sleep was no longer a possibility. My pulse raced; my heart beat hard against my ribs. It throbbed painfully. Abruptly, I turned away from the window, ran to the closet and randomly pulled out one sweatshirt and sweatpants. Hastily, I put them both on and stormed out of the bedroom. I hurried into the library with my steps getting faster and faster. There, on a shelf behind a row of literary classics, was the small smartphone I had received from Daniel. With trembling fingers, I switched it on and tapped the number field.

After taking a deep breath, I began to write a message.

How is it going so far?

I pressed send and waited impatiently. Two check marks appeared, turned blue.

They are taking the girls to safety right now. Do not like to admit it, but the mobsters have a damn good grip on the situation.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I wrote my last message for the time being.

Please keep me posted. Can't sleep for excitement.

All I got back was a thumbs up. I put the smartphone aside and stared broodingly at my hands, which I placed in my lap. Although everything was going according to plan, if I could believe Daniel, I could not get rid of this nagging feeling that something was tremendously wrong. An iron fist crushed my insides, nausea rising up my throat. I dug my fingernails into my thighs. This damned waiting! The wall clock ticked loudly. The second hand remained in its respective spot for far too long. I grabbed a book and threw it towards the clock. Without causing any damage, it fell to the floor with a soft plop. Wonderful!