Destined For The Mafia (18+) (3 of 3)

Chapter 12 - Daria

Everything next happens in a blur.

Anthony explains it all, but I only catch parts.

Stefano is gone.
Daria was shot. It's her blood on the floor.
Stefano was taken.
Anthony killed the other men.
Stefano isn't here.
Daria is with the vet doctor. David took her.

Stefano was taken by Tony.

I did this.
I caused all of this.
My stupid revenge came at the cost of everything.

My son.

Enzo shakes me back to reality. I try to look in his eyes but I can't.

"We will get him back," he says, trying to reassure me but all I can hear is the rage within him.

"It's my fault..."

"They will burn for this, Caterina," he says and the fact that he doesn't tell me I'm wrong forces my eyes to screw shut.

"I will personally kill every last one of them," I hear Anthony say in a tone I have never heard from him before. It's almost frightening. No. It is.

"Get an update from the vet," Enzo commands. "Call in everyone."

"No."

I open my eyes and realize it was my own voice that said that. They are both staring at me like I'm batshit crazy.

"We need to come up with a plan. A good one. They have our son. We have to be smart. Keep it tight."

There's a pause. They look between them.

"Call Seb," Enzo says to me.

I nod.

- - -

Sebastian and Ace stand in a circle with the three of us in the backyard. We turn as footsteps approach, but David's voice lets us know it's him through the dark.

We have to be outside. They could have planted bugs inside during the commotion.

"Please tell me we have a plan to kill every one of them," David says through his teeth as he moves between Anthony and Sebastian.

"Where were your men?" Ace snaps suddenly at Anthony. "Why wasn't anyone here?"

"Ace!" I whisper yell at him and his jaw twitches before looking down.

"There were several guards," Anthony snaps back. "They did their job and now they are dead. Does that please you?"

"We need a smart plan," Enzo says with an edge to his voice - a warning. Everyone focuses on him. He has that effect.

"I spoke to our mole," Anthony says. "No one knows where he is being held."

"They won't hurt him. He's a boy," Sebastian says.

My chest tightens. Everything in me wants to collapse and die right here and now.

I feel something brush against my arm. I look over to see Ace now right beside me.

"You don't know who you are dealing with," Enzo warns Seb. "Tony doesn't care what he has to do to hurt us. He has been waiting a long time. He's smarter than you think." He huffs. "We gave him too much time to plan," he says, almost to himself than us.

"Agreed," David says, stepping forward. "But we are here now. We call in everyone. We raid his house."

"Not a chance that they brought him to his house," Ace says.

"It's worth a shot," Enzo says to David as if he didn't hear Ace - but we all know he did.

"Enzo," I say and he turns to look at me, "we can't go to war. We will get torn apart." His hooded eyes meet mine. "We aren't ready. We have never been ready."

But he doesn't want to hear me either.

"We will do what we need to do to get Stefano back," he says.

"We already lost Daria! What else do you want to lose?" I ask him, my voice rising.

He takes two quick steps to me, now towering over me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I am prepared to risk everything except you two," he says and for a second I forget anyone else is there.

But for all of his strengths, he fails to see the obvious.

No war is going to win this fight.

I look down and then back up to him.

"I'm not."

And with that, I turn and walk back foward the house.

- - -

I'm in Stefano's room, staring at his small bed on my knees beside it. My hands skim over his pillow, the dark blue comforter with trains on it, his stuffed giraffe, his stuffed bear...

As I stare at the stuffies, I realize there is one missing. I look around the room, but it isn't there.

My palm rests on his pillow again as I close my eyes.

"Forgive me."

Footsteps approach and I reopen my eyes to see Ace in the doorway. His eyes are dark, angry. Like mine.

"Where's Enzo?" I ask him.

"Outside still. They all are. A few other guys arrived."

"And why aren't you?"

His eyes meet mine. "You know why."

But I can't think about that right now. I have to focus on my son. He needs me. Who knows where the fuck Tony took him... what they are doing to-

I shake myself.

"Ace, pull your car out front."

He squints, stepping in the room. "Okay, but why?"

I look back at the small bed and then stand. "I'll meet you out there. Tell no one."

He nods. "Okay."

He disappears down the hall and I quickly run to my old room once I know he is gone. I rummage through my old drawers until I find the thing I need. Well, both things.

A pen and a piece of paper.

Author's Note:

Shorter chapter because the next part didn't fit lol

Thanks for reading!!!