Mafia Betrayal

Chapter Fifty Four

Luca

"Daddy, will momma come back tomorrow?" Layla asked, crawling under the covers and looking up at me through those long eyelashes. She looked so much like her mother when she did that.

"I don't know, baby girl. But I hope so." I sighed, running my fingers through her long dark hair. It was tangled and I should probably comb it, but that was always Charlotte's department. I didn't even know where her hair brush would be.

Layla's lips stuck out in a tiny pout, and I could see her eyes filling up with tears. "Me too."

"I've got an idea!" I mustered up the biggest smile I could manage, wrapping my arms around her and snuggling in next to her amidst the ruffled pink sheets. Why don't we sing the song mommy always sings you? The one about the tornado?"

Layla looked at me like I was speaking another language. "It's not about a tornado, daddy. It's a rainbow." She said, emphasizing the word.

"Haven't you ever seen the Wizard of Oz?" I chuckled.

"Wizard like Harry Potter?" Layla perked up a bit.

"Not exactly." I made a mental note to ask Charlotte why Layla knew about Harry Potter, but not a classic like the Wizard of Oz. For a brief moment, I forgot that I might not have that chance. "Why don't you start it? How does it go?"

She started to sing. I didn't know the words very well, but I joined in as best as I could.

When we were done singing, I pulled the covers up over her and kissed her for head. "Good night, sweetie. I'll be right next-door if you need me. I love you."

"I love you, too." She beamed, completely oblivious to everything going on around her. Looking at her was breaking my heart even more than it already was. I turned her nightlight on quickly and left the room before I started crying again.

I sat on my bed, realizing how mentally exhausted I was from today. Elena had taken everything in stride, but I could tell she was in shock. She didn't come right out and say it, but I knew she blamed me. How could she not? After all, I was the one who put Charlotte in such danger after Elena had spent her entire life trying to keep her out of this. And Layla didn't really even understand what was going on. At least she was somewhat of a distraction, but it was hard to look at her and not see Charlotte.

Angelo and Marco had still not come up with much. They were chasing down a few leads, but nothing has panned out yet. They also weren't leaving me alone, worried about what I might do. I didn't need to be babysat, but I knew my behavior earlier had worried them. I knew with every passing minute that she was gone, the odds of bringing her home got lower and lower. I tried to cling on to any shred of hope I could, but there wasn't much.

I was losing my mind with nothing to do. There was no way it was physically possible to stop thinking about it. I imagined all the ways they were hurting her, and that would haunt me for the rest of my life. It was too painful to think about what was happening to her, so all I could do was focus on my anger. I could plan how I was going to make Silvano and his men suffer, and make sure everyone in the world knew my family was not to be messed with.

I watched my phone obsessively, waiting for someone, anyone, to call with an update. We had to have something by now, didn't we? I should have put some type of tracker on her. If I ever got the chance to again, I would.

I grabbed my laptop to try to do some research on my own. I didn't really even know what I was looking for, but at least it gave me the illusion that I was contributing somehow. I had promised Angelo I would step away long enough to spend some time with Layla and get some rest, but that was proving to be impossible. Charlotte was the only thing on my mind. Resting wasn't an option.