Gia: WHAT?
Gia: When was this??
Me: Three hours ago.
Gia: And you're just NOW asking about her?!
Gia: What the hell is wrong with you?!
Me: I thought she was playing games.
Gia: PLAYING GAMES?! She texted you that she was being FOLLOWED and you thought it was a GAME?!
My hands are shaking now, trembling so badly I can barely hold the phone.
Me: Go wake your father. Tell him to call me. Now.
Gia: You're damn right I'm waking him. You’re an asshole, Santino.
I stand abruptly and pace the length of the room, unable to stay still. Every second feels like an hour, every minute an eternity.
My phone rings, the sound cutting through the room like a gunshot.
Dominic Costa. Her father.
I answer immediately. "Don Dominic—"
"What the fuck is going on?" His voice is ice and fury combined, the tone of a man who's about to commit murder. "My daughter texted you three hours ago that she was being followed and you did nothing?"
"I thought—"
"You thought what? That she was lying? That my daughter would joke about being in danger?" His voice rises with each word. "Where is she? Have you found her?"
"No, I—"
"You what? You're calling me at midnight to tell me my daughter is missing and you have no idea where she is?!"
"I'm going to find her—"
"You should have found her three hours ago!" He's shouting now, full rage unleashed. "I agreed to this alliance to protect her. To keep her safe. And you—you let her disappear because you thought she was playing games?"
"Don Dominic, I'm sorry—"
"Sorry? You’re sorry?" I can hear him breathing hard, struggling to control himself. "I trusted you with the most precious thing in my life. I gave you my daughter. And you—"
He stops abruptly. I hear something in the background—a woman's voice, probably Elena trying to calm him down.
My phone buzzes in my hand, vibrating against my ear.
"Hold on," I say to Dominic, my voice rough. "I'm getting a message."
I pull the phone away from my ear to look at the screen.
A text. From Liana's number.
A photo attachment.
I open it with fingers that won't stop shaking.
