“Andretti!” I growl, foaming at the mouth.
“I changed my mind,” Andretti says. “I have your family.”
“I know you do,” I swear. “Where are they?”
“I’ll send you their location,” Andretti replies. “But you have to come alone. If I see anyone else, I’ll shoot them dead before you get in the door.”
I look at Giovanni, and he nods.
“If you hurt her…” I begin.
“I want to talk to you,” Andretti says. I wonder if he’s being reasonable, but I can’t tell because I’m blinded by anger. I assume he’s going to kill all of us, and that this façade of cooperation is just a trap.
“Send me the location,” I demand.
A moment later, the call switches off and I get a text pin. I press my finger to the map, copy and paste it into a text for Giovanni. Then, I get into my car and drive away. I’m not paying any attention to anything but the GPS. It’s taking me to the warehouse district, the perfect place to conduct illegitimate business in private.
I step on the gas, burning through the short distance in record time. As I pull up to the warehouse in question, I notice a single green minivan parked out front. The door is open as if the passengers didn’t bother to shut it.
I grab a gun out of the glove compartment, checking to see if it’s loaded. But then I reconsider. The first thing they’re likely to do is search me for weapons. And I don’t want to give them an extra one to shoot me with. Or worse, give them a way to frame me for Marlena’s murder.
So I leave the weapon right where it is, and climb out of the car. I want to run, but I force myself to power walk. I need to appear rational, even though I’m not. I take the extra few seconds to scan the outside of the building. I don’t see any thugs or snipers. It looks perfectly innocent until I step inside.
In the middle of the warehouse, I spy Marlena and Frankie. They’ve got their hands tied behind their backs, and they’re surrounded by Andretti’s men. I notice that Andretti himself is standing in front of them, reveling in his power.
I cut straight through all the lowlifes, not giving a damn, and reach for the duct tape that binds my wife. She doesn’t recognize me at first, and struggles.
“Relax,” I tell her.
“Francisco!” she gasps with relief.
“Corello,” Andretti says, looking smug.
I tear the tape from my wife’s wrists, ignoring her soft protests. I’m sure it hurts, but I need to do it. She turns around immediately and gives me a hug. I’m glad to see she’s alive, but I can’t afford to lose perspective. I peel her off me, pointing to Frankie.
My son nods. I’m pleased to see that he’s not harmed, and that he seems calm. Despite the differences between us, he’s a goodman. Marlena begins to tear the tape from his hands as I turn to face Andretti.
“I’m glad you could join us,” Andretti says casually.
“You’re a dead man,” I swear.
“We have ourselves a problem,” Andretti begins, as if we’re negotiating in good faith. “Your wife’s father killed my brother. That’s something I can’t forgive.”
“She had nothing to do with it,” I begin, glancing around at all the weapons pointed in our direction. I count at least a dozen armed men, each one targeting my family with the barrel of a gun.
“Annul your marriage,” Andretti demands. “Let her go, and you and your boy can walk out of here. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’s going to be a three-for-one special.”
I narrow my eyes. Of course, there’s no chance of that happening. I just need to buy a little bit more time until my backup arrives. I turn to Marlena, and that’s when I notice a bright red welt on her cheek. Someone struck her. I wager it was Andretti, since none of his men would make a move without his consent. He’s going to pay for that. If he survives the firefight that’s about to come, I’m going to personally put him in his grave.
I kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry,” I whisper. “You’re safe now.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs.
“Don’t be sorry,” I instruct her, putting a hand against the back of her head and pulling her close. “It will all be over soon.”
“He’s going to kill us all, no matter what,” she whispers.
“No, he won’t,” I promise. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let that happen.
