My gaze roams over the darkness before me, making out wooden boards and a few scant lights in the distance, bobbing on the water. It takes great effort to lift my head from the cold stone I’m lying on, but I do it after several tries. The rest of my body is still numb, and my hands and legs are bound so tight they’re restricting blood flow. I can’t move from this ledge, not even when I see the wave coming for me this time.
I brace myself, closing my eyes and whimpering as the wave crashes into me.
This is bad. So bad.
“Joshua.” I pray my words are decipherable. “Under boardwalk. Ledge. Tide.”
I repeat the same words over and over as I’m battered by the rising tide and shivering all over. Drowsiness comes to claim me again, and I fight it, but it’s too much. I’m just drifting away when I hear my name being called from above. “Joshua,” I croak. My words sound clearer even with the noticeable trembling, confirming the drug is working its way out of my system. “I’m under the boardwalk. On a ledge, and the tide is coming in. I don’t have long.”
“Gia!” The sound of his voice is like music to my ears. He’s getting closer.
“Joshua!” I try to shout, but I have no power in my voice. “I can hear him. He’s close,” I tell whoever is listening. I’m assuming they are talking to Joshua.
“Gia, where are you? Scream, honey. As loud as you can.”
I summon whatever strength I have left and scream as loud as I can.
“Over here,” someone says.
I cower as bright light rains down on me from above. “She’s here!” someone with an unfamiliar voice says, and inside I’m crying tears of joy.
“Gia. I’m here.” He leans over the edge, peering at me with equal measures of concern and relief in his eyes.
“Joshua.” Tears leak down my face.
“It’s okay, honey. I’m coming to get you.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Joshua
“How is she? Does she need to be at the hospital? What can I do?” I ask Mom when she finally emerges from my bedroom where she’s been attending to Gia for the past hour with a nurse and another doctor.
“Breathe, Joshua.” Mom pulls me into a hug. “Gia is sleeping now, and she’s in good hands. We’ll take very good care of her. Try not to worry too much.”
“Mom,” I croak, clinging to her like I used to when I was a little kid. “Will she be okay?”
She holds my face in her hands. “Gia is strong. She’ll get through this, but she’s going to need time to heal.” Tears well in her eyes. “She has scars on the inside as well as the outside.”
“I’m going to gut that motherfucker until even his own mother won’t recognize him.” Pain slays me all over as I recall being in the helicopter en route to A.C. and hearing that sick fuck force himself on her while his men cheered him on.
“Good. He deserves to die a slow and painful death for what he did to her.” Her voice cracks as she removes her medical hat and puts her motherly one on. “Has Caleb found him yet?”
My brother took a large team, and they’re searching for Liam as we speak. I wanted to go with him, but I need to be here for Gia. Caleb will find him and keep him for us to deal with. Though I’m not sure if Gia will want to see the prick again. Either way, it’ll be her decision to make.
I shake my head. “No. They ransacked his apartment and the bar, but he wasn’t there. He appears to have ditched his cell, and O’Hara has no clue where he could have gone. He’s in the wind, but he can’t have gotten too far. Philip called the entire IT team in from their holiday break, and they’re combing through camera footage in the area. He’ll surface, and when he does, we’ll grab him.”
“You should be checked out. Your brother too.” Worry fills her eyes. We called Leo shortly after leaving Commission Central, asking him to tell Mom what had gone down so she and my stepdad could visit Luca’s family and relay the bad news. Giulio knew something was up after Caleb’s call, and we couldn’t leave him hanging.
“I’m fine, Mom. Not a scratch. Benedito and Luca took the fall.”
“Poor Luca. Poor Maria. She’s inconsolable. All the kids are too.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Does it bring back bad memories for you?” She caresses my cheek.
“Not really. I’m more concerned about Gia. She’s all I can think about right now.”
