Because no video could mean that there is no Giovanna, and I can’t even begin to fathom a world where she does not exist.
“Tommy.” Vin raises his voice to get my attention. “You gotta eat something, man. You’re making yourself sick.”
I don’t answer. Standing, I push my hands through my hair and pace, then turn and kick the back of the couch. In my entire life, the only time I’ve ever felt helpless was the day my mother died.
If it’s possible, I feel even more helpless than that.
“Where haven’t we looked? Who do we need to talk to? Where is this fucking island that they’re holding her?”
Vin sighs and taps a cigarette out of his pack. “We’ve gone over this, bro. We have mapped out the 20-minute airspace in all directions looking for this mystery island. We have talked to everyone we can find, and we’ve found pretty much everyone but a few of Aurelio’s men, who are probably stationed with Giovanna. We interrogated Antonio within an inch of his fucking life and—”
“We haven’t found Berto. We haven’t found Franco, Jimmy, Dante.” My voice is flat, lifeless. “Why are we fucking here if they’re still out there?”
“There’s a fucking war on, Tommaso!” Vin stands, crushing the cigarette he just lit into an old aluminum drink can on the coffee table. “We’ve been at this for almost two months. You’re killing yourself like this. She wouldn’t want you to—”
I jerk my head toward him. “Don’t.” My tone is sharp enough to cut. “Don’t talk about her like she’s gone.”
Vin stands, taking a tentative step toward me like I’m a wild animal about to bolt. “Tommy.” His voice drops lower. “We haven’t heard a thing. Not from Aurelio. Not from the men he’s got left. There have been no videos. I think you need to consider the possibility that she—”
I slap my palm against the wall and press my forehead into the cold concrete and cinder blocks. “Don’t say it.”
Silence hangs heavy in the air, except for the wall clock ticking loudly, steady and cruel.
Vin exhales, tired. “Fine. I won’t. But you need to shower. Eat. Sleep. Something. Then we’ll talk about the Luminous job.”
My jaw tightens. “I told you we’re not hitting Luminous until she’s back with me.”
He has no answer to that.
Vin lights another cigarette and leans forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.
I pace between the door and the couch, back and forth, back and forth. Every muscle in my body feels wired, waiting for the phone to buzz. Waiting for her.
My phone vibrates once against the table. Vin and I stare at each other and freeze.
I practically dive across the room and snatch up the phone, answering before it can vibrate again. dread warring in the same heartbeat. “What?”
Valentina laughs. “Prepare to love me, bitch.”
“Valentina…” I growl. Vin stands and comes closer to me so he can hear, too.
“I fucking found her. Well, I found Berto. Facial recognition software picked him up at the airport, getting a small private plane. I hacked into his phone a couple weeks back—that stupid fucker will download any porn, no matter how sketchy, so embedding malware was pretty fucking—”
“Valentina!” Vin barks.
She pauses, then purrs into the phone. “Oooh, hello, Vinny. Didn’t know you were—”
“I swear to fucking God, Valentina, if you do not tell me where Berto is, I will slit your fucking throat.”
“Wow. You might really be as lethal they say, Tommy. Fine. Long story short, he’s on an island, about 30 minutes away by plane. I’m willing to bet my life that I fucking found Giovanna.”
My heart slams against my ribs, and my hand shakes as I drag it over my mouth, pacing again. For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. I sent you the coordinates.”
I end the call and toss the phone on the couch, immediately in action. Change clothes, bottle of water, then grab the phone again and start calling in the reinforcements.
Vin, too, is already on his phone, setting up the jet, watching me with a look that’s half relief, half warning.
