Sold to Mr. Giordano

Antonio

In my office I called in a few of my most trustworthy men, Rocco, Vito and Salvatore. Rocco is the muscle and if Angelo is in danger, I’d want him by my side to help me slit the throats of the fuckers who took one of my men. Vito is the rationale one, I need him for brainstorming where to look first. Salvatore is a genius on the computer and can hack any system or track any person which will come in handy if Angelo is either completely fine and just not answering his phone, or kidnapped.

First off, I ask if any of them have seen or heard from Angelo—they shake their heads.

Second off, I have them call Angelo on their phones and see if he’ll pick up for them.

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“If this is what I think it is, Angelo is missing and we need to find out who took him and where the hell he is,” I pinch the bridge of my nose and lean back in my chair.

“Angelo is a man of New York; do you think it’s an attack on the Ricci’s?” 

“It’s possible. He was taken in Chicago which means it’s either the Bratva’s doing, or he’s taken to get to my wife which in turn gets to me and pisses me off.”

“Should we call Marco Ricci?” Salvatore asks.

I shake my head thinking of earlier. He lied to me. My wife is pregnant and I’m vulnerable now because of it.

“No. Marco Ricci is no longer trusted.”

My brother gives me a look that tells me he wants me to elaborate. I shake my head. Not now. Even if I trust Vito and Sal, I don’t want anyone to know my wife if pregnant.

Rocco is different. He’s my brother in every sense in both blood, honor, and duty. We’ve gone through too much shit and we both wear scars that show the sacrifices we’ve both went through for each other.

“He could be taken by the Bratva we can check their warehouses?” Sal offers.

“You think it’s the Bratva?” Vito crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.   

“You don’t?”

“If it’s not the Bratva then it’s one of us, and if it’s one of us who and why?”

“Or it’s New York trying to start war with us”

“Why when Xander and Arielle got married to ensure peace and why steal one of their own men? A man who is—need I remind you—Marco’s son.” Vito shakes his head. She was brought to me for the marriage, her father sold her to me.    

“Marco ‘s spare,” Rocco chimes in. “Marco only cares about Luca. He’s proved many times that his two youngest mean shit.”

Rocco would know all too well. My father was cruel to both of us, but he cared slightly more for my well-being because I was his heir. He groomed me to be everything he wanted and although he trained Rocco too, he also didn’t care much about anything relating to him.

I entertain the idea of Marco stealing Angelo, but I have no idea what his motive would be. It’s his son and even if he’s temporarily working for the Outfit, he’s not one of us. Sure, he could use it to get to Arielle—but why? Getting to Arielle would still be sending a message to me and he has already done so by sabotaging me into believing my wife was on birth control.

 If it’s one of my men in the Outfit, then he’s starting war with New York and also pissing me the hell off. So, who has a motive to hating the Famiglia in New York?

The Bratva is our best bet, the bastards don’t care who is from New York of Chicago. They see one of us and they kill. Angelo is likely dead. If they were trying to send a message then we should receive something soon to let us know they have him. Then that would give us our answer makes things easier.

But we have no message, no lead and no reason why anyone would take Angelo other than someone fucking around with us, and no telling how long he’s actually been gone for. Last I saw him was at the wedding.

Guests who came to Chicago from New York for the wedding were all people from the Ricci family. So there’s no motive. Who would kidnap a member of their own family—I could see maybe Luca? Or maybe there’s a cousin who wants to kill Angelo and Luca and then Marco in order to be next in line for Capo.

I have Salvatore being up files on the Ricci family only to find out all the male cousins are on Angelo’s mother’s side. Marco only had sisters who only had daughters. It’s a stretch and I haven’t heard rumors of anyone trying to overthrow the Ricci family.

I scan all possibilities in my mind and can only come to the logical conclusion that this must be the Bratva.

“Where’s the note? The message? They wouldn’t do anything without reason or without telling us. If they got Angelo, they’d want to rub it in our faces and maybe show us by sending body parts or pictures,” Vito is slumped in his chair working out his own logical reasoning.

Sal snaps his fingers, “Maybe Angelo wasn’t a move to get to us. Maybe the Bratva ran into Angelo by accident and he did something stupid to get himself killed or thrown in the lake.”

“It’s probable.” I rub at the stubble on my jawline. “So, where do we start.”