Chapter 5 - The Kidnapping and The Realization
The victory at the gala was sweet, but dangerous men don't accept defeat easily. Two weeks later, the ultimate drama unfolded.
I was at the hospital finishing a grueling night shift when my phone rang. It was Camila, her voice hysterical.
“Jess! Someone blocked the school bus! Two men took Lily! They said… they said to tell Giovanni that the debt must be paid!”
My world shattered. I dropped my phone, the plastic cracking against the hospital floor. I fell to my knees, unable to breathe. Lily. My innocent, sweet Lily.
Within ten minutes, Giovanni arrived at the hospital. He didn't look like the calm, collected businessman anymore. He looked like a demon unleashed. His tie was gone, his shirt sleeves rolled up, and his amber eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot.
He caught me before I hit the ground, lifting me into his arms. “I will get her back, Jessica. I swear to you on my life.”
“Who took her?” I sobbed into his chest. “Giovanni, who has my baby?”
“My aunt Victoria and Elena’s father,” Giovanni said, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and fear. “They partnered with a rival syndicate. They think they can use Lily to force me to step down from the family chair. They don't know who they're dealing with.”
We rushed back to the estate, which had been turned into a tactical command center. Men in black tactical gear were moving in and out. Giovanni sat at the main desk, tracking a signal.
“They didn't realize,” Giovanni whispered, his hand holding mine so tightly it was almost painful. “The stuffed bear I bought Lily for her birthday… it has a military-grade GPS tracker inside the lining. I never take chances with my family.”
He looked at the screen. The dot was moving toward an abandoned warehouse near the Chicago docks.
“Stay here, Jessica,” Giovanni ordered, grabbing a hidden holster from beneath his desk.
“No!” I screamed, gripping his jacket. “I’m a nurse. If she’s hurt, she needs me. I am coming with you!”
He looked into my eyes, seeing the fierce, unbreakable spirit of a mother. He didn't argue. “Put on a vest. Marcus, guard her with your life.”
When we arrived at the warehouse, it was raining heavily, just like the night of the wedding. Giovanni’s men breached the doors with terrifying precision. Screams and gunshots echoed through the dark structure.
Giovanni moved like a shadow, taking down two guards before they could even raise their weapons. I followed close behind Marcus, my heart in my throat.
In the center of the warehouse, Victoria and a man in a heavy coat were standing near a chair where Lily was tied up, crying, clutching her bear.
“Stay back, Giovanni!” Victoria screamed, pulling out a small pistol. “Step down from the company, or the brat dies!”
Giovanni didn't stop walking. He didn't look at the gun. He looked at Victoria like she was already dead. “You touched my daughter, Victoria. There is no corner of the earth where you can hide from me.”
Before Victoria could pull the trigger, a sniper shot from the rafters shattered her hand. She dropped the gun, screaming in agony. The man beside her threw his hands up in immediate surrender.
I broke away from Marcus, running across the wet concrete. “Lily!”
“Mommy!” Lily cried.
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I cut the ropes, pulling her into my arms, weeping uncontrollably. Giovanni knelt down beside us, throwing his massive arms around both of us, shielding us from the cold rain and the violence of the world. For the first time, I saw a tear fall from Giovanni’s amber eyes.
“You’re safe now,” he whispered into my hair. “My family is safe.”
