GIANNI
The shattering of ss fills the air but doesn’t do anything to quiet the storm in my head. Then what the fuck are they using for money if none of Tatiana’s cards have been essed?”
“Caterina must be paying for it herself,” Roger muses
He’s still standing exactly where he stood when he told me there’s been no trace of Tatiana’s activity twenty hours after they ran away. His balls are massive. He’s the only one of my pays who’s been able to stay in the room with me for more than half a minute sincest night. All my men are running scared, scrambling around like chickens without their fucking heads, and none of it matters.
We’re no fucking c closer to finding them than we werest night.
“That’s on me,” Igrowl, kicking aside one of the chairs in front of my desk. “I should have been tracking Caterina’s finances,
foo<b>” </b>
When will Hear? I should’ve been doing lots of things.
“The good news is they can’t stay away forever.”
I bark out a bitterugh. “Do you want to bet? We’re talking about Tatiana here.”
“I’m talking more about Caterina. The girl <b>was </b>in shock. <b>You </b>shot off half her ex’s head while they were in the same bed. You can never tell what somebody’s going to do when they’re in shock. If you ask me, her reaction is pretty calm.
He is not helping matters.
“Then, by all fucking means, let’s allow both of them to run around the <b>world </b>unsupervised. Look, I already feel better…” Ipin him with an icy stare.
His nostrils re as he lets out a slow breath. “My point is, Tatiana might have gone along with Caterina to make sure she was safe. After what happened, she probably wasn’t thinking clearly. She fell <b>back </b>on an old habit,”
Running away. Yes, that is an old habit of hers. Because she would rather face a cruel and unforgiving world than Lace me. I hate myself for wanting so much to believe him. I want to cling to that bit of hope that he’s giving me because I’m a pitiful fucking bastard when ites to this girl. That’s what she’s done to me. She’s made me weak, emotional, and undisciplined. I’m out of control and won’t be able to find my footing again until I find her. Bow am I supposed to go on it Caterina isn’t my reason for
<b>“</b>Tatiana is level–headed,” Roger continues in that measured voice he puts on when he’s trying to calm me down,
That makes meugh again. If there’s one adjective I’d use when describing my daughter, level–headed would not be it. Now I know he’s breaking his back to cate me, blowing smoke up my ass, “If she was, she would havee to me instead of running off in the middle of the night. It’s irresponsible. They’re acting like they’re having an adventure together or some bullshit ”
My skin is hot and flushed. My body’s been in a rage ever since I found the girls gone, not even thirty minutes after sending Caterina off with my daughter to clean up. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight, but I was trying to think of what was best what she needed. Once I noticed the way she clung to Tatiana, I thought 1 had it pinned down.
Asshole me, assuming she’d do better with her best friend than she would with the man she witnessed murdering heres Thinking it would cause her greater distress if I got in her face when what I wanted most in the world was to hold her. What if there hadn’t been a way to track her location? We spent days searching for Luciano and never found records of that cabin. I never would have found her. Once again, I went against my instincts and let her walk away.
“Let’s be honest. This could have to do with her being pissy over the Moroni <b>fiasco</b>.
“It wouldn’t surprise me it that had something to do with it,” he admits, his jaw tightening “But I know she cares about Caterina. There’s a good <b>chance </b>she did it to be a good friend.<b>” </b>
She needs me. What else must I do to show her she means everything to me? I’ve killed for her. That’s still not enough to keep her from disappearing. I’m not enough to keep her from disappeting
“Try the app again,” I growl, pacing the room and pounding my fish into my palm. ss crunches beneath my shoes, and Rope lets out a choked sort of warning sound, but Lignore him. Like I gave two shits about broken ss.
It’s better for both of us if I pretend I don’t hear the way he sighs as he pulls out his phone. It’s clear he thinks this is useless, and he might be right, but I’d kick myself to death if either of them turned their phone on, and I missed the opportunity to track them
Last night, it was a stupid mistake to make Tatiana aware of the app. It couldn’t have taken long for one of them to connect the dots and assume Tatiana’s phone held the same tracking system. By the time I realized they were gone, they had both switched their phones off, leaving themselves untraceable.
“Nothing.” He sighs after a minute. “I’ll keep checking”
“How many cars do we have out there looking for them?”
“Eight at the moment.”
That’s not enough, obviously. “We need more.”
“Boss, respectfully—
“Cut the bullshit,” I bark. I’m going crazy. I fucking killed for her, and she left me. I’ve been sitting on my hands–ineffective because I want to be here waiting once they’re brought home. Is it any wonder I’m ready to bum the fucking world to ash?
“Fine. We’ve beenbing the city sincest night. These guys haven’t slept, and they’re still searching every inch of the city If I send more cars out, I’m going to have to pull some back to give them a chance to sleep.”
“You think I give a fuck about whether they’re well rested? They want to sleep; they need to find the girls. End of story.”
“Fair enough. I’ll get on it.”
“And save your fucking opinion next time,” I shout at the back of his head while he goes to his office. “I didn’t fucking ask for it, <b>so </b>I don’t want it.”
“Point taken.” At least he’s smart enough not <b>to </b>m his door, though it’s odd enough for him to close it at all
Motherfucker. Whatever happened to the days when it was simple. My kid stepped out of line, and I could ground her. There’s no grounding a twenty–one–year–old, especially not when she’s my stubborn daughter.
At least I know they won’t go far for long on whatever Caterina hassaved in a month at her job. At the very least, I have thefort of knowing she’s supposed to return to work on Monday. <b>That’s </b>two days from now, and the thought of waiting so long when hardly twenty–four hours has practically broken me
No way I’m waiting that long. Anything could happen in two days.
I’m still pacing when Roger returns. “It’s done. We’re covering every corner of the city and surrounding suburbs. Something’s bound toe up.
“I don’t need you <b>coaching </b>me through this.”
He falls silent while typing on his phone, and I continue pacing like a caged animal. Where the hell could they be? As if I wouldn’t move heaven and earth to find her. She should know me better by now
<b>“</b>You know, there is an option we haven’t covered yet,” he murmurs after a while.
I do know because it’s been in the back of my mind for hours. “No, We aren’t getting the cops involved, even the ones we pay
‘s name never has to be brought up. All you have to do is sell them you’re looking for Tatiana, that she might be in
“Caterina’s name
<b>distress</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>
34
Tempting… but no “Absolutely not I can’t risk it.”