Chapter 7 - THE PRICE
My mother lived forty minutes outside Boston.
She taught fourth grade.
She grew tomatoes badly.
She believed organized crime only existed in movies and occasionally called me because she forgot her Netflix password.
Now her front door was open.
Her phone sat on the kitchen table.
And she was gone.
Massimo’s men searched the house.
I stood in the living room, frozen.
“There’s no blood,” Massimo said.
“Don’t.”
“Tessa—”
“Don’t tell me that like it’s good news.”
“It means she may be alive.”
“May be?”
He closed his eyes.
I had never seen him look helpless before.
Not even in the wheelchair.
This was worse.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
We both stared at it.
Massimo answered.
“Pascale.”
A distorted voice spoke.
“Put Tessa on.”
Massimo’s face turned lethal.
“No.”
The voice laughed.
“If she wants her mother alive, she’ll listen.”
He handed me the phone.
My hand shook.
“Hello?”
“Your mother is safe.”
I stopped breathing.
“For now.”
“What do you want?”
“Massimo Pascale.”
I looked at him.
He watched my face.
“He trades himself for her.”
“No.”
Massimo spoke loudly enough for the caller to hear.
The voice laughed again.
“Midnight. Pier Twelve. Alone.”
The call ended.
I stared at Massimo.
“No.”
“I’m going.”
“No.”
“Tessa.”
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“It’s your mother.”
“And you think I want your blood on my hands?”
His expression softened.
“You already saved my life.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to throw it away.”
Luca walked into the room.
“We can track the call.”
“Do it,” Massimo said.
Luca nodded.
Then looked at me.
“There’s something you should know.”
“What?”
“The person organizing this knew your mother’s address.”
“So?”
“That information wasn’t in your employee file.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who had it?”
Massimo’s face changed.
“Camila.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“She completed the background documents.”
“No.”
Luca said quietly, “She also introduced you to us.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
Nobody answered.
Camila arrived twenty minutes later.
I dragged her into the kitchen.
“Did you give anyone my mother’s address?”
Her face went white.
“What?”
“Answer me.”
“No.”
“Who knew?”
“I don’t know.”
“Camila.”
She started crying.
My stomach dropped.
“What did you do?”
“I needed money.”
The room went silent.
“Say that again.”
“My brother owed people.”
“What people?”
“I didn’t know who they were.”
“Did you give them information about me?”
“Only at first.”
My entire body went cold.
“What information?”
“Your name. Your job. That you were working here.”
I slapped her.
The sound shocked both of us.
Camila covered her cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
“My mother is missing.”
“I didn’t know they would—”
“My mother is missing!”
I shoved away from her.
Massimo caught my arm.
I turned on him.
“Don’t touch me.”
He let go immediately.
Camila sobbed.
“There’s something else.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“They didn’t want you.”
My blood ran cold.
“They wanted access to Massimo.”
“Why?”
Camila wiped her face.
“Because someone inside his family hired them.”
Luca stiffened.
Massimo’s voice became quiet.
“Who?”
May you like
Camila looked directly at Luca.
“Your brother.”
