Final Call for Mercy

33

"Where did Anastasia go?" I demand.

"When this came," he explains tentatively, "Aurora was at the park with Emilio. Anastasia left, but she didn't say why or where. She took two guards with her and sent four teams looking for them. Three hours ago we found the two guards she took with her dead. Elijah redirected the teams to search for her, but none of them found her. They found Aurora, though. She wasn't hurt, just passed out. Lorenzo is with her right now."

I feel my fist clench and unclench as I listen to his words. When I see her again, I'll kill her for being so damn reckless.

"You said they found Aurora," Mateo said, standing from the couch where Jonathan still sat looking at his sister's fingers. "Emilio?"

Gabriel only shook his head.

Cazzo. I run a hand through my face. She's not dead. She can't be dead. Those fuckers wouldn't dare touch her unless all of us were six feet under first. And that ain't happening.

I turn on my heel, grabbing a few magazines from the open duffle I set on the table.

"You can't leave," Gabriel says as one of the guards steps in front of me. I glare at him, daring him to try and stop me. "Anastasia's orders."

"Mateo is in charge right now," I respond without turning around, staring down the guard. "He'll let me go." And if he doesn't, I'll still go.

"Yeah," Mateo said. "We have to find her."

"You can't," Gabriel said.

"But—" Mateo stopped himself and I heard the sound of his body landing back on the couch in a thud before he spoke again. "I can't."

I turn around. "Why the hell not?"

His eyes, full of anger and worry, turn to me. "Because when she ascended me to Second, one condition regarding any instances when I substitute for her is that I am not allowed to change her given orders. Unless...well, unless she can't be present to take back the charge."

Unless she's dead.

"I'm not gonna sit around and wait for that to happen," I snarl.

But the guard steps in front of me. "Boss ordered us to not let any of you go unless it's to the warehouse. And you must be escorted if you do."

"Try to stop me," I threaten, and for a moment I fear the darkness in my own voice, "and I'll pump you full of lead."

The guard did not back down. Their fear and loyalty to my Sia went deeper than any possible fear they could have for me.

But I don't make empty threats. And my mind is scrambled enough to not hesitate.

I manage to draw out my gun and remove the safety before Gabriel is at my side, his hand pushing down my gun and his blue eyes on me. Whatever tension we had dissolves in that moment as he takes the gun from my hand. 

"They're just following orders," he tries to reason with me. "I've looked, brother. Every camera in every street. She's nowhere. But I'm not giving up, we will find her." He turned to Mateo, "until then, we have jobs to do. The allies are already arriving. Two are already at Red Point. As second, you have to greet them and ease their worries about the Boss not being there to do it herself. As her right hand," he turned back to me, "you have to be there as well."

I could feel as my throat became tighter. "I can't. I have to be with her. I have to find her."

"I already have the Eyes on the lookout. They're going through every camera and trying to recover the footage lost from the ones that were damaged or tampered with." Gabriel shook his head at me, "there's nothing you can do that'll find her faster. The best you can do is make sure we're a united front for when she's back, because she will come back. She always does."