The Moon And The Stars

CHAPTER 25

I smile to myself and park my car right outside Adelyn's café. I haven't seen her all day and I'm in the mood for just holding her for the entire night. Even though she acts like she doesn't, I know she loves it when I baby her.

I get out of my car and see the front door slightly ajar, that's weird.

"Adelyn? I'm here tesoro," I call out, walking into the well lit shop. My heart instantly drops when I see the gun I gave her carelessly laying on the ground. The napkins strewn across the counter making me even more concerned.

"Adelyn?" I call out, now worried. Once again, no response. I run in and out of every room in the café and end up at the front counter again, by heart thudding in my chest.

Suddenly I remember the security cameras I made Adelyn install, and I hurry into the small room we designated for the cameras to be located.

I sit down at the desk and go through the footage of 15 minutes ago. I can't help but smile when I see her smiling at my messages but my smile is soon gone as I watch 2 men in black walk into the store. The way Adelyn asserts herself when they continue walking makes me proud, and I have no doubt that she could protect herself in front of lesser threats by the way she holds the gun.

I feel my blood boil when one of the men hits Adelyn's wrist and pulls her over the counter like she's nothing. Watching her desperately struggle to get out of his harsh grips makes my heart feel heavy and my hands fist together on my desk when I see the man snicker something into her ear.

He puts a cloth over her face and I have never felt more angry in life than I do right now, watching her try to writhe away and go limp as the two men laugh at her.

The man holding her throws her over his shoulder and they walk out of the shop.

I bring my fist down on the keyboard and it breaks instantly, keys flying over the neat little desk. "FUCK," I yell, angry at everyone.

Angry at myself for not protecting her better.
Angry at Anton for taking his hatred out on Adelyn and not me.
Angry that it's Adelyn being taken and not me.
Angry at the two men for how they touched my wife.
Angry at myself for letting this happen.

I upload the security footage onto a USB and run out to my car, not bothering putting on a seatbelt as I drive away. I call Carlos and put him on speaker; when he picks up I immediately cut him off from whatever he was going to say "Anton's got Adelyn, get the rest of the family and meet me at the office," I order,
"Fuck Luca, I promise we'll be right there," Carlos' voice is filled with concern as I hang up and put my foot on the accelerator as much as I can, speeding through the traffic to get to my office.

I soon get there and run up into my office, my family and some of my men already waiting for me.

I unlock my door and everyone takes a seat around the centre table, facing the TV in front of it which I connect the USB to, showing the clip of Adelyn getting taken.

After everyone's watched it through I turn to them and start talking. "We know Anton will be close, because he was obviously been stalking Adelyn to try and find the perfect opportunity to take her. This means him or some of him men would have been customers in the shop to scope it out. I want all security footage pulled from both inside and around the shop since it opened. I don't care how you get it, just get it. I don't want anyone working on anything else but getting her back," I leave no room for question in my voice as I address the somber room.

"I can get us the security footage from outside the café, and then see which way they went," Val speaks up, "then from there, I can pull tapes from places they passed up to where they took her,"