Tears between us

Chapter 5: A Name Without a Face

(Lorenzo's Point of View)

Lorenzo Ricci stood at the head of the grand dining table, his hands pressed against the smooth mahogany. The air in the room was thick—not with food or drink, but with something far heavier.

Expectation. Hope. Fear.

His family was gathered—not for celebration, but for war.

To his right, Valentina sat still, her fingers wrapped around a glass of wine. Not drinking, just thinking. She was unreadable, but Lorenzo knew she was hanging on his every word.

To his left, Kate sat rigid, her posture giving nothing away, but he knew his wife well enough to recognize the storm brewing behind her eyes.

Further down the table, the old generation—his parents, Kate's parents, their siblings, their children. His younger brothers, Angelo and Matteo, with their wives and children. Kate's younger brother, Anthony, with his family. All waiting.

Waiting for him to tell them that after three years, there was finally something.

Lorenzo exhaled and said the words that changed everything.

"We have a lead."

A ripple went through the room. Chairs shifted. Fingers tensed. Hope burned like wildfire.

"Where?" Valentina's voice was sharp.

Lorenzo met her gaze. "Chicago."

Kate inhaled sharply. "Chicago?"

Matteo leaned forward. "Makes sense. Kate's family used to have ties there. If someone used those old channels—"

"They could've funneled Alessandro through the city," Lorenzo finished. "We have an exact location. A compound."

Gio's jaw locked. He was barely keeping it together.

Kate's father spoke next, voice wary. "And if he's there?"

Lorenzo's voice was iron. "Then we bring him home."

Silence. Then—

Valentina stood. "I'm coming with you."

Lorenzo nodded. "We leave tonight."

Chicago

The compound was not what they expected.

Lorenzo stood at the entrance, his coat heavy with the weight of the bulletproof vest beneath. The Chicago winter bit through the air, but it was nothing compared to the cold seeping into his veins.

He could feel it.

Something was wrong.

Valentina stepped forward, gun drawn, signaling to the men behind them. Their team moved in formation—silent, efficient.

The doors were unlocked.

Lorenzo pushed through first.

Inside, the air was thick with the stench of rot and chemicals.

Drugs.

This wasn't just a hideout.

This was a fully operational base.

Weapons lined the walls. Crates of drugs sat stacked in the corners. The floor was littered with discarded syringes and cigarette butts.

And Alessandro was nowhere to be seen.

Valentina's expression didn't shift, but Lorenzo knew her well enough to see the fury beneath the surface.

A chair sat overturned in the center of the room. A child's chair.

His stomach twisted.

But now—

"Boss." One of his men called out.

Lorenzo turned.

A woman was huddled in the corner of a back room, her arms wrapped tightly around a small child.

A girl, no older than five.

She was shaking, clutching the child as if she could disappear into the walls.

Valentina crouched beside her, voice low, steady. "We're not here to hurt you."

The woman's eyes flickered between them, terror written across her bruised face.

Lorenzo stepped closer. "Who are you?"

Silence.

The woman trembled but said nothing.

Lorenzo glanced at Valentina, then back at the woman. She wasn't talking—not yet.

The girl, however, peeked up at him. Wide-eyed. Fragile. Innocent.

And in that moment, Lorenzo knew—

They couldn't leave them here.