When I got the call my heart sank. We all raced to the airport, just needing to be in New York.
None of us got a word from any of them after that and I feared the worst.
No one spoke. No one had to. We all thought the same thing. We all knew the same thing.
Alina was gone.
The bratva has been doing everything in their power to get to her. And now they've done it. My precious nipotina, taken by the enemy.
I'll search the whole world for that little girl.
Usually, our arrival at the penthouse is a happy occasion. None of us can wait for the doors to open and reunite with our family from across the world. It's become an even happier occasion when we'd see our little girl running to us as the doors slid open far too slowly for my liking.
When the doors slide open, there's no smiling little girl running into my arms. Just an empty marble-floored entryway. The vase of flowers on the glass console table usually has flowers in it; flowers Alina would choose from the market. If she found a flower she liked on a walk, she'd pick it up and add it to the bouquet when she got home. The vase has flowers that are starting to wilt, Alina has to choose some new ones soon.
I look around as we enter the living space, my family is nowhere to be found. Usually, they'd all be waiting there as one of us carried Alina back from the elevator to greet us.
"We're in here." My son's voice calls out. He sounds so broken, so dull.
As we enter the lounge, I notice my grandsons and daughter-in-law look just like my son sounded. Emilia and Mariana hug Bianca tightly as they begin crying again while my grandsons weakly greet each other.
"Office," Antonio says to me and Francesco.
Antonio sits behind his desk, grabs a picture frame, and just stares at it for a moment. I know which one he's looking at. It's a picture of Alina at her birthday party. She was so happy that day.
He looks up and all emotion is gone from his face. He's shut himself off from feeling anything; an old trick of his from a darker time.
"Tell me what happened."
"They first sent a scout to check out the area, see where everybody was. As far as they knew, only Bianca and Alina were home. One of our men shot him, the body went through the living room door. Roman took Allie to the safe room while Bianca called for backup before she joined them. Roman's location was still a secret so Bianca hid him in a cupboard before she and Allie were taken into the living room. All our guys were dead and the Ivanov brothers showed up. They," he hesitates and inhales deeply to calm himself. "They claimed she was their sister and they came to take her back. They knocked Bianca out before flying off. Roman came out after and carried her back to our room. Around five minutes later we arrived and realized that Alina was missing. I found the locket outside on the terrace."
"So this whole time, she was an Ivanov?" Francesco says, not believing what he had just heard.
"What we have come to believe is that Nikolai sent her to the States with her brothers to be raised in secret. She was kept at their complex upstate and went through whatever abuse they put her through that put her in that state we found her in."
"But didn't they send her to die in the first place? That was what Igor reported, correct?" I say.
"Yes."
"So when they saw her picture from her debut, they realized she wasn't dead and now they got her back. MOTHER FUCKERS! They sent her to die and now they want her back!"
"Francesco! Calm yourself!"
"I notified my head man in every state of her disappearance. All my allies in Latin and South America know as well. I've pulled a few favors with my guys in the FBI. They're on the case as well."
"Our allies across the ocean have also been notified. We have men on the lookout all across Europe." I say.
I just realized that 'Allie' and 'allies' are very similar. Everything reminds me of her now.
How wonderful.
"Is there anything else?"
Antonio looks up at me, a look I don't recognize flashes in his eyes so fast I almost missed it.
"I'll tell everyone in the lounge. I will not be repeating myself."
Usually the room would be full of laughter and conversation, but it's silent as we enter. I sit on the couch next to my wife and take her hand in mine. I rub my thumb along the back of her hand in a comforting manner.
"Before we get down to work on how to rescue Alina, there's some recent news that you all have to hear." Antonio says as if we're his business partners and not his family.
"We have the identity of the Messenger."
They know. Shit.
"It's Stefano, Stefano Lombardi."
The room erupts in shock.
"Quiet!" Bianca yells, silence falling over the room once again. "Stefano is the Messenger, take that news as you will. But there is some wonderful news that we all really needed right now. And I know you're listening, come out."
Three boys walk around the corner.
"Hello mia famiglia." One says with a grin.
I look at my wife and she nods.
"A-Andreas?"
"Hi Nonna."
Within a second, he's in her embrace.
"You must be the twins." I say.
"Alessio," one says, extending his hand to me. I look at him and shake his hand firmly.
"Adriano," I do the same with him.
"Oh, and um, my dad's here..." Andreas says
In the corner of my eye, I can see Antonio itching for his gun.
"Everyone out accept the adults, now!"
My grandsons all leave the room and before anyone can say any more, we hear the elevator and footsteps making their way towards us.
Here we go.
Stefano enters and he scans the room. Emotion evident in his eyes before they fade back to cold, brown orbes to match his twin's.
As much as we all want to say something, no one knows what that would be.
We stay silent as my boys stare into each other's eyes, identical shades of brown. In their younger days, they were full of mischief and childish wonder. Now, they are emotionless and lack the little shine that appeared when they saw each other.
"Antonio I-"
I hear the click of a gun.
"One step closer Stefano, and I put a bullet between your eyes."
Stefano puts his hands up in surrender.
"Relax, Antonio. I'm not here to cause trouble."
"Where is my daughter? I know Nikolai has her!"
"Your daughter? That's funny, brother. She's mine."
"Do you want to die?"
*click
"I suggest you put that gun down."
A young man I didn't even hear enters the room, pointing his gun at Antonio.
*click
"Drop the gun, now." Francesco says, pointing his gun at our new guest.
"O dio mio. I can't take this. All four of you drop your guns, now! You are family!" Emilia yells.
After a moment of glaring, the guns are lowered.
"Now give them to me."
"Ma!"
"Francesco, hush."
Reluctantly, each one of them hands their gun to my wife.
"Now that that's settled, come give your grandmother a hug."
The young man chuckles and smiles before embracing Emilia.
"Meet Alfonzo, your nephew."
"Surprise." He grins.