Chapter 123

Aldo

I’d promised Ethan that no guns were going to be involved in my plan to get Eli back. At first, I thought it was plausible. However, the second I heard that blood-curdling, familiar sound of a gun being clicked back, all that wishful thinking swiftly evaporated.

After I’d thoroughly gone over the plan, I’d returned back to the house merely to change my clothes and bring anything that would be of use.

Ethan and I were essentially planning on slipping through one of the back entrances and taking Eli, basically in the same fashion in which Vanessa had originally taken him.

It sounded far too simple. It was. The main problem was time.

Layla and everyone else were due to arrive at the site almost within the same time frame as when Ethan and I were planning to make our move. One could easily tell that this was Vanessa’s first attempt at kidnapping.

The amount of security she had around the place wasn’t as intense as it should have been given the kind of family she’d screwed over. The Marcello numbers were temporarily down since all the attacks started, but there were only a handful of men that were patrolling the back border of the place.

Ethan had found a broken piece of brick on the ground and threw it to one side of the building. The sound of the commotion drew the attention of the guards, giving us a clear opening to get into the place.

From that point on, we each moved with a silent stealth. My eyes scanned every possible corner in search of any sign of my son. While I took the left side, Ethan took the right.

My eyes were strained from the lack of lighting but I didn’t care. I was determined to find Eli and slip out before anyone was any of the wiser.

“Aldo!” Ethan whispered loudly.

I rushed over to where he was. There, we found a room filled with various duffle bags and various blankets. From what I could make out, there was a foldable table and a set of chairs.

My heart leaped into my throat when I lowered my eyes to a small pile of children's workbooks and toys. I felt the low hum in my bones that were close—so close to finding Eli.

“He had to be here,” I said under my breath.

The further we searched, the more my stress was beginning to climb. The sun had just about peaked above the horizon and soon this entire place was going to become enthralled in absolute madness.

We searched and searched until finally, we found a small room that was nearly hidden behind a small stack of old wooden planks.

“Keep watch,” I told Ethan. “I need to check this out.”

Once the boards were moved away I slowly pushed the makeshift door open. My breath became tangled in my lungs as I found Eli huddled up in a pile of blankets. His knees were tucked close to his chest and I could faintly make out the sound of small, shaken whimpers.

“Eli,” I said.

The boy froze. The moment he saw me standing in the doorway, his features lit up and he practically barreled toward me. I immediately pressed a finger to my lips, signaling for him to be as quiet as humanly possible.

“Where’s mommy?” he asked.

My heart clenched. “She’s—”

“Aldo, we have a problem,” Ethan muttered. “I think they’re here.”

Fuck!

They were early. Before any of us had a chance to backtrack the way he came in, I could already make out the sound of Vanessa and Layla’s voices. That eerie calmness of Layla’s tone was haunting as it echoed off the shallow, thin walls.

It wasn’t good.

I kept Eli firmly behind as we moved. Ethan and I both heard the sound of the gun being cocked back and had to see what was happening. I peered around the corner to find Michael Rossetti aiming a gun straight at Layla.

I sucked in a sharp breath and quickly came to regret not having brought a gun with me.

“Oh my God,” Ethan said. “We need to do something. Hang on, I have an idea.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see him take out his phone. I couldn’t make out the exact message he was sending out but within five minutes, the blaring sound of police sirens came bursting through the air.

Everyone glanced around in confusion.

“You called the fucking cops?” Michael spat out.

“No. We didn’t,” Layla hissed. “But I have a good idea as to who might have. Police or not, the choice still stands, Vanessa.”

Michael let out a vicious snarl. He started to wave the gun, looking frantic like a caged animal.

“Enough! Fuck this!” he shouted out. “I’m going to finish this myself.”

Before he could think to pull the trigger, Carlo stepped back and drew his own gun from his holster. With a single aim, he planted two bullets into Michael’s chest. The man flailed back and fell to the ground with a loud thud, dead.

Vanessa let out a devastating shriek. “Oh my God! Michael!”

“Well, I guess that’s one less Rossetti I need to worry about,” Layal commented.

Vanessa turned her attention to her and dove at Layla with all the brute force she had inside of her. The two fell to the ground and became embroiled in a nasty fight.

The blade Vanessa had apparently been holding got knocked from her hands and skidded across the floor. Layla took whatever chance she could to knock Vanessa off of her and gain the upper hand.

They became blooded and bruised, yet neither one of them gave in.

Layla snagged Vanessa by her hair and yanked her away from any possible weapon around. Layla sank her nails into Vanessa’s throat while slamming her head into the ground.

“Layla!” I called out. “Stop!”

If she went on any further, she was going to end up killing her.

I came out from the shadows, making sure that Eli stayed behind with Ethan. Layla lifted her head up to find me. My eyes widened in total shock.

Layla. My wife. My love...Was nowhere to be seen. She was gone. Replaced by this ugly, terrifying creature that wore her face and used her voice. Her eyes were so consumed by her pupils, that there was not a stitch of color to be found.

“Stop,” I repeated. “You need to stop.”

“Why?” she rasped. “Why do I have to be the one to stop? They're the ones who started it all. All the people she helped kill, all the lives she destroyed—you think they deserve a second chance? They don’t deserve to even breathe!”

Layla turned back to face Vanessa and reached for the knife that had fallen earlier. She lifted to Vanessa’s neck and leaned in close.

“You and your family are nothing but parasites. And there’s only one thing to do about that. Wipe them all out.”

Vanessa begged and pleaded to be let go but Layla wasn’t swayed. I didn’t know what to do. If I dared to take another step forward, she would have surely slit Vanessa’s throat.

We’d reached a stalemate.

That was until a soft, angelic voice spoke from the right side wing.

“Mommy?’’