Chapter 128

Aldo

Layla’s cryptic words had been playing on my mind like a broken record ever since I’d last spoken to her.

“Somehow I feel as though I’m the one who ended up losing a lot more than she did.”

Why would she say that? What had she ended up losing? Why wouldn’t she tell me?

I wish I could say that things had lightened up since the day we recovered Eli. But no.

No, in fact, things had gotten a hell of a lot more tense and unbearable since then. Layla had been keeping her distance from everyone. That terrible gray cloud that proceeded to encase her since she returned from the police station was well intact.

She limited her time and conversation with my mother and even her own grandmother. She stopped calling meetings with everyone.

She attended meals but ate very little and spoke even less. But what really struck me as upsetting was how she avoided being around our son. I could see that Eli was still feeling hesitant to be around her, Layla didn’t want to make matters worse by trying to push him into something he wasn’t ready for.

But on my end, I could easily see that Eli missed his mom.

A few days had gone by since the whole thing went down and the energy that continuously flooded the place was dismal and stagnant. I figured, with time, things would gradually slip back to how they used to be. Normally, the three of us would be training or even happily spending the day together.

Yet, everything had come to an abrupt stop and now we could hardly be in the same space together.

That afternoon, I left my office and set out to find Eli. I’d given a brief search through his room and the living area before finding him outside on one of the benches. He had one of his sketchbooks propped up in his lap. His small hands were busy drawing away at whatever spark of inspiration had captivated his attention at the time.

Slowly, I approached him from the side and glanced down at his work. My heart skipped a few beats as my eyes took in the various extensively detailed images. They were all of his mother.

Eli’s incredible artistic ability had successfully captured the grim shadows that had recently formed under her eyes as well as the strains of sadness that pulled at her features.

“Is mommy mad at me?” he asked.

His innocent tone of voice jolted me out of my daze. I lowered myself down into the available spot next to him.

“Of course not,” I told him. “She’s just going through a lot of feelings right now.”

I wish I could have given him a better answer than that. But for the sake of trying to remain as honest as possible—I wasn’t even sure of what Layla was going through. She’d become too distant and closed off.

“She’s so sad now,” Eli noted solemnly. “Each time I see her, I notice that her eyes become watery. I feel like it’s my fault.”

I draped my around his shoulders and pulled him close to my side. “It’s not your fault. If anything, it may very well be mine.”

Eli turned to glance at me. “How?”

“Your Uncle Ethan and me...We had gone behind your mom’s back when it came to getting you back from Vanessa. I’m sure she felt deeply betrayed by this, even though we were able to get you back. She probably felt as though I didn’t support her.”

“But can’t the two of you talk it out?”

The corner of my mouth curled. “I want to but, like I said, I think she’s still trying to sort out a lot of her feelings at the moment. I think the best thing I can do is wait until she’s ready.”

Eli slumped his head against my shoulder. His little sigh warmed my heart for the time being all the while causing the uncertainty in the back of my mind to grow.

“Boss?”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Luca. “What is it?”

“Officer Smith is here to talk,” he answered.

I hid my questionable look and gave a cute nod. I couldn’t think of a single reason as to why Ethan would come here. The man made it perfectly clear in the past that he wasn’t willing to hurt his reputation by affiliating himself with the Marcellos.

So, why was he here now?

I left Eli to return to his sketching while I followed Luca back into the house. Ethan was waiting patiently by the front door, looking stiff and as melancholy as the rest of us.

“Ethan,” I greeted. “What brings you here?”

The man shifted where he stood, wearing his complete uniform. He reached his hand behind his head to scratch the back of his neck.

“I...Wanted to let you know that there’s been no sign of Vanessa Rossetti. It’s as if she’d fallen off the face of the earth.”

I leaned against the archway in the hallway. “I suspected as much. Things have been quiet these past few days. Layla may have instilled the fear of death into her well enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ran off for good.”

“It’s possible but there’s still the matter to deal with down at the station,” Ethan mentioned. “I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how easily Layla was able to lie right through her teeth—and to captain no less. But the report needs to be closed out.”

“Are they still looking for a statement from Eli?” I asked.

The muscles around my stomach churned. I hated the idea of needing to open old wounds for something so inconsequential. Why couldn’t they just move on? What did they expect to get out of Eli’s statement? It wasn’t as though it was going to bring them any closure to ever finding Vanessa anyway.

“Afraid so. Is there a chance that I could speak with Eli for a few minutes?”

“I don’t think so,” a low feminine voice spoke out.

Ethan and I turned our heads to find Layla waiting in the darkened half of the hallway. It was almost chilling, to know that she had been hovering in the shadows this whole time.

“Layla.”

Her tone was icy and sharp. “Officer Smith,” she said while holding back a sneer. “Surely, you and the rest of the NYPD have much better things to do than harassing a nine-year-old for a statement that won’t hold any bearing on the issue.”

The air crackled with unspoken hostility. I immediately noticed the unnerving sight of Layla’s eyes. Her pupils were double their regular size. That grizzly look she had when she was planning her attack on the Rossetti family had returned with a vicious vengeance.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to take his statement regardless,” Ethan said.

“Too goddamn bad,” she scoffed. “Since you’re the reason why the police ended up getting involved in the first place, you can deal with finding an alternative solution.”

Ethan squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. “Getting the police involved was the only way to prevent you from making a horrible mistake.”

“It’s because of you that Vanessa will forever remain a threat to the Marcello family. But, hey, it’s not as if you give a flying fuck about that. It’s your own reputation that will forever take center stage in your life.”

“Layla,” I hissed.

Ethan held up his hand to me. “No, Aldo. She’s not entirely wrong. As long as Vanessa is out there, she will always pose a possible threat.” He turned back to face Layla. “But beyond that, you’re wrong. I do care about what happens to this family.”

The hallway echoed the sound of Layla’s heartless laughter, making my nerves twist with uneasiness.

“Why? Because you suddenly discovered that you technically stem from it?”