“Did they plant trackers on you?” Luca’s gaze sharpened as his eyes studied every cut and bruise.
“No fucking way,” Stefano snapped. “We might have been out now and then but definitely not long enough for them to do that.” He glanced at Rocco. “Right?”
Rocco didn’t respond. He stared at Luca. “What are you thinking?”
“You fucked up. That’s what I’m thinking. And now, you’re gonna fix it. Other than Dante and Enzo, who else was at the house when it was raided?”
“Antonio, Flavio, Andrea, and Luigi.” Rocco squirmed uncomfortably. “We believe they’re in the FBI’s custody.”
“You believe or you know?” Luca snapped.
“We know. I contacted our informant and he confirmed they were charged with the kidnapping.”
Luca didn’t respond for long moments. His expression darkened as the anger began to boil from afresh.
“Lucky for you. This scenario might be your get-out-of-jail card.”
“What do you want us to do,” Stefano asked. He’d been itching to get off the mountain. Hiding out in the bush was okay for a day or two but he was going stir-crazy. He needed to be back in the city.
“Deal with those four in custody. We can’t afford to have them arraigned in court on kidnapping charges. The Feds will offer them a plea bargain if they talk.
“You wish us to break them out of jail?” Rocco pushed his hands in his pockets.
“I thought you were clever? Get hold of our attorney, you fuckwit and fix this mess or you will carry the consequences.”
The message was clear. Failure wasn’t an option. Murder, if needed, was.
“Hey, Angelo, isn’t this fun?” The voice of the young eight-year-old Luca teemed over the powerful thrum of a powerboat flying across the water.
Angelo glanced at his little brother. He forced a smile as he reached out to ruffle his dark hair. If only he knew this weekend trip to Hawaii and a deep-sea boat excursion for the two boys had nothing to do with fun. He had fucked up and his father was out to teach him a lesson.
“Yeah, little bro, it is.” He wrapped his arm around Luca’s thin shoulders as he cuddled against his side.
“Dad, are we gonna go surfing once we go back to shore?”
Marco Boneiro grunted but didn’t respond. Luca wasn’t put off as his chatter continued nonstop until the boat rocked to a stop. He sat up and looked around. His face fell.
“Why did we stop? There’s nothing here. How far are we from Hawaii now, Angelo?”
“Not too far.” The expression on Angelo’s thirteen-year old face was one of resignation. He already knew what his punishment was going to be. They were hundreds of miles from land. It wouldn’t be the first time that his father tested his strength by dumping him in the ocean. It was all about survival. Something Angelo had learned from a very young age. He had been rebelling against becoming part of the crime world his father reveled in. He refused to give in. It had all come to this. He was supposed to be in court in the morning as the key witness to the brutal death of Senator Barton since he’d been there when John Gotti had plunged the knife into his heart. He was also the one who had ratted him out to the police. Marco wanted him to retract his testimony. He refused, which is what had brought them here.
He looked around with the fear he’d been doing his best to contain rising to the surface. Geography was his best subject at school. He knew exactly where they were— Maui County in Hawaii. Reality set in for the first time since Marco had forced him onto the boat. This wasn’t a test of his endurance or to keep him away from court.
This was his execution.
It was the last thought flashing through his mind when his father picked him up and threw him overboard... into the shark infested water where more people were killed than he cared to remember.
He stared at his father, shaken by the blatant hatred he saw there as he leaned forward and spat through thin lips, “Let’s see how clever you are this time, you little bastard.” His eyes narrowed. “If you’re lucky enough to survive, don’t come home. You are no longer a son of mine.”
“Dad? Why did you throw Angelo in the water?” Luca stared wide-eyed at his brother treading water a short distance from the boat. He didn’t understand what was happening or why Angelo didn’t try to get back onto the boat. “Take my hand, Angelo! I’ll help... owww!” he screamed as Marco slapped him against the back of the head with such force, he fell to the floor.
“Leave him be. He is exactly where he’s meant to be.”
“But Dad—”
“Quiet!”
Luca bore upright and peered over the side of the boat as Marco started the engine. His eyes widened as he realized his father intended to leave his beloved brother behind.