My eyes flit to a picture of Gianluca and Rusty on Gianluca’s desk. They're at Little Land and Rusty is holding a big firetruck stuffy against his chest. Gianluca’s arms are around Rusty's waist and they're laughing as they kiss in the stuffy pit.
Sadly, I haven't had a boy of my own in a long time. After my ex-boyfriend broke up with me due to my weight, I forgot how important it was to have someone in your life.
"We must be pragmatic." Even though I can empathize with Gianluca, we need to look at the facts. "We have a long-standing mission to break into this warehouse. Now that we know the Diavolos are trafficking boys, we must proceed with even more caution."
Gianluca grits his teeth. "Those parents could sue us to hell." He stares into my eyes. "I'd never forgive someone if they failed to tell me they'd found Rusty. This isn't some small-time kidnapping we can sweep under the rug. This all-American family waseverywhereand we'll attract an insane amount of scrutiny if we don't wash our hands of this."
Constantine places his hand over Gianluca’s. "We'll tell them. We just need to wait a few weeks before we break the news."
"Don't you want to stop the Diavolos?" I set Gianluca’s pen down. "If we return Wesley to his parents, we'll blow our shot. The Diavolos will move the boys out of the warehouse and we'll have no chance to save them."
"We also need to stop their drug trafficking operation." Constantine's voice is a low growl. "I'll never forgive those motherfuckers for putting tainted medication in Arlo's generic proton pump inhibitors. He suffered for years because of their criminal acts."
Gianluca weighs these two options. On the one hand, we're withholding critical information from a desperate family. On the other, we'll fuck our mission in the ass if we don't follow our plan.
"I'll do it for Arlo and the boys in the basement." Gianluca’s voice is gritty.
"Don't forget Rusty's abuser was associated with this warehouse," I remind him. "When we interrogated Wilbertson, we discovered he'd targeted Rusty since he was sixteen—and laid eyes on Rustyinthis warehouse."
A flicker of darkness flashes across Gianluca’s eyes. "We'll give ourselves six weeks max to complete this mission. It's not fair to keep this news from the Bettencourts any longer.”
I blow out a breath of relief. "This is the right decision."
"Where will Wesley stay?" Constantine asks. "It'd be good for him to be around Arlo and Rusty to speak with boys his own age. They can help him process his trauma."
Gianluca bites his lower lip. "It's not safe at your place in Chelsea or my penthouse on the Upper East Side. It's too close to Yonkers."
"New York is too hot right now." I nod in agreement. "We don't want the Diavolos spotting him on the street and bringing him back to the warehouse—or worse. I bet they're searching every shelter for him."
"Wesley holds knowledge that will incriminate their entire family." Gianluca’s voice is fierce. "They'll kill him the second they see him."
Constantine turns to me. "Why doesn't he stay at your place in the Hamptons? It's far enough away from Yonkers. You have security guards manning every inch of the property."
I take another sip of coffee and try not to think about the repercussions of this. When I sat with Wesley in the hospital room, he awakened something within me. He was innocent and needy, yet he contained a fighting spirit that put seasoned mob soldiers to shame. When he stared into my eyes, I felt the weight of my ex-boyfriend breaking up with me fall from my shoulders. This is danger and temptation waiting to happen.
But Wesley needs a safe place to stay. If I don't host him, he'll be at an even greater risk living with Gianluca or Constantine.
"Wesley can stay with me." I set my coffee down. "But only until the end of the mission. Then we must return him to his family so he can be with them again."
"That sounds like a plan."
4
UNNAMED BOY
Four days later
I wake up in a fluffy bed. I stretch my limbs, and let out a yawn. When I crack open my eyes, panic grips me.
Where… am I? I drag in a breath as my eyes comb over the high ceilings, luxurious wardrobe, and marble floors. The window to my left opens onto a gorgeous garden, brimming with fresh raspberries and flowers. I want to reach out and pick one of the raspberries, savor the taste on my tongue. It's been so long since I've had fresh fruit.
My last memory is of sitting in a hospital room with… themannext to me. He brushed my tears away, then held my hand and promised everything would be okay.
"Calm down." I pull off my covers and press my knees to my chest. "You're not in the basement anymore. Your protector likely brought you somewhere safe where the bad men can’t hurt you again."
My captors always threatened to kill me and send me right to hell if I didn't obey them. If I refused to fuck my client that night, they withheld food from me and prodded me with sharp objects until I relented.
My bedroom door cracks open. "Good morning. May I enter?"