After Katherine’s papers were in order, I took the next few hours to finish my rounds. An eleven-year-old boy had needed stiches on his forehead after a skateboarding fall at one of the indoor parks. A woman was brought in after a car accident but had gotten off lucky with only bruises and a broken arm. I’d set the arm and given her a prescription for painkillers to cover a few days. After that, the floor was quiet, and as soon as my shift was over, I headed out of the hospital. Worry for what Hailey was going through returned full force once I wasn’t preoccupied with patients.
It was time to meet with Nico.
Once inside my Maserati, I connected my Bluetooth and hit the button to dial my brother Nico. He answered on the third ring.
“I found her.” Nico’s deep voice clipped through the speakers. “Not her exact location but the neighborhood. I’ll get that narrowed down by the time you get here. And I haven’t had a chance to do a thorough background check on her yet.”
The video nagged at me again. “What did you notice right before he tossed her into the back of the van?”
“I saw the hesitation, too, but we can’t see his mouth from either angle in the recordings. It’s possible her kidnapper said something to make her freeze. Or they know each other.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s been bothering me. Find out if anyone in the area you’ve identified has a connection to her or Allen.”
I disconnected and let Nico do his thing. The guy could hack into the Pentagon if he wanted. I had no doubt he would have the information I’d asked for and then some in a matter of minutes.
I needed to strategize with my brothers. In the back of my mind, the distrust I felt for Allen festered, and I shot off a text telling Nico I would be there soon.
About forty minutes later, I pulled into the long driveway that led to my parents’ house. Marco had his place with Elena, but Nico and I stayed with them for the most part, at least for the time being. That would change, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave—the house was a mansion, and our parents traveled a lot. I couldn’t blame him, as I did the same thing. I owned a greystone in the city and crashed there when I needed to, but staying at the family home was easier, especially with hospital hours, and we were Italian—family was everything.
The subdivision was gated, and after bypassing the guardhouse, I weaved through the streets until I came to our sprawling home. Security patrolled the grounds. Rather than pull into the garage, I parked in front, got out, and nodded to the guards posted by the door. Once inside, I didn’t waste any time and went straight to where I knew Nico would be—his office in the east wing. He had a computer setup to rival the National Security Agency’s.
I entered without knocking. Three large monitors took up one portion of the desk, and he’d situated himself behind them, typing at a pace I couldn’t match even if I’d wanted to.
“What took you so long?” Nico peered around the side of the closest monitor.
I snorted then fell into a chair opposite him.
“I found the house,” Nico said, and my focus sharpened as I waited to hear more. “Blinds are all closed, and I counted two cameras that cover both doors, front and back.” After rattling off the address so that I would have it, Nico turned one of the screens around so that I could see. A frown marred his face. “The house is registered to Justin Redford. He’s on the list I’d compiled of Hailey’s friends and family. He’s a friend.”
“Boyfriend?” The question came out before I could stop it, and a grin I didn’t like curved my brother's lips.
“Why? Are you interested in her?”
I grabbed a pen off his desk and tossed it at his head, but he caught it before it could make impact. “Just tell me.”
“No. Justin’s romantic interests are in line with what Hailey’s probably are.”
Justin was into men.Good.
The front door slammed, and I raised my eyebrows at Nico. “Did you call Marco?” Our older brother was the La Rosa Mafia boss. Nico was the underboss, a title I was happy not to have. Without it, I’d had the freedom to pursue a medical degree, something the family needed, as going to the hospital with a gunshot wound was not ideal.
Nico didn’t need to respond. Marco barged in, took the seat to my left, then turned all his focus to me. “Why are you getting involved in anything with Allen Mitchel?”
I shrugged because I couldn’t possibly describe how one look at his stepdaughter had resurrected all the feelings from the first time we’d met or that I couldn’t say no. It wasn’t a normal reaction, and I had no words to make them understand. “He thought offering me a position on the board would sway me.”
“What?” An eyebrow arched over one of Marco’s green eyes that were so like our mother’s.
I already knew what they were both thinking. “It’s crazy, I know. I didn’t agree to it.”
“Wait a minute. It’s not a bad idea,” Nico said.
“I don’t want anything from Allen.” I couldn’t believe what he was suggesting.
“Of course not. A seat is easy to obtain. There are several board members that’ll vote you in after a well-placed phone call.” Nico’s chair squeaked in protest as he leaned back.
“But none that I want to control.” A flash of dark intent flooded me. “If I did go along with Allen’s offer, I would have something on him.”
“You would. But that wasn’t what I was suggesting.” Nico’s sat forward. “If you take a position on the board, you can reduce your hours at the hospital. It would be good for the family.”