Page 5 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

Chapter Four

GIOVANNA

S omething was off. Sara and Cara looked absolutely furious to see Danny and Nicole. Mercury, for the first time ever, seemed nervous. I didn’t understand what was going on or where all the tension was coming from. Nicole stood beside me with a smug smile as she watched Cara.

I narrowed my eyes at her behavior. It was almost like she was silently trying to taunt her. I didn’t know what her problem was, but she had better get it together. We were here for Gabi, and I wasn’t going to let anyone interfere with that.

Cara and Sara both looked ready to kill until Mercury told them why we were here in the first place. Their faces instantly morphed into concern.

“I’m guessing you’re the mother?” Sara said, looking over to me.

“Yes.”

“And you brought her here?” Cara frowned at Mercury.

I frowned slightly. If she thought she was kicking me out of here, then she was in for a rude awakening.

They would have to drag me home kicking and screaming.

I wanted…no, needed to be here. I needed to be a part of finding my baby and bringing her home.

Cara noticed the look on my face and sighed.

“I don’t mean any disrespect by what I said, but you have to understand what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I know. I don’t want to cause any problems. I just want to know what’s going on.”

“As a mother, I completely understand. But I need you to understand that if you’re going to be here, you might hear things that are upsetting. When we’re breaking this case down, you will hear scenarios that will be devastating, but we have to look at this case from all angles.”

I swallowed as she laid everything on the table for me. This was her giving me an out. This would definitely take a toll on me emotionally and mentally, but I wasn’t backing out.

I needed this.

“I understand.”

Cara nodded before focusing her attention back on Mercury. “What do you got?”

Mercury placed his briefcase on the table and opened it.

He retrieved two files and handed them over to Sara and Cara.

They opened them and looked over every detail.

We watched in silence. Every so often they would look up to each other as if they were silently communicating.

I sat on pins and needles awaiting their verdict.

After a few minutes, Cara placed the file on the table and rubbed her temples. “Mercury, this little girl has been missing for a week, and you are just now bringing this to me.”

“I know Cara, but?—”

“You know the first forty-eight hours are critical in any case, especially a kidnapping.”

“I know, but you two are the best. If anyone can find Gabrielle, I know you two can.”

Sara snorted, shaking her head. “Don’t try buttering us up. You know you’re dead wrong for bringing this to us so late. Look, we’ll do our best, but we’re going to have to start from scratch. If we go off what’s in this file, we’ll never find her.”

I gasped with wide eyes, catching Cara and Sara’s attention. “Are you sure you want to be here for this?” Cara asks me.

I nodded profusely. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Why would you need to start from scratch? We’ve been working on this for a week.” Nicole folded her arms, sending a heated stare towards Sara and Cara.

“And where has that gotten you?” Sara tilted her head with a raised brow.

Nicole gritted her teeth and glared at her. Sara didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. She looked like she was ready to say more, but Mercury pinned her with a look that had her snapping her mouth closed.

“Tell me what you two are thinking,” he ordered Sara and Cara.

“Well, I strongly disbelieve this is the work of traffickers,” Cara said as she was scanning the file once again.

My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn’t even know Danny and Nicole were suspecting Gabi had been snatched by sex traffickers. Cara words replayed in my mind.

When we’re breaking this case down, you will hear scenarios that will be devastating, but we have to look at this case from all angles.

If I was going to be a part of this, I needed to toughen up.

Sara nodded her head. “I agree. Why would they risk snatching a toddler in a parking lot, in broad daylight? Traffickers are normally discreet. They wouldn’t risk bringing down the entire organization simply to snatch one toddler.”

“And they definitely wouldn’t have left her behind,” the guy who had been staring me down since I walked through the door said as he pointed at me.

“Excuse me?” I hissed, glaring at him.

He raised his hands in the air in mock surrender. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Just stating a fact.”

I opened my mouth to tell him off, but Cara interrupted me.

“This is what I’m talking about. If you’re going to be here, you have to take your emotions out of this.

I know that’s easier said than done because your daughter is involved.

What Capone said is true. There is no way in hell they would have left you and only taken Gabrielle. ”

Capone. So that was the Adonis’s name. I’d been keeping my eyes off him purposely.

I didn’t like how he made my body react just from eye contact.

I had never in my life felt such an intense connection.

And that made me feel guilty. I was here for Gabi.

I didn’t have time to be ogling this man, no matter how sexy he was.

“Sorry. This is just harder than I thought.”

“I understand. I’m a mother before anything else so I get it.” Cara closed the file with a sigh. “Look, we can get started in a few hours. I have one more meeting to wrap up and I?—”

“You’re going to take another meeting as if there isn’t a missing child out there?” Nicole said with her lip curled in anger.

Cara ignored Nicole’s outburst, focusing on Mercury. “Like I was saying. I’ll call you in a few hours when I’m headed back to the clubhouse. That’s where all my equipment is set up.”

“Clubhouse?” I asked in curiosity.

“Oh, Danny didn’t tell you? Cara and Sara are married to bikers.” Nicole’s voice was laced in disgust.

I was two seconds from slapping Nicole. I didn’t know what her problem was, but she was beginning to get on my last nerve. She’d been throwing digs since we arrived.

“Maybe you should wait outside, Nicole,” Mercury told her with a heated stare.

“What?! This is my case. I have more of a right to be here than anyone else.” Nicole looked over at Cara with hateful eyes.

Before Mercury could say anything, the sound of shouting coming up the hall caught everyone’s attention.

“Wait! Mr. Viper, she’s in a meeting.”

“And?” a deep baritone voice said right as the door was pushed open. A man who was well over six feet tall with grey eyes walked into the room, zeroing in on Cara.

She turned her chair around with a small smile. “Babe, why do you insist on driving Sage crazy?”

“I didn’t do anything,” he denied. He walked over with a bag of food and place it on the table. Grabbing both her hands, he pulled her from her seat and into his arms. It was then I got a glimpse of her small protruding belly.

Viper palmed it before bringing his lips down on hers in a heated kiss that made me blush. There was no tongue, but just from the passion behind it, you could tell these two were deeply in love.

“When was the last time you ate, Hellcat?” he asked once he broke the kiss.

She looked away nervously. “I was just about to take lunch whe?—”

“That’s not what I asked you.” He gripped her chin, bringing her gaze back to his.

She scratched the back of her head and sighed in defeat. “Breakfast,” she muttered.

“See. I knew it. You’ve been in here all day, taking meetings and starving my baby.” He placed her back in her seat before pulling the food out of the bag.

“Well hello to you too, Viper. What? No food for me?” Sara asked with a teasing smile.

“You should know better, sis.” He pulled out a sandwich and placed it in front of her. “Philly cheesesteak with light onions and extra peppers, just the way you like it, with a side of loaded fries.”

She gave him a beaming smile. “That’s why you’re my favorite bother-in-law.”

“I’m your only brother-in-law.” As if he just noticed us in the room, his gaze swept over Nicole, Danny, and me in confusion until they landed on Mercury.

Viper held his hand out. “Mercury? Right?”

Mercury shook his hand with a grin. “That would be me. I can't believe you two are having another baby.” He laughed. “What is this? Number four?”

Viper’s smile widened. “Five,” he boasted.

I watched as Danny stood to the side with an uncomfortable expression. He almost looked physically wounded.

As soon as we were out of here, I was grilling him and Nicole. There was something neither of them was telling me.

“But what are you doing here? You’re a long way from Washington.”

“Umm, I needed Cara and Sara’s help on a case.”

Viper’s brows dipped as he looked from Cara to Mercury. “Cara is in no condition to get back in the field.”

“I don’t need her physically in the field. I just need her to help me get a lead on a missing little girl. I promise I’m not here to disrupt your life, but Gabrielle has been missing for a week, and we have nothing.”

Viper nodded in understanding. “Well, I won’t stand in the way of that.”

“Good to know we have the biker’s approval,” Nicole stated sarcastically.

Cara scoffed before placing her sandwich down on the wrapper. “This isn’t going to work.” My heart rate sped up. Nicole and her big fat mouth was about to screw things up before they even started. “Sara and I will do this on our own. I’ll call you when we have something.”

Mercury looked like he was ready to protest, but the heat in Cara’s eyes let him know she meant every word. He nodded reluctantly.

“You can’t do that! This is our cas?—”

“Enough!” Mercury boomed. “Nicole. Out.” He pointed at the door.

Her chest rose and fell as she clinched her hands. After a few seconds of an intense stare down between the two, Nicole stormed out of the room.

Cara rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “Mercury, you better get her in check. I’m not about to deal with any unnecessary drama.”

“I’ll talk to her as soon as I get to the hotel, Cara. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to help us out.”

“You know I wouldn’t turn down helping an innocent child.”

“Well, I guess we’ll get out of here. Let me know as soon as you have something.”

My eyes filled with unshed tears. I didn’t want to leave. I was under the impression I would be involved from start to finish, and Nicole’s reckless mouth had ruined that for me.

Cara noticed the tears brimming in my eyes and her face softened. “Giovanna, if you still want to tag along, that’s fine. If you would just wait in the sitting area until I finish up my final meeting, you can catch a ride back to the clubhouse with me.”

A tear slipped out. I quickly wiped it away and smiled. “Thank you.”

As we walked out the door, I felt a weight lift inside me. I didn’t know how to explain it, but something told me Sara and Cara would lead me back to my baby. I just had to keep faith that they would find her unharmed.