Adriano

Pitch-black darkness sounds of chaos everywhere and nowhere around me. A few minutes ago, the entire facility went completely offline. The doors have been disabled, security cameras, and even the backup generators aren't working. It doesn't feel right, they planned this,

"Ari?! Sweetheart where are you?!" Dominic screams for Bambina, catching my attention. Unable to see his location I use my phone as a flashlight. Searching each sweaty face near me until I find him, fuck they need to get the AC running again before I shoot someone.

"Dom! Where's Bambina" I yell at him once I see him across the room. He looks up frantic, I swear two minutes apart and he's a fucking rabid animal without her.

"I don't fuckin know, she was supposed to be waiting in that room over there, but the guards were gone, and the door's jammed." He nods in a direction I can't see. "Ari baby, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Dominic screams again, fuck he needs to calm the fuck down.

"Dom I'll get it open and check the room," one of his men says with a thick accent. Fuck how do these fuckers understand each other? Shaking my head, I wait for him to return, but within five minutes when he does our worst fears are realized. She's missing.

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"Where THE FUCK IS ARIANNA?! You were supposed to stay by that door the entire time until the lights came back," a manic Dominic screamed at one of his men. When the entire electrical system mysteriously became immobilized, we thought Bambina was protected. Diavolos was locked in chains and the only door was supposed to be guarded. When the system came back online, she had vanished. Diavolos gone too, with nothing but his crumbled chains left behind. Vinny has been tracing her earring tracker but has been having a hard time for the last hour. Something or someone is jamming the signal.

"Dom, I swear, I thought I heard a noise and when I looked there was nothing. Please I would never let something happen to the heir-" the man pleads in near sobs through bloody swollen eyes.

"The fuck you just say? Did you just say the 'heir'? I really hope you did not just bring my unborn child up?" Dominic coldly and calmly says while bringing his gun up to the man's temple and cocking the hammer. "Did I hear that wrong? My Ari is missing. My Ari. She carries our child and what's left of my sanity with her. Does it sound like a good thing to bring up mother fucker?" He presses the barrel painfully hard into his flesh, eliciting an agonizing scream from him.

"Please, Dom..." he begs without shame.

"Fuck this, Dante hand me the pliers and something to cut him with." Dante walks to the table and after a few clanking sounds turns back around and hands Dominic a small pair of gardening shears and household pliers. Roman and Ivan move behind the sobbing man while he begs and pleads for his life, they pin him back to hold his head still. Dominic locks one of his eyelids in the plier's grip. A sickening smirk on his lips as the man struggles against the unforgiving metal chair restraints.

"Let's see if doing just one makes you feel a little more honest, eh?" Dominic grumbles in a viscerally cruel voice as he slowly removes the skin with his shears.

"The fuck..." I mutter under my breath as I turn away from the gruesome scene in front of me. I've seen a lot of fucked up shit, but something about the way Dom is losing his grip on reality is making my stomach turn. Suddenly the door slams open and crashes into the wall behind. Gianni stands in the doorway with a feral look in his eyes,

"Vinny found her." Without any other words, everyone makes their way to strap up quickly, having no idea what we're walking into. I look over and notice Dominic's hands are covered in blood, I toss him a nearby rag.

"Wouldn't want Bam to see the blood on your hands." He scoffs with an amused smirk.

"Please, she loves this side of me. I'm pretty sure it's one of the reasons she finally fell for me." His smirk dropped into a cold glare. Fuck, he's broken without her. I guess I'm not much better; she's my piccola, my sorellina, my Bambina, and I couldn't protect her. We walk to our SUVs and follow Vinny's coordinates. Dominic and I climb into the same one, side by side. I've never really cared for him much, but Bambina loves him and he's probably going to be my brother-in-law. He damn sure is having a child with her, something that still makes me want to punch him in his fucking face. I can't believe my baby sister is having a baby and I don't even know where the fuck she is.

"Look I don't know if my words mean much to you, but we'll find her. Trust me... no one can take her down, she's too strong. Too pure," solemnly I say.

"She's fucking... incredible. A fighter. A warrior... a Goddamn goddess. I swear to fuck when I get her back, I'll handcuff her to me and never let her leave my site. If it means I have to blink one eyelid at a time, I will. Fuck I-I..." his words trail off with choked emotion. I just nod in reply as we finish the ride in silence. When buildings and parked cars come into view, I look around confused.

"Why the fuck are we at an airport?" Reaching the private plane area, we were at just a few short hours ago, we all jumped out fully strapped and ready for war. My eyes constantly roamed the area, searching for her.

"The exact coordinates show her inside, let's go." Enzo leads the charge with cold furry. If I feel this strongly about our baby sister, I think he's about one thousand times more affected. He loved her like a daughter and treated her like a porcelain doll since she was born. Following closely behind him I can still recall the first time I laid eyes on her. She looked so much like our mom, with soft honey-blonde hair and bouncing little curls. Ocean-blue eyes and chubby, pink-tinged cheeks. I'm only a year older than her, but I can see her so clearly that it's like a photo in my memory.

She waddled up to me with her chubby baby hands and pulled me down into a hug. She made little coos and giggles, even at that age I was so tall next to her. She looked right at me and asked 'Are you my bubba' not being able to say 'brother' yet. I kissed her and nodded; I was a painfully shy child until that point. She's been my partner in crime since, nothing she could ask me for would be too much.

Looking around a few people walk around with weary expressions, employees, and some travelers. All looking at the mob of heavily armed, tattooed, pissed-off men making their way steadily through the building. All our eyes searching for any sign of her, Enzo abruptly stops in front of a counter. I push my way to the front alongside Dom and Enzo. Sandro, Gianni, and Vinny flank either side. The beautiful petite woman behind the counter stares wide-eyed at our group of furious men. She's adorable, looks like she's around Bam's height with chocolate brown hair and striking eyes. Damn. No one is speaking and just staring. Any other time, I'd be happy to get this girl's number, she's fucking hot; but Bam comes first.

"Hey," I wave a little with a small smile. "You seen a blonde girl, blue eyes, bout five-five, probably looked scared within the last few hours?" Her eyes widen more before she clears her throat and nods.

"She came through here with two other men. One carried her while she cried, the poor thing was so upset. She handed me this at one point and said to give it to her brothers. Specifically, her... I think she said bubs. Maybe..." She held up the small diamond stud Sandro gifted her on her thirteenth birthday.

"That'd be me," softly I say with pain lacing my voice as I look down at it. Everyone breaks out yelling and fighting, trying to figure out where she's gone. Dom's losing his shit while Sandro and Enzo try and get answers from the other employees. I just take the earring in my palm and sit on one of the benches against the wall. Large silent tears pour down my cheeks, she's gone. Squeezing my palm tightly closed around the earring, I welcome the pain of it piercing my skin.

My baby sister.

My sorellina.

My baby fucking sister.

My fucking sorellina.

My Bambina.

Gone. Fucking GONE.

Just as I begin to lose all control of my emotions the beautiful girl quietly sits beside me and grips one of my hands. My eyes shoot up to her in surprise at her actions,

"She asked if 'bubs' came to give this to him without anyone seeing. She said to make sure 'no one besides' her brothers knew about it. It's none of my business but let me know if you need anything else from me. She was very sweet and upset when she left. I was scared for her considering the deep bruising on her neck." Confused, I look at her with a tilted head as she opens my fingers and places a small white piece of paper in it before closing them again tightly. As she turns to leave, she pauses to remind me,

"No one except her brothers. She was very specific about that." I nod in silent reply. Unfolding my hand, I pull the paper from it as I look around to make sure no one sees. Written in her crazy scribble handwriting that I've always teased her about are the words that make my heart drop.

'Nothing is what it seems.

Nic lied.

Don't believe anyone except the brothers.

I love you.

Meet me at our safe place.'

I mutter 'What the fuck' under my breath as I look up to see Sandro watching me. I shake my head quickly and mouth 'later'. I get up and move toward Dom with a quickness foreign to me as he's throwing a fit and screaming for his 'Ari'. I swear if he did this, I will skin him alive and burn it in front of him. I lift two hands and shove him in the chest, hard. He stumbles back, catching himself on the wall. Everyone around us falls silent as he gets back to his feet and looks at me like he's ready to draw blood. Good.

"What the fuck Dre?! Are you fucking stupid," he seethes as he moves toward me with an arm cocked to swing.

"Why did she have deep bruising on her neck Dom?! Huh?! Did you put your fucking hands on my sister?" Squaring my body to be ready for any move he makes, I watch as the realization hits. Nearly everyone around me is tense. Enzo moves forward blocking me from Dom, looking like a tense hulk. His head lowers slightly as he murderously glares and points a finger directly at Dom's face.

"Did you touch my baby? MY BAMBINA. Did you do this," he steps forward closing in on Dom, moving stealthily toward him. Dom drops his head slightly in guilt, he might as well just admit it because his body language just betrayed him. All of the brothers move quickly to take a swing, but his men block us.

"I didn't fucking do this! I fucking need her and I would never not want her by my side. I did fuck up though, we argued. She wanted to be a part of the plan to trap him, and I told her no because of the baby. I told her I couldn't lose her again..." his voice cracked, "I lost my cool and squeezed too tight, but I did not do this." Silent tears wet his cheeks; I know he loves her, but Bambina knows something we don't. I nod curtly before walking away and waiting for the guys to join me. One by one each brother makes their way to me, all but Lorenzo. He remains glaring at Dom as if he could set him on fire with just a look.

"Enzo! We need to talk," I gestured for him to join us. As Dom and Ivan watch our group carefully.

"What's up, Dre?" Enzo asks, still fuming with furry. Pulling out the note for them to see, I push a finger to my lips out of view of others. As they all read it I looked behind to see Ivan and Dom staring intently trying to figure out what we were doing. I just give them a hard glare as Enzo joins me while calling someone on his phone.

"We need our plane ready in ten. I want to be wheels up in twenty... the Province of Rovigo."

"What does this mean for Bambina? I don't understand," Gianni asks dejectedly. We all look at each other for a moment before I reply with an emotionless expression.

"It means she's running."

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Adriano D'Agostino