Chapter 40: Racing against time
POV: Lourenço
It's been two weeks since we found Nicco's car on fire on the road.
Two weeks in constant agony without a single clue about my brothers who I swore to defend and protect.
I'm in the meeting room with my aunts and uncles, we're all working to find Elena and the others.
“I want the police to go out in force looking for them and I don’t care about the governor’s complaints,” Dante shouts into the phone before hanging up.
We are all so angry that when my phone rings I answer it with an unnecessary and ignorant tone.
“I hope your irritation indicates that you are after your brothers” says the man on the other side with humor.
"Who is it?" I ask, putting the phone on speaker.
“Who can or cannot end the lives of your brothers, that only depends on you” says the man and I clench my fists.
“I hope you know who you’re kidding” Uncle Massimo says hatefully.
“The Italian mafia doesn’t scare me, not anymore” the man says angrily “Well, our negotiation will work like this, you give me what I want and I’ll give you your entire brothers”
“And what makes you think we’re going to trust your word?” I ask angrily.
“I sent you a video and I'm sending you a gesture of good faith” the man says before hanging up “I hope you think or I'll kill you all”
I quickly open my email and see a video file.
Seeing my brothers injured only makes me want to kill the bastard even more.
The text of the message contains an address, I quickly look it up on the map and realize that it is a hospital.
“Dante and Giorgio are going to the hospital, look for Sandro” I say remembering that the video showed them taking my brother.
“The others help me triangulate the area of abandoned buildings or those that contain basements with rooms”, says Vicente, sitting in front of a computer.
We all began working to find any information that would lead us to the boys' whereabouts.
About five hours pass before Dante calls me with news.
“Sandro is here” he says and I sigh in relief.
"How is he? Can you tell where the others are?" I ask hopefully.
“He's unconscious, he has a generalized infection and his health isn't good at all” Dante says seriously and I collapse into the nearest chair.
“I'm going to ask Nonna and Aunt Isadora to stay with him, I need you here” I say, not knowing what else to do.
My younger brothers were kidnapped and I am defenseless in the face of the situation.
I failed my family!
POV: Fernando Valentini
My mind is racing, I imagine the horrors my children are suffering.
I remember the years of torture I suffered and the only thing that crosses my mind is that I would change places with them without hesitation.
If it's been three weeks and we haven't made any progress in negotiations, the terms are perverse and none of us want to exchange one life for another.
We're all in the room discussing possible locations when one of the computers starts beeping.
Antoni catches up with him in no hurry, this is already the tenth false alarm and we are no longer excited or hopeful.
“What was it this time?” asks Giovanni, approaching.
“I found them,” says Antoni in disbelief.
We all turn to him waiting for him to say more.
“They are in a company abandoned by the Zenatti group,” says Antoni, looking at the computer.
“How did you find them?” I ask wanting to be sure.
“I ran a tracking program to look for the transmission antenna from where the video was sent, the signal was found close to the company that had increased activity on the network in the last four weeks”, explains Antoni enthusiastically.
Everyone is convinced, even without understanding half of what Antoni said.
"I want everyone to get dressed. Let's stop by the warehouse before we go," Lorenzo says, taking the lead.
I'm getting up to go when my son stops me.
Vicente looks at me seriously.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asks, and I don't judge him for it.
"Those are my children who are there. I'll go to hell if necessary to save them," I reply, and he assesses me before giving me room to pass.
I arm myself with two pistols and a small knife, put on a vest, and say a quick prayer before joining the others in the garage.
I hope they can hold on a little longer, because we're going to save them.
POV: Elena
I'm lying on the floor with goosebumps running down my body, my teeth chattering from the cold, even as my skin burns.
My leg feels worse than the rest of my body; it hurts like a fire is burning inside. It's probably infected.
"Elena, hold on tight," Nicco urges for the third time.
I let out a bitter, hopeless laugh.
If someone had asked me a few days ago how I expected to die, this would have been my last answer.
I've imagined myself dead in Henk's basement, but I thought it would never happen again.
"I'll be fine," I say weakly.
"Let's all get out," Angelo says, nurturing false hope.
My hands are limp because, after what Edgar did to me, none of the men think I'm a threat.
I try to sit up to breathe better, as my broken ribs are aching.
The boys watch my every move.
I flex my wrists, which earns me a groan of pain.
"Elena, don't strain yourself," Angelo says, concerned.
An idea comes to mind, and I look at the boys with a glimmer of hope, a last shot in the dark.
"I can try to free you," my voice comes out weak.
Nicco considers me for a moment before nodding.
"Bring the notebook, we'll need it," Nicco orders, and I see the gears turning in his eyes.
I have to drag myself to him, who is closest to me, face to face with my cousin, who is as dirty as I am.
"What do I do?" I ask, looking at the chains.
"You need to remove the wire from the notebook, just a small piece," Nicco instructs softly.
My wrist aches with small movements, and I have to bite my lip to keep from groaning in pain.
After a few minutes, I manage to remove a piece of wire, and Nicco instructs me on how to shape the metal.
"Now place it inside the handcuff lock and turn it until it opens," Nicco says, and I do as he says.
It takes a moment, but my eyes light up when I hear the sound of metal being forced open.
Nicco massages his wrists before standing up and going to release the other boys. A sigh of relief to see everyone free. Now we just need a plan.