Chapter 67: Permission to Go

It's Wednesday, two days before Antonio's birthday. Valeria texted me earlier about the plan for Antonio's birthday. She said the party will be held at Fabio's restaurant by the beach. Right now, I'm trying to reason with my father to let me go, but being the stubborn old man he is, he keeps saying no. My father was worried because of the distance between our house and the venue. And after what we've witnessed last Saturday, he doesn't really trust me to be near the Ricci. That's why he won't let me go.

"Valeria said you should come, too. Come on, father. We might get something new while we're there with the Ricci. Other than that, our presence could be a good distraction for them while we're investigating them in secret. If you don't trust me to go with Dante and Carlo only, then come with me," I say. My father only stares at me, seemingly still not convinced. How should I make him let me go? Damn it. I forgot how impossible my father can be most of the time.

"I know you don't really trust anyone now after what happened with Giulio and our other men, and rather do things yourself, but for now, please just let everyone do their job. Not trusting them now might only make them go for the other team. So, you either come with me or let me go with Dante and Carlo. Trust me. Nothing will happen to me. They won't do anything to me just yet. Don't ask how I know it, I just knew it," I say. My father still hasn't uttered a word. He continues to stare at me with a frown. After a while, he nods to me.

"Fine. We'll go to the party," my father says.

"How about the vacation?" I ask.

"We'll see about that later," my father says.

"Fine," I say.

Well, at least he's agreed to come to Antonio's birthday party. I won't ask him further about the vacation for now. I'm sure he'll let me go on vacation with Antonio the next day. I should get prepared for that as well. It's better to be prepared than not at all. I'll pack all I need now so I don't have to worry about not having enough clothes for the vacation.

I pick out some clothes from my wardrobe. One for the birthday party, plus some clothes, swimsuits, and accessories for Antonio's and my little vacation. Gosh, I hate saying that. My determination to take revenge for my mother and brothers is strong, but so is my hatred towards the Ricci for being involved in human trafficking along with the Romanos. Yes, not all family members might be involved in the business, but knowing how Fabio is involved, it's enough to disgust me.

"So, got anything on Fabio and his new business venture yet?" I ask as I browse through my clothes for cute dresses. I might be there for a mission only, but I still need to look presentable with good clothes. Looking shit might only gives the Ricci suspicion on my family and me.

"I did. Bernardo, my contact, has been watching the house. Another man took the girls from the house to another place. Turns out the place is connected to the Romanos," Dante says. Silence then sweeps over us. I turn to him, and he seems to be hesitating on saying his next words. What he's going to say is definitely terrible. When it comes to the Romanos, nothing good ever comes from them.

"Where did he take them?" I ask. Dante frowns at my question, probably having a silent debate in his mind. I can only wait for his answer in silent while staring right into his eyes. After a while, he finally gives up and sighs.

"It's one of the brothels they're running. They took the girls there," Dante says. Once the words reach me, my heart stops for a split second.

A brothel? That's where they're taking them? Fuck. It's expected from the Romanos, but despite having lived in the world of criminals, I still don't understand how someone can be as fucked up as the Romanos and do that to children and other human beings. We can't let this keep on going. We must save those girls and the others; One way or another. I can't let them suffer and go through the same shit over and over again.

"How can we save them now?" I ask.

"Perhaps, you and your father being with the Ricci for the next couple of days will be a much-needed distraction. I'll see what I can do. I'll discuss our plan with your father later," Dante says.

"Thank you," I say.

"Don't thank me yet. Say that once we have them safe and sound," Dante says.

The next few days will be crucial for us. I should do my job and distract the Ricci while I'm with them, just like how I did when I stayed at their place. Whatever Dante plans must work before the week's over. I don't want the girls or anyone they currently have with them to go through awful situations with the Romanos any longer. They need to be stopped, and the first thing we can do is by helping everyone we can who are under their captivity.

After I've packed my suitcase, I put it aside in my bedroom, next to the door. The exhaustion I get from packing my stuff finally gets to me. Sighing, I go to my bed and lie there, staring at the ceiling in silence. I feel Dante approaching me, and I see him there, standing by the bed.

"I'll go now. I need to get ready for tomorrow," Dante says.

"Okay. See you tomorrow," I say. Dante only nods and smiles at me before leaving the room. Once I'm all to myself, I continue to stare at the ceiling. My vision blurs as I begin to lose myself in my thoughts.

I can't help but think about the girls and everyone else the Romanos have kidnapped and forced to do horrendous activities for them. I can only hope for their safety, but deep down I know that it's only wishful thinking. No one will be safe once they've become the Romanos' hostages. Everyone knows that. What makes it worse is the Ricci are now also involved in that god-awful business. Out of all people, the person my father has trusted for years ends up turning his back on us and gets himself involved in such awful business.

Whatever Dante and my father are planning later should work. One by one, we should stop the Romanos from exploiting the people they've kidnapped and trafficked. Who knows, it could be the beginning of their downfall. Other than that, it would be like hitting two birds with one stone. Whatever we do to the Romanos might affect the Ricci as well. What Fabio said at the function will be proven once we mess with the Romanos. We'll see if what they're doing is helping us or hurting us.