Chapter 104 Gloomy Rain
GIOVANNI’S POV
I had to go to the doctor's office after two days of trying to get by with the injury. By yesterday, my left hand was so swollen and red that Enzo booked an appointment with the doctor before I could stop him.
I sat on the examination table while Dr. Russo examined my hand.
He whistled low. "This is bad, Mr. De Santis. Very bad."
"Just fix it," I muttered.
He probed gently, and I hissed through my teeth. "Two fractured metacarpals, possibly three with significant soft tissue damage.”
He looked at me and shook his head. “You need X-rays to confirm, but I'd say you're looking at at least six weeks in a cast."
"Fine. Do what you need to do."
Dr. Russo worked in silence for a while, cleaning the wounds. When he finally started wrapping my hand in a proper splint and bandage, he cleared his throat.
"Mr. De Santis, I have to ask... how did this happen?"
I shrugged. "Training accident."
"Training." His tone was skeptical.
I didn't answer.
He secured the bandage with medical tape, then sat back, studying me with the kind of look that made me uncomfortable.
"I'm going to give you something for the pain," he said. "But Mr. De Santis... I'm also going to recommend you speak with a therapist. What you're dealing with aren't things you should handle alone."
I almost laughed. "Mafia bosses don't get to have therapists, Doc. Comes with the territory."
"Everyone deserves mental health support." His expression was earnest. "Especially people in high-stress situations. The trauma you carry, and the decisions you have to make-"
"I said no." I stood, cradling my bandaged hand. "Thanks for fixing this. Send the bill to Enzo."
He looked like he wanted to argue but thought better of it. "At least take the pain medication and keep that hand elevated. No more punching bags."
I took the prescription he handed me and left without another word.
Outside, the afternoon sun was too bright for how I felt. I stood on the sidewalk outside the medical building, looking at my bandaged hand like it belonged to someone else.
A man and his pregnant wife passed in front of me. He had his arm around her protectively, one hand resting on her rounded belly. She was laughing at something he said.
"Careful on the curb," he smiled, guiding her gently. "You okay? Should we have taken a cab? I knew we should have."
"I'm fine," she said, still laughing. "Stop fussing."
They passed me, wrapped in their own little world of joy and for some reason, my chest ached.
I pulled out my phone, checking the message thread with the tracker I hired.
There was nothing but the same response as this morning.
‘I’m still searching. No leads yet.’
I typed back. ‘Keep looking. Double your rate if you find something today.’
His response came quickly. ‘I'm sorry, Mr. Valenti. I'm doing everything I can. If she doesn't want to be found... it might take time.’
Time. The one thing I couldn't afford but I couldn’t tell him that.
My phone buzzed. It was Enzo.
"What?" I answered gruffly.
"Two things." His voice was tight with urgency. "The Riveras hit our shipment in Bologna ans took everything. There are about of our men are dead."
I closed my eyes, dragging a hand down my face."The second thing?
He sucked in a breath before responding. "And we got CCTV footage ofArya."
My eyes snapped open. "Where?"
"The train station downtown, about two hours after she went missing. I'm sending you the location now.”
I was already moving toward my car. "On my way."
The drive back to the location Enzo sent me took about thirty minutes. I found him standing outside an old hardware store and we both walked in.
The owner was a man well in his fifties, he tipped his hat when he saw me and I nodded in response.
We walked into the security office where Carlo, one of my main capos, was surrounded by monitors.
“Boss.” He greeted, standing to his feet.
I waved him off and took a seat beside the monitor. “Show me the footage.”
He nodded and pulled up the footage immediately.
"There." He pointed at the screen.
The image was grainy but clear enough. Arya, wearing dark clothes with a backpack slung over her shoulder.
She moved quickly through the station, and although her head was down, when she looked up, peering into the camera. Her face was clear as day.
"We spotted this during our search. The station is not far from here, about ten minutes on foot.”
I nodded, leaning towards the screen. “Did you see her get on the train?”
“No, boss.” He cleared his throat “but the train was out of service throughout yesterday. She might still be around.”
That made my perk up and I formed my fingers into a fist.
"She's probably long gone by now," Enzo interrupted. "She could have caught a bus or-“
I shook my head and rose to my feet. "We’re searching everywhere." I was already heading for the door. "Get me a team now."
"Gio, wait." Enzo grabbed my arm. "We need to deal with Bologna. The Riveras are making a move, and if we don't respond-"
"You handle Bologna." I yanked my arm free. "I'm getting her back."
"But Gio-“
I turned on him, my eyes narrowed tightly. “Are you defying me, Enzo?”
He stiffened, his eyes widening for a moment then he shook his head. “No, boss.”
Twenty minutes later, we were in the location where Arya was seen last with six armed men. The area was a maze of abandoned buildings, rusted shipping containers, and crumbling warehouses.
It was the perfect place to hide.
"Fan out," I ordered. "Check every building and alley. She couldn't have gotten far on foot."
The men scattered while Enzo stayed close to me as we moved through the nearest warehouse.
It was except for broken pallets and old machinery covered in rust.
"Gio, she's not here," Enzo said after we checked the third building. "We're wasting time-"
I raised a hand, signaling his silence and moved to the fourth warehouse.
This one had signs of fresh footprints in the dust, and a discarded water bottle that looked new.
My heart rate picked up. "Check upstairs."
Enzo headed for the stairs while I swept the main floor.
A figure in dark clothes darted around a corner and the sight of dark hair and backpack slung over one shoulder made me exhale sharply.
"ARYA!"
I was running before I could think, my injured hand forgotten. She glanced back, I didn’t see her face but I kept running.
I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning. She ducked into an alley between buildings, and I followed, closing the distance.
"Stop!" I roared.
I reached her, grabbed her arm, and spun her around.
The girl couldn't have been more than nineteen, stared at me with wide eyes.
She snarled at me. "What the hell? Let go of me!"
"I…" My grip loosened. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."
"Yeah? Well, I'm not!" She yanked her arm free, backing away. "You're crazy! Stay away from me!"
She ran off, and I stood there, breathing hard, my heart pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears.
It wasn't her. Fuck!
I kicked the nearest trashcan with all the frustration and rage boiling inside me. It flew across the alley, clattering against a wall with a satisfying crash.
Then I kicked it again and again, and again.
"Gio!"
Enzo appeared at the mouth of the alley, breathing hard. "What happened? I heard yelling-"
I couldn't answer, not with the fury choking me.
She wasn't here. And I was chasing ghosts through abandoned warehouses like a fool.
"Nothing," I finally managed. "It wasn’t her."
Enzo studied me for a long moment. "Maybe it's time to let her go."
I turned on him. "What?"
"Let her go, Gio." He repeated. "She made her choice and honestly? Can you blame her? After everything we did to her-“
I raised a finger. "Don't." I snarled. “Don't finish that sentence."
"We have bigger problems," Enzo continued. "The Riveras are hitting our operations, our men are dying and you're out here chasing a girl who clearly doesn't want to be found."
I wanted to hit him or break something else.
But my hands clenched into fists, one sending pain shooting up my arm from the damaged bones. "Whose side are you on?"
"Yours, you idiot." Enzo grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "I'm on your side. That's why I'm telling you to focus on what matters."
He was right. Fuck, I couldn’t deny the truth in his words. Arya was probably long gone by now while we were here wasting time.
“Let's go," I said instead, pulling away from him.