Page 51 of Greed

“I’ll bring fifteen of my best men tomorrow. We can brief them together and send them out and then set out ourselves.” Andrea stands.

“Agreed. I will spare as many of my men as I physically can without leaving us vulnerable to an attack from the Shift-Lefts,” I say.

Andrea walks away, and I take out my phone: I have people to call. I start by calling my brother, Bruno, as he is hitting some of the more popular spots the Shift-Left visit to see if he can glean any information.

“Hey,” he answers his phone. “I just left that Belarusian club on Fifth Street.”

“That’s Nick’s territory,” I comment. “Not so much Tony’s.”

“Yeah, but his men like to hang around here. I was hoping one of the higher-ups might be partying here.” Bruno sighs. “But they’re not.”

I rub my eyes with one hand and sigh. “There has to be someone, somewhere,” I comment.

“We’re doing our best, Matt. I don’t know what else to tell you,” Bruno says.

“I’ll check in with Cosimo, see if he’s had any luck,” I comment. “Keep me updated.”

“Sure.”

I hang up and dial Cosimo’s number.

“Nothing,” he answers. “I’m trying everywhere, Matt, but I’m not finding anything.”

“This does not bode well,” I say quietly. “What about Enrico and Eduardo? Did you tell them to find out what they can?”

“The twins are reaching out to all their contacts to see if there’s anyone who knows where Tony could be holding them,” Cosimo explains. “What about Rocco?”

“He’s sweeping the internet for any virtual traces of them.” I fill my glass and sip it. “I’m going to contact a few more people, see if they can help. Keep at it. Nobody sleeps until they’re both home safely. Also, everyone must be here in the morning. At eight. I need as many men as we can spare.”

“Got it, I’ll see you then.” He hangs up and I down my whiskey, dialing the next number in my phonebook.

I don’t sleep at all, but I do switch to coffee and energy drinks. I can’t be drunk right now; I need my wits about me.

Twenty-five of my men file into my backyard, along with Bruno, Cosimo, Enrico, Eduardo, and Rocco. We don’t wait long before Andrea arrives with his two brothers and fifteen men. There are over forty of us in the yard, standing in lines as Rocco takes up a place at the front.

“I’m airdropping photos of Tony and his closest men to your phones. These are the specific ones we need to find out where they are holding the hostages. Anyone who finds one of them must detain them and take them to a secluded location immediately and contact us.”

Their phones all ping numerous times as Rocco sends the photos and the men accept them.

“Right,” Rocco continues. “We need one person, anyone. They can’t stay holed up where they are forever. They must go out for supplies or to see their family or do something else. Someone is bound to slip up. It’s your job to capture them and bring them to us.”

I step forward. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, guys. They’ve touched family, and that’s unforgivable. This is family we’re talking about. No one messes with that.”

All the men grunt in agreement and nod.

“I want you all to do your best to bring Giovanni and Gia home,” I say. “Safe, in one piece.”

Andrea steps forward this time. “Anyone who gets a lead that gets them back to us will get a reward, and we will be in their debt.”

The men agree and then start to disperse.

I watch them leave. Finally something concrete is happening, but it feels like Andrea and I are stuck in limbo. Nothing makes sense, and we’re not sure what to do with ourselves. I look at our brothers, standing in two separate groups, and then back at Andrea.

“For now, guys, we’re in alliance,” I say, addressing the younger men. “That means you work together until this is resolved. Until we say further.”

“Cosimo,” Andrea says. “You and Francesco should hit the streets together. You’ll make a great team.”

Cosimo walks over to Francesco and shakes his hand, and they leave.