Page 155 of Duty

Andino wished he was surprised.

Right now, though, his only goal was to find his cousin, and bring him home safely. Out of the reach of the Calabrese family, who wanted to kill him, and without getting in trouble with the cops … because that was a very real possibility, too.

“It just keeps going to voicemail,” Lucian growled.

“My calls, too.”

Lucian swore severely under his breath, and leaned back in the driver’s seat. For hours—ever since John had taken off from his parents’ house where everyone thought he would be safe and under control—they’d been like this. Searching, fearful, and lost. Andino went with Lucian, though he could have gone with someone else, because he figured it might make his uncle feel better to have someone who was close to John be with him.

That wasn’t the case.

Lucian was pissed.

And scared.

Although, to a Marcello man … being scared often just led to him acting like a gigantic asshole. No one liked to show their weaknesses like a hand of cards, so to speak. Someone was always willing to exploit what they thought could harm someone else in this business.

Lucian glanced out the window at the dark street. “Do you think they have him?”

“The Calabrese?”

“Who else?” Lucian asked. “He’s been lost lately—too deep in his own head and issues to see how they were manipulating him. Nothing anyone did helped him, and only pushed him away. Do you think he went to them because that’s who he felt he could trust?”

“John is bipolar, but he’s not stupid … and he’s not crazy.”

Lucian’s jaw stiffened. “I didn’t say he was. I never say that.”

No one ever did.

Not in their family, anyway.

“I meant,” Andino clarified, “there is no way in hell—regardless of the mental place John is in right now—that he felt he could trust the Calabrese family. He knows better.”

“Then, where is he?”

That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it?

Andino didn’t get the chance to reply before the phone in his pocket buzzed with a call. Pulling the device out, he saw Haven’s name, and instantly moved to get out of the car to take the call in private. His uncle shot him a look, but Andino pretended like he didn’t see it. He’d just hung up with Haven a few minutes ago—why was she calling back so soon?

“Yeah,” Andino said the second he shut the car door, “what’s up?”

“I just ran into Siena,” Haven replied, “and she said John is at her father’s home.”

It was like ice had been thrown all over Andino’s body, and at the same time, someone drove a heavy spike of dread right into his spine.

“Are you sure?”

Haven was quick to say, “She was sure, anyway.”

“Okay, thanks, I—”

“Have to go,” Haven murmured.

Andino frowned.

God.

There was a lot of things he wanted to say to this woman. He owed her an apology; a real, true, honest fucking apology. She deserved so much more than what he had been giving her for too long, which frankly, wasn’t very fucking much. She should be the most important thing in a man’s life, especially when that man loved her. And he wanted to give her that.