“We’ll be looking into pursuing charges of police brutality against my client,” the lawyer said as my brothers lined up against the back wall. I’d been in plenty of interview rooms like this in my life, but I couldn’t say that I’d ever had this kind of support before. Giuseppe certainly never would have hauled his ass down to a police station to get me out, though the high priced lawyer would have shown up to fix whatever mess I was in.
“Mr Vitoli knocked out one of my officers,” the captain growled, offering me a look which said he didn’t appreciate that at all.
“Mr Romero no longer goes by that name. He has reclaimed his birth name as is his right and is fully legal. In fact, Nicoli Vitoli never existed at all and we may seek to press charges in relation to the bad police work done at the scene of his mother’s murder too, seeing as you failed to notice a kidnapping had taken place,” the lawyer said smoothly.
“I can’t just click my fingers and make the charges against him go away,” the captain snarled.
“You can if you don’t want anyone looking into your personal finances too closely,” Enzo purred from his spot against the wall and the captain glanced at the closed door anxiously.
“He pulled a gun on innocent people in a crowded place. He put one of my officers in the hospital, he-”
“My client was trying to protect a girl who had been through serious trauma from a raving mob who were causing her great distress. I have three witnesses who saw your officers attack him and manhandle him within this very building. Add to that the fact that he was clearly attacked by three other detainees in his holding cell and I have the beginnings of a strong case here.”
The captain stared at my bloodstained knuckles for a long moment before sweeping his eyes over my brothers behind me and sighing.
“Right now, the best I can do is bail him and-”
“Perfect, I’ll have the charges dropped at a more convenient time of day.” The lawyer stood and I followed suit.
“Will you take cash for that bail now, sweet cheeks, and save me the walk to the desk?” Rocco purred, pulling a roll of dollar bills from his pocket and tossing it down on the interview table.
“I need some time to get the paperwork ready,” the captain protested, but I was already walking out of the room with my brothers while Rocco told him to forge the signature and suck his dick.
I didn’t bother questioning it as we headed back out into the corridor and the captain hurried to pass us by and let us out of this fucking building. He was clearly deep in the Romeros’ pockets and I didn’t even want to know why right now. The only thing I gave a shit about was finding Winter.
“Where is she?” I demanded as we stepped out into the freezing night air and the sounds of the city washed over us. Even in the dead of night, Sinners Bay didn’t slow down. That was when the monsters came out after all and there was certainly a high population of them living here.
The silence that followed my question made me fall still and I turned back to look at my brothers as they looked between each other hopelessly.
“It happened so fucking fast, fratello,” Frankie said in a low voice, looking all kinds of cut up over his answer. “There were so many people in there and we were trying to help you when the police started grabbing you, and-”
“I know he took her, I’m asking where?” I demanded in a low voice. If he seriously thought my gaze hadn’t been pinned on her throughout that entire fucking exchange then he was deluded. I’d seen the way she’d been dragged out of the precinct and it had damn near ripped me apart.
I didn’t give a shit if that motherfucker used to be her husband. She’d forgotten that entire part of her life and even if she hadn’t, I knew she’d still be mine. Her heart beat for me just like mine beat for her. There wasn’t a single thing in the world that would stop that from being the truth. Certainly not some long forgotten husband crawling up out of the past and hungering for something which wasn’t his anymore.
“We’ve got people combing the streets and we managed to get our hands on some CCTV to get the