Smoke (The Carelli Family Saga #1) - Eden Butler Page 0,56

now because I can’t…if you aren’t…” Maggie nodded, letting some of the tears she’d been holding back slip from her eyes.

“Don’t…oh, sweetie,” Vi said, holding Maggie’s hand, finally pulling her into her arms.

I left them alone, spotting Dario and Dante when they came in through the door. My younger brother nodding behind him. Shifting my attention to the right, some of the tension racking up my chest eased when Dino came through the door.

“Boss,” he said, offering me his hand.

“D…man…” I ignored his shake and threw my arm around him, smacking his back before I mussed his hair. “You good? Let me get a look at you.”

The man was broad, his large shoulders and long legs eating up a lot of space as he stood in front of me. He was still pale and moved a little slower when I led us to the back of the room. “I’m good enough for this.” Dino patted his jacket and the bulge made by his gun, cocking an eyebrow.

That one look let me know my man thought he was back in the game. But I wasn’t sure. That game had changed.

Everything had.

“Mickey hasn’t…”

“I’m not worried about that asshole, boss,” Dino said, shrugging. He adjusted his stance, moving his hands together in front of him like a soldier awaiting orders. “I’m just here for you to tell me what needs to be done about that baby.”

“We’re figuring that out,” I told him, my gaze shifting to the left when Dario tilted his head, listening to something Dante whispered in his ear. My brothers both jerked their eyes at me when I cleared my throat, not hiding the stupid look they shared. “There something I should know?”

Dario was the first to nut up and speak. “Dante says one of Mrs. Phillips’ renters saw a black Lincoln speeding away from her B&B around ten-twenty.”

My stomach dropped and the back of my neck heated at the description of the vehicle. We’d made it out just minutes before I found Maggie on the street packing her car. Dario nodded once, his face telling me he remembered it too, but we’d been too caught up in our own shit to worry about some strange Lincoln slowing through the park.

“What else?” I asked him, trying to keep calm. Without me asking, Dino moved to the bar. A minute later, there was a bourbon in my hand and my fingers didn’t shake as much.

“Phillips said the renter only recognized it because that boarder, the one with her at Pop’s party…”

“July…” Dante said, frowning…

I shook my head. “August. His name was August.” I downed the bourbon, squeezing the glass. “He was the one wanting to dance with Maggie.”

“You had me check him out,” Dario reminded me and I nodded. “That asshole hopped in the car. When they drove away…” Dario looked around the room and I watched him, catching how he looked to the table where Maggie sat with my folks and Vi before he finished, “the driver handed off a crying baby to August. Then they tore down the road.”

“How the fuck did nobody see them?” Dante asked, his voice raising loud enough that the conversation behind us got quiet. When I flexed the muscles around my mouth, my little brother started in on the apologies. “Man, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”

“We didn’t see them either and we were on the damn street,” I said, squeezing Dante’s shoulder.

He liked Maggie and the kid. Dante and Dario both had stepped up when I was out in Edgemont, taking care of business. They took care of shit for me when she needed things done. So had my boys.

I glanced at Dino and, like my brothers, he was gearing up for a slip of temper. I got that. Knew that feeling, but now wasn’t the time to punch walls and upturn tables. What would be the fucking point? Wouldn’t get the kid back any damn sooner.

“Did the old woman say anything else?”

“The renter got a partial on the plate,” Dario pulled out his phone, moving his thumb across the screen. “I’m sending you the info. I figure you could get somebody to run it.” When I stared at him, like I couldn’t believe he hadn’t done that himself, my brother shrugged, grinning at me like I was simple. “My sources at the precinct aren’t exactly talking to me anymore. Five years, man. Wouldn’t look good if they were doing favors for a convict.”

From the corner of my eye, I spotted Dante’s wince but didn’t