Page 24 of Tristano

Greer is in labor. She’s going to have a baby.

Not only that, but girls are being taken in Chicago. That means that Serena might be there.

Laying my head back on the seat, I pray like hell to God that we find her.

I can’t live without her.

* * *

“Hey, you made it,”Declan says as I get into the car.

“Barely.”

He raises a brow as he pulls into traffic. “No bags?”

“I didn’t have any time,” I tell him as I turn on my phone. “What did I miss?”

I send off a text to Enzo.

Me: Anything?

While I wait for him to respond, I check my notifications and see nothing of importance and darken the screen.

“So far, two girls have been taken, fifteen and twenty-three.”

“Fucking kids, man.” I shake my head in disgust.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Declan’s hands flex on the steering wheel. “We’re meeting up with Kenji. He’s going to introduce us to a hooker who can hopefully give us an in on the working girls.”

Kenji is the right-hand man to the Yakuza’s leader, Haruaki. Last I heard, he was newly taken. My face must give away my line of thinking because Declan shakes his head.

“Nah, not what you’re thinking. Jada used to work at The Currency but did him dirty. She stays in touch, sends them girls from time to time who she thinks would be better off working as escorts instead of on the street. She’s the one who has been reporting girls going missing.”

“Makes sense.” I nod.

My phone vibrates, and I look down to see that Enzo has sent me a photo.

Enzo: Kieran, Mama, and Papa are doing well.

I stare at the baby in the photo and shake my head. It’s crazy that just a few hours ago he was safely tucked away in Greer’s stomach.

“Greer had her baby,” I say, flashing the screen toward Declan.

“That’s awesome. Cleo will be excited,” he says, referring to Killian’s niece, Haruaki’s wife.

“Oh, for sure. Hey, do we have time to stop and get me a change of clothes?” I ask.

“Easy enough. Do you need suits or something a little more casual?”

I eye my friend and his clothes. “Is that what you usually wear?”

He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

He points over his shoulder. “Callum is a little more lax on what we wear here. I still have a suit when needed, but it’s the Wild West out here. We can wear what we want. I can have a tailored suit sent to The Currency for you if you’d like.”

“Nah. I want to blend in, not stand out. Let’s just stop for some basics.”

“Sounds good. We have a little time before we meet with Kenji and Jada. I figured you would be more comfortable staying at The Currency.” He cringes. “My place isn’t exactly set up for company.”

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