“If You Want Her, Fine—Just Let Me Take Our Son,” His Wife Said—The Mafia Boss Went Silent

For three seconds, Luca could not move.

Then the mansion erupted into motion.

Guards swept the corridors. Enzo locked the gates and ordered every vehicle searched. Sophie ran into Theo's room, calling his name until her voice broke.

"THEO!"

There was no answer.

His window was locked from the inside. The balcony door was untouched. No glass was broken, and no blood stained the floor.

Whoever had taken him had not forced their way into the room.

They had been invited in—or they had possessed a key.

Luca seized the security supervisor by the collar.

"Who was on this floor?"

The man looked terrified.

"Two guards, sir. Both cleared through the checkpoint."

"Where are they?"

"One is missing."

Luca released him.

"Find him."

Sophie knelt beside the bed, staring at the torn elephant. Theo had carried it everywhere since he was two. It had been his comfort during thunderstorms, doctor visits, and the nights when Luca returned home too late to read him a story.

Now it was a message.

She forced herself to breathe.

"They didn't take him to hurt him immediately," she said.

Luca turned toward her.

"How can you know that?"

"Because they left this. They want us frightened enough to make a mistake."

He looked at the elephant again.

Sophie picked it up carefully. Something hard pressed against the stuffing inside the damaged ear.

She reached for a pair of scissors and opened the seam.

A small tracking device fell into her palm.

Luca stared at it.

"That wasn't there before."

"No," Sophie said. "Someone put it in the toy."

The device had been active for weeks. It could have revealed Theo's location to anyone with access to the signal.

Enzo entered the room.

"We found the missing guard's car abandoned near the river. There's a note on the windshield."

Luca took the paper.

It contained a location and a time: an abandoned ferry terminal in Brooklyn, thirty minutes away.

Below it was a single instruction.

COME ALONE, OR THE BOY DISAPPEARS FOREVER.

Sophie grabbed Luca's wrist.

"You're not going alone."

"I have to."

"No. That's what they want. They'll separate us, make you angry, and use your fear against you."

"They have our son!"

"And they want you to arrive without backup, without a plan, and without thinking. Don't give them exactly what they asked for."

Luca looked into her eyes. For the first time, he allowed her to see how frightened he was.

"I promised I'd never let anyone take him."

"You didn't fail him because someone kidnapped him. You'll fail him if you let them decide what you do next."

He swallowed hard.

Together, they made a plan. Enzo would track the location from a distance while a trusted team secured the surrounding streets. Luca would enter the terminal alone, as demanded, but Sophie would remain connected to him through a discreet audio channel.

At the terminal, the doors stood open.

A single light flickered above the water.

Luca stepped inside.

"Where's my son?"

A voice answered from the darkness.

"You're late, Luca."

Matteo Vescari emerged, holding Theo's hand.

The boy's face was pale, but he was unharmed.