Chicago, Illinois

It had been over an hour since Gael and Giovanni landed at O'Hare Airport. Usually, they would fly in their private planes, but Illinois was the Morellis' territory. So they flew coach and used fake IDs.

The two came on their own because most of their men were already busy. Gael only brought a few of his security to New York as the others, including Rick, stayed in Mayne, Esmea to watch over Angela. They didn't have a choice.

They had someone investigate the Morellis for them and used him as their eyes and ears. According to their findings, Marino Morelli's soldiers had been seen with some men from a warehouse of a clothing brand based in Chicago, which was obviously an odd behavior. The boss of the Morelli family surely didn't have a thing for fashion. This was why Gael and Giovanni came. They needed to know how to attack Marino on all sides, making sure he wouldn't have anything to fall back on.

Using a rental SUV, Gael drove them towards the warehouse, and he parked at the corner of the street. He received a text from Angela at a time when she normally didn't. And "you busy?" usually meant "I want to talk to you". So he gave her a call. 

Knowing where she was and what she did, Gael appreciated Angela for being thoughtful of him. Last night, she assured him that she wouldn't say anything about what they discussed. He hadn't asked her to do so because he didn't want her to choose him over her friend. It wasn't fair to her. And when she told him about Lauretta being there, he realized the reason for her initial text. She was worried.

He couldn't blame her. Even with just the little interaction he had with Lauretta, he already knew what kind of woman she was. Gael could only imagine what Angela must be feeling. But despite the situation, he was glad that Angela came to talk to him about it. He wouldn't want her to keep it to herself or jump to conclusions without telling him.

At Giovanni's second knock on the window, Gael ended the phone call and stepped out of the vehicle. It was five in the afternoon, and the sun was about to set. The street was crowded with people who couldn't wait to go home.

"The Momos are coming to New York tomorrow," said Gael as he fixed the black cap on his head. He followed Giovanni towards a coffee shop in front of the warehouse. When Giovanni cocked a brow, Gael told him about what Angela said. 

"When I said 'feel at home', I didn't mean they could come and go like it's their home," Giovanni remarked.

"Since they're coming, we better finish this tonight and fly back before sunrise. Where's the mouse?" asked Gael, referring to their target. They reached the coffee shop, sat down at a window table, and ordered black coffee. 

Giovanni kept his eyes outside and nodded at a group of men across the street. "Flower boy with a blue cap."

Gael scanned the group and zeroed in on the young man wearing a blue cap. Before coming here, they learned his background. A young man in his mid-twenties, no family, and had a criminal history of pickpocketing a few years ago. Their informant told them that he's one of the truck drivers who had been present whenever the Morelli soldiers were also around. They chose him because he's the less risky target they could approach.

Gael and Giovanni waited for nearly an hour before their target left the warehouse and began walking away. As stealthily as they could, they followed him until he crossed the street and turned the corner.

"Hey, Jimmy. Long time no see," Gael threw an arm around the young man's shoulders.

"Wha—Who the hell are you?"

Giovanni stayed on the other side of the man, sandwiching him between them. "Come on. We'll give you a ride." They urged him to follow them to the SUV. His and Gael's presence was enough to pressure the man.

Gael clamped his hand on the young man's shoulder in a vice grip, causing the other to wince. "Don't do anything funny. I hate clowns. Just do as you're told and get in the car. We promise you'll be home before bedtime."

Without much choice, the young man complied and got in the backseat of the SUV. As soon as he did, a strong pair of arms circled around his neck, and then his vision went black.

***

On the eighth floor of an unfinished building about an hour from the warehouse, Gael and Giovanni stood in front of a man that's tied up on a chair. They were waiting for him to wake up. The level was dusty and had many materials lying around. A cold wind brushed past them as there were no walls on the sides.

"You sure you didn't kill him? He's knocked out cold," Giovanni questioned.

Gael drew his brows together. He was sure the man was still breathing when they took him inside. As if to remind himself, he examined the unconscious body and saw the chest rising and falling. He let out a huff and checked the time on his watch. It was almost seven in the evening. "We don't have much time. Let's wake him up."

Nodding, Giovanni stepped closer and tilted his head. "Hey, flower boy, wake up." He patted the man's cheek.

Slowly, the man's eyes fluttered open. He squinted through the dim lights. The only light they had came from a battery-operated lamp on the dusty floor. Then, he was suddenly aware that he was tied up on a chair with his hands behind him, and his ankles were bound to the chair's legs. Panic crossed his face, and he began wriggling in an attempt to get out of the restraint.

"You're just wasting your energy, stop moving." Gael sighed.

"Who are you people? What do you want from me?" he demanded.

Giovanni reached into his back pocket and unfolded a paper. He showed the print to the man and said, "These are the dates that you drove one of the trucks out of the warehouse heading out of Chicago. Most of the time, you drove alone. But the ones highlighted in yellow are the nights that you had a company riding shotgun. You know what I'm talking about, Jimmy?"

The man averted his gaze, and he stuttered, "It's James n-not Jimmy."

"Said company isn't an employee of the warehouse," added Gael. "So why is he riding with you, Jimmy?"

'Jimmy' pressed his lips into a thin line, refusing to say anything.

Gael exchanged looks with Giovanni, and at the same time, the two started stretching and rotating their necks as though they were warming up for a marathon.

"Come on, Jimmy. We know you want to go home. We want this to be over in the next five minutes. It's better if you cooperate nicely." Giovanni smiled as he cracked his fingers.

"I don't know what you're talking about," muttered Jimmy.

"My bad. Let me rephrase so you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about." Gael slightly bent forward until his face was level with the man's, and then he gripped Jimmy's shoulder with force—the same shoulder he'd gripped earlier. Jimmy groaned in pain, his eyes widening as if he couldn't believe such grip was so painful. With a hard, cold expression, Gael questioned, "Why are there Morelli guards in the warehouse and chaperoning your trips?"

"I don't know—"

"Ehhh," Giovanni buzzed, mimicking the sound of a buzzer. "Wrong answer. Try again."

Gael let go of his shoulder and stepped back just when Giovanni kicked Jimmy in the stomach, causing the man to fall backward. The latter groaned louder, and he shook his head, declaring, "I swear! I don't know anything! Just let me go!"

Rubbing his tummy, Gael let out a sigh. They've only just started, and he was already dying to end the night. To top it off, he realized they hadn't eaten lunch yet, and it was already evening; his stomach grumbled.

Giovanni chuckled as he glanced at his nephew. He fished out a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to Gael who thought for a second before accepting the candy. Gael unwrapped it and put it in his mouth.

They pulled the man back upright. Gael played with the green-apple-flavored lollipop in his mouth, popped it out, and pointed it to their captive. "I really hate doing this, Jimmy, especially when I'm hungry. So do yourself a favor and answer the damn question."

When Jimmy avoided their gaze and kept his mouth shut, Gael and Giovanni exchanged looks. Together, they dragged the chair towards the edge of the floor and positioned the man until he was facing the view of the city lights in Chicago that twinkled from a distance. Because the building was unfinished, there were no walls on this level. 

"W-What are you gonna do?" Jimmy panicked.

"Last chance, Jimmy," Giovanni warned. He and Gael held the back of the chair.

"What does Marino have to do with the warehouse?" Gael questioned just before he and his uncle tipped the chair towards the edge, scaring Jimmy out of his wits.