*****

"Sir, we've scouted the area for miles, there is no sign of Ms. Amara anywhere around here",one of the Romero guards who had accompanied them on their journey reported.

"No sign of Matteo either", another guard reported, "Traditore",he spat hatefully.

Pietro's eyes darkened. "Were you able to get in contact with anyone at the Sullivan headquarters?"

The first guard shook his head. "We're not able to get in touch with anyone at either the Sullivan or the Romero headquarters. It's almost like all the lines have been blocked intentionally"

"Keep trying", Pietro replied sharply.

The guard bowed before quickly leaving the small shack that the Romero and Sullivan guards had currently made their base, taking shelter from the snow storm that raged outside, as they put all their efforts in trying to locate the girl whose security they had been entrusted with.

"Send one of our men to the Callaghan safehouse, it's the nearest to us at the moment", he commanded his junior, while walking out in the open. "Tell him to report what has happened to the security chief there. We need more men to widen our search"

"Yes sir", came the prompt reply.

Pietro stepped out of the shack and in the raging snow, his jaw set, eyes alert as it spanned the area that was covered with white for miles.

He walked a little further away from the small shack and only when he was sure that none of his men were watching him, did he allow himself to crumble with worry. Worry for the girl whom he had failed to protect yet again!

He sank down on his knees, removing Amara's knitted hat from his coat pocket, clutching it tightly in his fist.

"Where are you princess?", he murmured, fear, agitation, rage and a hundred other emotions concealed in his one simple question. "Where are you?!"

It had been an hour since Amara's disappearance and yet to Pietro it felt like a lifetime had passed. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life as he felt now.

Amara had disappeared and he had been unable to do anything. She had been taken away right under his nose and he had failed to prevent it from happening.

Even now, an hour later he was no closer to finding any clue to where she was than he was at the beginning of his search.

The snow storm that raged around him was successful in paralyzing almost any efforts that they made. There was no way of contacting the Sullivan Estate. All signals were lost and when they did get weak signals, the lines seemed to have been blocked.

He realized that by now the Sullivan men would know that something had gone wrong with their party, for Amara was supposed to have reached back home from school hours ago.

They would look into it and realize that Amara never made it to school, instead, Pietro had broken all the rules by bringing her out of the city and away from the Sullivan protection. The security would be deployed from the headquarters and they would successfully track them here but it would still take a few hours.

Any Pietro knew, he knew in his heart they would be much too late.

With every minute that they lost, Amara was put in more and more danger.

He fisted his hair and tugged at them sharply, feeling utterly hopeless. He didn't know what he could do. He was not even able to track her properly! He was failing in the one thing he excelled at beyond anyone else.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Amara. I'm sorry", he whispered,"But please hold on, I'll find you soon, please"

He remained motionless, eyes closed, opening them only when he heard the sounds of hurrying footsteps coming towards him.

"Sir, you must come inside now, we've just received some news", the guard told him quickly.

Pietro jumped to his feet, hurrying after the man inside the small shack.

"Report", he commanded, as soon as he stepped inside.

"I was able to get in touch with the security general of the Sullivan estate briefly",one of his other soldier began,"They are already on their way here"

"Why aren't we able to contact anyone?''

"It seems that a defensive lockdown has been initiated in the Sullivan estate due to some incident that has taken place in Chicago"

Pietro frowned. "What incident?"

"I lost the signal before any details could be exchanged",the man replied, looking frustrated with himself.

"You did a good job", Pietro appreciated distractedly.

On one hand he was relieved that more forces would be joining them soon and on the other, the news about some incident taking place in Chicago had him riled up. He knew something major must have happened for the Sullivan estate to go under a lockdown.

And worst of all, Pietro couldn't ignore the timing between the two incidents.

Someone was playing a dangerous game, a very dangerous game with them and he would kill whoever it was, there would be no escape for that person.

"Sir, is there no other way to track Matteo?", a guard asked him.

Pietro pursed his lips.

Unbeknownst to anyone else except the elite members of the organization, every Romero guard had a tracking device installed in their phones, ones which were given to them during the start of their job. It was both, a security measure for them as well as a means of keeping an eye on the men and controlling their activities.

Matteo had spent nearly six years with them and in those years he had slowly but steadily climbed up the ranks. But even he wasn't privy to this little information!

Taking advantage of the fact, Pietro had tried to track him down but he was proven wrong though when his search had come up unsuccessful.

If only he had his phone with him, he would have been able to make a more thorough search, after all, the tracking information of all the Romero guards was linked to his phone.

"Are we to wait here until the backup arrives?"

Pietro shook his head. "We can't lose time by waiting here for the Sullivan forces to arrive, we shou—

He faltered mid sentence, his eyes widening. Of course! How could he have forgotten?

He didn't have his mobile with him because he had given it away to Amara.

He pushed past the guards surrounding him and stumbled towards the makeshift desk where one of his men was working on the laptop trying to connect with the Dons in Chicago.

"Move", he growled and bent over the laptop, working feverishly as he teared through the Romero security servers, trying to gain access to his own account and activating the tracking device on his phone.

He put all his efforts into it and just as he had hoped the tracker connected. The screen lighting up with a map and two red dots, one of which was moving rapidly.

He finally grinned, his eyes turning feral.

"You're dead Matteo",he swore, as he watched the rapidly moving red dot. Moving away from them!

"Hold on princess, I'm coming"

_______

"She's inside",he whispered, looking over the rundown mill.

It had taken them almost two hours to reach this place, following the tracking device on Pietro's phone.

"Is it wise to attack now? We may be outnumbered Pietro",one of the senior guards whispered in a low voice.

"I can't wait out here knowing that Amara is inside, alone",he snarled. "We'll get her out of there safely or die trying, if you are scared then you can wait behind for the Sullivan and Callaghan forces to arrive"

"I'd rather die protecting the Don Romero's little princess",the senior guard growled in reply.

Pietro nodded, satisfied, before turning to address the rest of the party.

"We don't know who Matteo's accomplice are and I don't care as long as we get Amara safely out of there. Kill anyone who stands in your way, man, woman or child", he commanded.

The guards nodded, determination shining in their eyes.

"Let's go then",he commanded.

The mixed team consisting of the Romero and Sullivan security guards stealthily approached the rundown mill from it's back entrance, blending in with the shadows and entering inside without even a single squeak.

When Pietro entered the building, his heart rate accelerated, not because they were greeted by an army at gun points but because—

"There's no one here!", one of the guards spoke.

The tracker on his phone had brought them here and the system never failed. Amara had to be here!

"Spread around, she is here somewhere", he insisted sharply as he turned to the left and took the staircase two at a time.

He searched the first floor along with a few other guards, his dread increasing with each passing second. "Where are you?",he muttered, desperate.

"Search every nook and corner, I'll take the other side of the floor", he ordered before jogging away, followed by two guards.

They searched quite a few places before coming to a halt before a closed door, from beyond which a beeping sound could be heard.

Not wasting another second, they broke down the door and entered in, eyes alert, hands on their weapons, but the room like all the other places in the mill was empty.

Pietro felt like roaring in frustration. The room was bare of anyone or anything. There was no sign of Amara anywhere.

The only proof that he had not led his team on a false trail was the phone that was placed on the desk on the opposite side. His phone.

"She should have been here",he muttered, his eyes sweeping across the room quickly.

Amara wasn't here, but his phone was, which could only mean—

"It's a trap", he muttered, horrified at his misstep.

But it was too late.

He did not even see it coming.

He only felt a hard, heavy object hit the back of his head.

And he was engulfed by darkness.

*****

"All routes for either entering or leaving Chicago have been blocked, all telephone lines have been cut, all networks have been jammed. The culprit whoever it is, is now stuck in Chicago with no way to escape", the McIntyre boss announced.

"That doesn't bring us any closer at catching the culprit", Ignazio Selvaggio scowled, his eyes sweeping over the the Irish heads of the families, a glare firmly in place

James Avdonin shrugged, an undecipherable expression on his face."It does make an escape difficult though."

Don Sullivan pinched the bridge of his nose, turning to address his eldest son in a low voice.

"Patrick, what about New York? I want the security to be doubled. Make sure that our most trusted guards are with Amara and Claire like a shadow. I don't want them leaving the estate for any purpose"

"I gave out the orders for the same before the networks were jammed. Don't worry father, they are safe in New York", Patrick replied.

Don Sullivan nodded, but he couldn't shake the dread that was slowly spreading in his mind. After the meeting was over, he would personally make a call to their security team in New York and make sure that they understood the importance of heeding his instructions.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his younger son speak.

"You're right Ignazio, it doesn't bring us any closer at catching the culprit behind the attack on Don Romero"

The entire room became quite when Logan Sullivan spoke. It was a well known fact that the youngest son of the Sullivan Don was a brilliant stratergist and many were curious to hear what his opinion on the attack was.

"We should perhaps begin by asking ourselves the questions that who would benefit the most from the falling of the Romero empire?"

Georgio Giovanni scoffed. "If someone had only asked me this question fifteen years ago...",he muttered, eliciting a few chuckles from his associates as he glared suspiciously at the Sullivan men.

In return, the Sullivan Don spared him such a dark and scathing look that it made him gulp fearfully, deflating, as he lowered his eyes, not daring to look at the Irish Don again.

Logan's lips twitched at the show before his eyes swept over the round table, finally coming to rest on Lorenzo Valentini.

"Lorenzo'',he began, calm, "How's your nephew now?"

Lorenzo Valentini leaned back against his seat comfortably, cracking a smile, devoid of any mirth. "I suggest that you ask what you really want to, while you have the chance Logan", he replied coolly.

"Meaning?", Fabrizio Salviatti interjected, staring carefully between the two men who were glaring at each other, none ready to concede defeat.

"Son", Don Sullivan warned, his palm over Logan's shoulder, a shared look, a subtle warning.

"You're right", Logan accepted easily, "I should get straight to the point"

"Logan", Don Sullivan father warned again,"I do not support your hypothesis"

"Everyone is a suspect father",he murmured quitely, before turning to address Lorenzo.

"It was a little convenient wasn't it", he spoke, calm, "that your nephew just happened to step out of the car before the bomb went off"

Eyes widened collectively at the huge insinuation that his statement seemed to make.

Vehement objections were sounded across the room as the Valentini allies rose from their seats in vengeance.

Lorenzo stared at the Sullivan man silently, a dark and scornful look in his eyes, a look that was shared amongst the Valentini allies

"A divine intervention", the Riccardi boss spat boldly, making others nod vigorously at his statement.

Logan smiled, cold. "It does seem so. Your heir is truly blessed", he stated. "Whatever or whomever made him step out of that car possibly saved his life."

"Logan Sullivan, I assure you", Lorenzo said, getting to his feet, an action that was followed by all his allies. "The Valentini empire had no hand in the attack against Don Romero today. Rest assured, the culprit will not go unpunished, for today they have made an enemy out of my family. Direct or indirect, an attack on a Valentini will be answered back,", he paused, his eyes sweeping across the room filled with the patriarchs of some of the most influential and dangerous mafia families.

"With war", he completed, determined- vengeful.

"Gentlemen please",the McIntyre boss placated, "A war is not an answer. We have all gathered here to speak peace, none amongst us are suspects"

"Three of the Romero men did not make it. The Don whom I have sworn my allegiance to, is in a critical condition. Everyone who is present here is a suspect to me", Ignazio Selvaggio refuted in a cold voice. "And you Mr. McIntyre top my list of suspects"

"On what basis?",the McIntyre boss enquired stiffly.

"Your security couldn't have been so lax that a bomb was placed under your nose and you didn't get a whiff of it, I refuse to believe so", Ignazio stated.

"My men did not find anything suspicious in any of their security checks", the Irish man replied.

"Then I'm forced to believe that the McIntyre organization has no clue what level of security they should be providing their guests while they host a gathering of the most powerful Italian and Irish mafia families", he sneered in reply.

Arguments broke again, people speaking one over another.

They only came to a stop when Don Sullivan's hand hit the table, the noise like a gunshot, all sudden and so loud it echoed in all their ear drums.

The silence lasted for about a minute before

Fabrizio Salviatti cleared his throat.

"I do not agree with Mr. Logan's general idea of the Valentini involvement in the bombing", he began, choosing his words carefully, " But I think it would be beneficial to the cause if we were to know what exactly made the heir step out of the car. Perhaps he had received a warning and choose to investigate? We should question him about it"

"Careful Fabrizio", a gruff, cold voice called out, "Your contradict yourself with your words."

"Don Valentini", Fabrizio greeted the man who had just walked in with a short bow, "I was merely suggesting some place to start the investigation from."

"Vietello", Don Sullivan rose from his seat and walked towards his friend and ally, reaching him first.

"How is Romero?",he demanded, voice low

"Careful now Sean, one would almost think that you're concerned for him", a fleeting look of amusement touched the Valentini Don's eyes before his expression became blank once again. "Critical", he answered, "Rickard has chosen to stay by his side in case he is needed."

"And Valerio?", Don Sullivan questioned, this time true concern shinning in his eyes for the boy whom his granddaughter seemed to love.

Vietello's eyes narrowed contemplatively. "He's fine, he escaped the brunt of the attack"

Don Sullivan's eyes narrowed in response.

"You seem distracted", he stated.

The Valentini Don glanced at him, a thoughtful look in his eye as if he was contemplating something very hard, before he clasped the other man's shoulder, a hint of warmth in his eyes, "Thank you", he spoke.

Don Sullivan did not show the surprise that he truly felt on his face at his friend's sudden thankful proclamation.

And before he could even enquire anything about it, Vitiello called out,"Paulo, come in"

Everyone remained silent, curious to know what the Valentini Don was planning to do.

The guard walked in immediately, bowing low in greeting.

"My heir is otherwise engaged in certain other important matters right now", the Valentini Don stated coldly, "Paulo is Valerio's personal guard. You can question him in Valerio's stead."

"Don Valentini", Fabrizio Salviatti spoke, rising from his seat, "As a neutral party, I wouldn't mind being the one to question a member of your guard", he suggested respectfully.

"Very well", Vitiello nodded his approval.

Fabrizio rose from his seat but before he could begin questioning, the Valentini Don spoke again.

"Question him, but do keep in mind that the only reason I'm permitting this show to take place is because I don't want there to be any doubts left behind in anyone's mind"

He glanced between Logan and Fabrizio, something deadly cold in his eyes.