Finding Her Son(59)

He hugged her tight. She’d come too close to dying. “Don’t worry about me, Emily. I’m okay. There’s a lot of cleanup ahead. An adoption agency to bring down and a lot of babies to find, but right now, we need to locate Frankie and hope he’s the man with the tattoo.”




FRANK MANGINO ANSWERED the summons, his nerves close to breaking. He’d been on edge for a full year, but the past week had been hell. He stepped into his uncle’s office, and his stomach clenched when he noticed the man to his uncle’s right side. Great, just great.

“Uncle Sal. Mr. Wentworth.”

His boss didn’t smile in greeting. “I had an interesting call from a friend at the police department, Frank. There’s an inquiry about a suspect with a rather unique tattoo on his wrist.”

Frank’s hand involuntarily covered the colorful devil inked there.

“Let me see it,” his uncle snapped. “Now.”

Frank walked forward and pushed up his sleeve. The red and green devil identified him with a gang he’d joined when he’d been a stupid kid.

“I told you to have it removed,” his uncle said.

“It reminds me,” Frank said, “of family.”

“And why the pink ribbon?”

Frank looked at his uncle in disbelief. “For Francesca. Or don’t you remember her?”

“Your sister’s cancer and her inability to have children was a tragedy, but a mark like that identifies you. Especially after the stunt you pulled on Emily Wentworth. Blowing up her vehicle. I recognized the signature the second I saw it on the news.”

Frank shifted his eyes away from his uncle. “She wouldn’t give up. She was starting to remember the night of the accident.”

“Another failure on your part. You were supposed to kill them all. That was our agreement with Mr. Wentworth. Now the cops are looking for that tattoo because you were fool enough to go to that doctor for a birth certificate. You let down the family. I can’t allow it to go unpunished.”

William Wentworth stalked up to him. “What did you do with my brother’s son? The kid’s not dead, either, is he?”

Frank backed away, his gaze darting to the exit. Could he make it?

William grabbed Frank by the throat. “Don’t try it.” William’s grip tightened. “I know the answer to my question. I did a little research and found the truth too fast, Frankie. Your sister from Oklahoma adopted a baby boy last year. Amazing when she tried to go through legal channels for so long and failed. She was a bad risk. Cancer took her ability to have children, and her capacity to adopt.”

William shoved Frank away and he eased toward the door. Just a few steps more.

“I don’t think so, Frankie.” His uncle lifted a gun.

Frank stared down the barrel. “Uncle Sal?”

“Sorry, kid. You made one too many mistakes. Loyalty only goes so far.”

The gun went off, and a white-hot burn exploded in his chest. Clutching his shirt, now wet with blood, he slid to the floor, reaching out to try to break his fall.

Sal turned to William. “I’ll get the boys to clean this up.”

“Fifteen years ago you made a deal with my father when he agreed to launder your money through the company. You were supposed to protect us. You failed.”

“I know, but it can be fixed,” Sal said. “I’ll take care of everything.”

“You and Frankie had your chance, you idiot.” William Wentworth spat on Frank. “I’ll have to stop Emily myself, or we’re screwed.”

Sal stood up, his gaze narrowed. “Don’t go high-and-mighty on me, William. Your brother’s the one who started this mess when he called that detective. No loyalty in your family, is there?”

“It was her fault,” William muttered. “Goody Two-shoes. Eric turned his back on all of us. For her.”

Frank felt blood gurgle up through his lips as William walked over to him. He slipped on gloves, reached down and removed Frank’s weapon from his waistband.

“Sorry, Sal. I have loose ends to tie up.” William turned and fired.

Sal slumped over his desk, then tried to raise his own gun. But William grabbed it from his hand. “You’re both expendable.”

The light left Sal’s eyes as blood pooled around him.

William placed the gun he’d shot Sal with in Frank’s hand and fired another round. Frank groaned.

“Still alive? Good.” He took Sal’s gun and pointed it at Frank’s head. “No one lies to me and gets away with it. But in this case, Frankie, I’ll end your life quick since I can use Joshua to salvage this mess. Thanks to you, when Emily Wentworth dies along with her son’s kidnappers—Francesca and her husband—I’ll become the hero who saved my nephew.”

“No!” Frank hadn’t meant for anything to happen to his sister.

A flash of smoke from the gun’s barrel was the last thing he saw. I’m sorry, Francesca. So sorry.




EMILY DIDN’T KNOW HOW long it had taken Mitch to wrap up the scene. As she walked into the police department beside him, her entire body sore, her heart aching with loss, her mind rebelled against her mistake. She’d been certain that the doctor knew where Joshua was. Now she knew it had been a dead end. Except for one name.