After my gym moment with JP, I called Tej, hoping he was available to help me, and lucked out; he's already en route since he was in Philadelphia for work, so he's not too far from New Jersey.

I would have gone in blind if I had to, but having Tej help me have eyes on the inside is a major advantage.

"Okay, I guess that's everything." I zip my bag and turn to Annalisa. "Can you give this to Lucy, Miles, and Kai for me?"

Annalisa eyes the small envelopes in my hands as she takes them. "Sure, what are they?"

"Oh, just some small notes--advice while they are with Melanie's kids. I said goodbye to them, but I didn't get a chance to give it to them before they left with Mel's kids, to the trampoline park, with Santino and my mom," I tell her casually.

I hug her one last time, unable to help myself. "I love you; you know that, right?"

Annalisa pulls away, eyeing me suspiciously, "Yes, I know that."

"Good," I smile before we head downstairs. I hug Cristian and then JP, who are both waiting at the foyer.

"Please check in when you get there," JP tells me as he tucks some of my hair behind my ear.

"I'm sure Nicky will do that since you're making him come with me," I pretend to be annoyed.

JP chuckles, "Yes, but he's not the voice I want to hear from." He smiles at me as his hand grazes my jawline, my face growing warm as I nod back at him.

I get in the SUV, and Nicky hops in the front seat to drive us to the airport. I wave at everyone as we pull away. I reassure myself everything will be fine; there's obvious risk--dangerous, even deadly risk, but I wouldn't live with myself if I knew I could help Enzo after all the times he's been there for me, and I do nothing.

Once we drive up on the tarmac, I hop out and greet Cristian's pilot. "Captain Rossi, it's always so good to see you."

"You as well, Signorina Bracco."

"Change of plans, though."

"I'm sorry?" Captain Rossi questions while still holding my hand.

"I need to go to New Jersey."

"Aspetta, hai detto, New Jersey?" Nicky steps up next to me, taking his aviators off. (Wait, did you say New Jersey?)

"I see you're starting to pick up more English," I smile at Nicky, but he doesn't return my smile.

I sigh and look between Nicky and Captain Rossi, " I need to go to New Jersey; I'm going to help Enzo. We can waste time and confirm with Cristian if you feel inclined to do so or even John Paul," I look at them both seriously. "But I think you both know how they don't like to be questioned."

Nicky looks at me skeptically, folding his arms, "Perchè non sono stato informato?" (Why wasn't I informed?)

"Because it was only decided right before we left," I tell him, matching his stance. I look over at Captain Rossi, "So, is everyone clear? Shall we head out?"

"Lo non sono stupido. Capo avrà le mie palle, se questo ti mette in pericolo." Nicky tells me earnestly. (I'm not stupid. Boss will have my balls if this puts you in danger)

"Let me worry about Capo, Nicky," I tell him. "He knows what Enzo means to me."

Nicky takes a deep breath before he looks back at me. He proceeds to lecture me in Italian and then finally pulls his phone out; I reach for it, but he moves out of reach, "Don't worry, I'm not calling John Paul, I'm calling some friends, it never hurts to have backup." He tells me in Italian.

"Good. Let's get going then." I state, and we make our way onto the plane.

I spent the short flight going over the location where Enzo, Rocco, and Topo are scheduled to go tomorrow. I may have copied some of the files from JP's computer this morning, but I don't think he'll mind if this goes well.

I don't have much time to plan anything elaborate, so I focus on all the exits and entry points.

I go over my plan with Nicky on what we'll do if things go south; he nods and gives his input, and then we hear the captain telling us we are about to land.

Once the plane is on the tarmac and stationed, I look out the window and watch a dark sedan pull up, and I smile when I see the door open. "Just in time."

"Chi è quello?" Nicky says, leaning over on his seat to look out the window, too. (Who's that?)

"An old friend."

We wait until Captain Rossi tells us we can disembark before we get up. Nicky grabs our bags, and we head off of the jet.

I smile as I reach the bottom stair and head towards Angelo. He smiles, holding his arms out, but Nicky steps out in front of me, blocking Angelo.

"Stop it, Nicky; Angelo is a friend." I scold Nicky. "And an associate of Cristian's; please forgive him, Angelo."

"It's no problem, signorina Bracco." Angelo chuckles and shakes Nicky's hand. "I take no offense for his need to protect you." Then, he turns back to me, "I wanted to deliver the supplies you requested personally; I didn't want you to lose time."

"Please, call me Stella, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to see you again," I greet him with a kiss on each side of his face. "Captain Rossi, this is Angelo Ricci, an associate of Cristian's and a friend of mine." I introduce him to the pilot, who now joins us as well.

The men greet each other formally. Then, Angelo turns to me, "I have everything you requested," He leans inside the car and pulls out two duffle bags.

"Thank you so much. Here is the payment for everything, plus a little extra for the short notice." I tell him as I hand him an envelope.

"It is my pleasure, and I'm happy to have had another chance to see you in person as well, Stella. I wish you safe travels and success on this new assignment; please do not hesitate to reach out should you need anything." Angelo tells me as he bids me farewell.

<><><><>

JOHN PAUL

Something is wrong.

Stella would have called by now. It's been six hours since she left, and the flight to Miami is only a three-hour flight.

Her phone keeps going to voicemail, and I'm starting to get worried. I don't want to upset the kids, even though they keep asking if anyone has heard from her, but I can't keep avoiding them.

"Anything yet?" Cristian asks me as we head to the comm room.

I shake my head, "No, I don't want to think the worst, but something is wrong. I get she may not want to check in with me because she's stubborn, but there's no way she would ignore calls from Lucy, Miles, or Kai. Shit, here they come." I mutter as we turn a corner, and Lucy and the twins come rushing towards us.

"John Paul, have you heard from mom?" Lucy asks; her voice is frantic, and Kai puts his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"No, we haven't, yet. We've been trying to get a hold of her as well. Rio is traveling on business, so there's no point calling him; do you have any of the club's girls' numbers? Maybe one of them can check on her at the apartment you lived in?" I ask her.

"Good idea. I have Letty's number; I'll call her," Lucy says, and her eyes shine with tears; she's having a hard time containing her emotions.

"Let me know what you find out," I tell them. The twins nod at me; Cristian and I continue to head to the comm room.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of my pilot either. Have you tried Nicky?"

"Of course I have!" I snap. "I'm sorry," I groan as the flashbacks come back when Jimmy and Sofia took her.

"I'm not some thin-skinned fica, John Paul," Cristian responds. "I will advise you not to say anything to Enzo; he can't lose focus."

"I know that; I'm not an idiot," I mutter, still on edge.

We walk into the comm room, and David and Mateo both stand when we step in.

"We're in," David informs me.

"We've got the layout information and sent it to Enzo and the team. Rocco and Topo are doing recon as we speak," Mateo adds.

"Everything will be set for tomorrow then," I state. "Get Enzo on the phone, per favore."

David turns and begins clacking away at the keyboard, and soon we hear the trilling sound of a video call going through. Enzo's face appears on the large screen, and he smiles back at me, "You miss me already, asshole?"

"You wish, bitch," I respond, and he laughs.

He takes a bite of an apple and talks through his chewing, "What's up? I already got the information David and Mateo sent if that's what you're calling about."

"We wanted to go over the plan. Rocco and Topo will handle the talking, and you'll infiltrate from the other side in case anything goes wrong, so there will still be the element of surprise if necessary," I inform him.

"Alright, but if you ask me, it ain't worth chit chatting with these assholes, but you're the boss," Enzo says as he rubs his chin.

"It was my call to do the negotiations, Lorenzo," Cristian tells him. 

Enzo nods as he checks his phone. "Hey, where's Stella? I've been trying to call her, and she hasn't responded."

"She's flying to Miami, remember? She's getting everything settled and ready to bring back to New York. She's probably busy getting shit done," I state as I look at my phone.

"It's not like her to not respond, though, at least with a text or something, but I guess I'll try her later." He says, shrugging, and I try to ignore the uneasy feeling I have in the pit of my stomach.

"Well, I gotta get my beauty rest for tomorrow. I'll check back in on my way to their location," Enzo tells us, "Later bitches." He ends the call.

"David, any luck trying to track Nicky's phone?" I question after the screen goes black.

"No, something is messing with the signal, but I'll keep trying," David tells me. I groan in response.

"I'm sure she's fine, John Paul," Cristian tells me. "Try to get some rest; we'll have to be up early with the time difference."

I nod and tell David and Mateo to inform me immediately if they can trace or locate Nicky or Stella. But as I head out of the room, I know I won't be getting any sleep regardless.

<><><><><>

"Did you sleep?" Cristian asks me as he hands me a large cup of coffee and takes a drink of his own.

"What do you think?" I mutter, irritated, and take a long sip of the coffee.

"We're pulling in now; they seem to have added more security today than what we've seen the last couple of days," Rocco's voice comes through the communication pieces.

"Enzo's already in place," Mateo informs Rocco.

We watch as Rocco and Topo get out of the cars and the guards pat them down.

David has different viewpoints, giving us a view of the inside of the large house as they walk in and are led into a large room. But we can see there are guards stationed throughout the entire place.

Enzo is working his way through the house's air ducts and crawls out through a storage room on another screen. He avoids several guards with guidance from David through the comm piece in his ear.

Back on the screen with Rocco and Topo, a middle-aged man stands as they approach, greets them, and introduces himself as Agron, the second in command, and translates to the leader we know as Fatos.

Rocco proceeds to introduce himself as well as Topo. Fatos shakes their hands and then gives a subtle signal, but I see it, and someone closes the doors to the large room.

"I don't like this," Cristian states next to me. I don't say anything as I watch the screen, but I agree, this doesn't feel right.

"We've been expecting you," Agron says in his heavy accent. "And we know you are here because of the recent attacks on some of your associates, but we didn't expect such a weak attempt on your part." Agron laughs, and my blood runs cold.

Rocco cranes his neck to the side, trying to ease the tension I'm sure he's feeling under the circumstances they're in and takes a deep breath before he responds. "We did not come here to argue over what's already been done, considering the attacks were unprovoked; we came to offer you a partnership. We know you are working with Cassian, aka Jimmy Carminati. Still, we are willing to offer you a generous collaboration with some of our product distribution in the states and parts of Europe. You do not want to have us as your enemy."

Agron chuckles before he translates to Fatos. Fatos also laughs loudly and speaks to Agron in their native language. Agron translates, "You Italian's are all the same; high and mighty. Think you are all-powerful, but greed and betrayal come within your own families time and time again. Your families are your own demise."

"Rumors are one of your leaders, Santiago, was betrayed by his father. Is this not true?" Agron questions but doesn't wait for an answer. "If loyalty and family mean nothing among yourselves, why would we ever consider doing business with you?"

The leader, Fatos, walks closer to Rocco, and Topo moves next to Rocco. "We no work for Jimmy. He work for us," Fatos explains in his broken English.

"Lead Enzo to the room, now; I don't like where this is headed," I instruct David.

Fatos says something to Rocco in his native language, then turns to Agron and asks a question, and Agron responds in English. "Fatos says, Jimmy is a means to an end."

"This isn't going to end well, John Paul," Cristian tells me.

I lean over Mateo and talk into the mic, hitting the button to communicate with Rocco. "Rocco, abort. Do what you need to get out of there; Enzo will be there soon, but get out, now." I instruct him.

We watch as Rocco inclines his head slightly to Fatos, " We mean no disrespect. We only came to offer a partnership, but we see that will not be happening. Please excuse us for our mistake."

Both he and Topo begin to back out of the room in unison, but Fatos holds his hand out to stop them.

"The mistake is on your leaders for not only sending you here defenseless but with the arrogant thinking that we would ever do business with you after the betrayal your people inflicted on us years ago." Agron states as he spits on Rocco.

A few of his men surround them and point their guns at the two of them. Cristian curses next to me as he pounds his fist on the table. "They have no weapons on them!"

"Give the green light to Vito's men," I instruct David.

I watch on a different screen as a group of men starts shooting and taking down the guards outside the house and make their way inside.

As I turn my attention back to the screen with our men, I watch as Enzo drops down from the ceiling into the room with Rocco and Topo; they look at each other before all hell breaks loose in the large room.

My focus is torn between them and Vito's men, who are now being met with gunfire, their progress into the house is being slowed down.

"There's too many," Cristian mutters; Enzo and the others fight their way through the men in the large room. It seems like we are getting the upper hand over them until Agron pulls out a knife and is coming up on an unsuspecting Rocco.

Mateo yells out in the comm room for Rocco to watch out, but it's too late as Agron drives the knife hard and deep into Rocco's chest. Rocco falls to his knees with the knife plunged into his chest.

He coughs, and blood spills out of his mouth; Enzo rushes over to him, "Non Temo la morte," Rocco gasps, "Vivo con honore," He struggles and grabs onto Enzo's collar fighting to hang on, " Difenderò la mia Famiglia fino alla morte." (I do not fear death, I live with honor, I will protect my family until death)

Enzo, Topo, Mateo, and Cristian recite the last part of the Fratellanza code with Rocco, before he exhales loudly, and then his body goes limp as Enzo holds him.

"No one escapes death in this life," Agron states. Enzo takes a blow to the back of the head, and Topo is held at knifepoint.

The doors to the Comm room burst open, and Lucy, Kai, and Miles rush in, they're all in their pajamas and look disheveled from their sleep. "Mom never made it to Miami!" Lucy says, but then her eyes move to the screen, and her eyes widen as she covers her mouth.

"What do you mean?" I question Lucy, but her eyes are still focused on the screen.

I grab her by the shoulders, "Lucy? What do you mean Stella never made it to Miami?"

Lucy's eyes move back at me slowly, "Letty said she hasn't seen her, but that mom called her and told her what to do with our stuff..."

"John Paul, look," Cristian calls my attention.

I look back at the screens and watch as several explosions start going off in different parts of the exterior of the large house. Agron barks out orders and shields Fatos as they move from the room they're in and into a hallway.

Several men are now holding Enzo and Topo, their hands are restrained as they are being dragged to a different room, it's smaller.

"Is that another group of Vito's men?" Cristian asks as we watch the unknown group make their way through the house.

"No, Vito's men are all inside now," David tells us. The screens are starting to flicker, and a couple cut out.

"What the hell is going on?" I question.

"Someone else is tapping into the security network," Mateo says as he types away at the computers that surround him.

"Is that..." Miles questions and moves forward in the room, and stands up close to the screen. "That's mom," He points to the screen. "On her hip, look..that's her whip."

I move forward to look at the screen.

"Are you sure?" Cristian asks.

We watch as the smaller group moves in, and then my heart stops when I watch as the one Miles thinks is Stella holsters one of the guns they're holding on their back, lifts the mask over their head, and gives hand signals to a group of men around.

"It's mom," Lucy whispers.

***

It's been a while since we've seen Stella kick ass...