Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!-Chapter 408: No Way Out

Nick’s POV

The moment we stepped into the house, the sound of clinking utensils and low morning chatter drifted from the dining room. Everyone was already gathered for breakfast. Georgia barely made it past the doorway before her hand flew to her mouth.

"Bathroom—" she breathed out, then sprinted toward the kitchen sink instead, gagging as another wave of morning sickness hit her.

My chest tightened. "Georgia—"

Wendy was already up from her chair, moving fast. "I’ll take her, Nick. Go eat with the others. I still need to make her honey-lemon-ginger tea, and she’ll probably want something warm after."

I hesitated, watching Georgia curl over the sink as Wendy pulled her hair back with practiced familiarity.

"Go," Wendy said more firmly. "She’s in good hands. I’ll take it from here."

Reluctantly, I nodded and turned back toward the dining room. The smell of food hit me: eggs, garlic rice, toasted bread, but it did nothing for my appetite. I sat beside my father, who was holding his second cup of coffee.

He eyed me over the rim of his mug. "Where have you two been this early?"

Everyone went quiet: Mom, Vicky, Ella, and even Liam, who paused mid-spoonful.

I leaned back, rubbing a palm over my face. "Irene was found by Ollie’s team yesterday, or rather, she ran to them, and now she is in the hospital."

Benjamin lowered his mug slowly. "What happened?"

"She... lost her baby," I said, the heaviness of it still sinking like stones in my stomach. "Oliver is staying with her for questioning. They’ve already reported everything to the police."

Gasps, murmurs. Vicky covered her mouth in shock. Liam muttered a curse under his breath.

"And Frank?" Dad asked, his tone already sharpening, bracing.

"He’s dead." The words felt brutal, even when spoken softly. "Dante Gambino killed him."

The room froze.

Vicky’s fork slipped from her hand.

Liam cursed under his breath. "That bastard..."

My father’s jaw tightened. His eyes darkened, not with surprise, but with the grim recognition of a name that had brought nothing but blood and trouble for decades.

"Oliver said they’ll start questioning Irene as soon as she’s transferred to a ward," I added. "She might have answers about what really happened. About Raymond’s involvement... about all of it."

Benjamin leaned back slowly, exhaling. "And you two were there the whole night?"

"No, just before sunrise. Georgia wanted to make sure Irene wasn’t alone when she woke up. She only came home because she didn’t feel well."

Evelyn frowned. "Is she okay?"

"She’s just—" I let out a slow breath. "Morning sickness again."

That earned a few small smiles and softened expressions, easing the tension if only for a heartbeat.

Dad nodded, reaching for his coffee again. "Eat first. Then keep me updated on what Oliver finds out. But I think I want to go there instead."

I nodded, though my mind stayed in the kitchen—on Georgia, pale and breathless.

********

As expected, my father didn’t stay still for even a second. The moment he heard what happened, he ordered me to come with him to the hospital after finishing his breakfast.

Liam tagged along too, and honestly, I was grateful. Ella didn’t even hesitate—she stayed home with Georgia and Katie without a single complaint.

Mom and Vicky also remained in the house, hovering over Georgia like guardian angels, while Steven and Evelyn headed home.

But the moment we pulled up to the hospital and saw the cluster of police cars outside, my stomach dropped. This wasn’t going to be simple. Something had shifted in just a few hours we were gone.

"I’m sorry, man," I told Liam quietly as we got out of the car. "We weren’t planning to tell everyone about Irene and Frank until Monday. We wanted you and Ella to enjoy the weekend... your engagement—"

He cut me off with a hand on my shoulder. "No need to apologize. Ella and I don’t mind." His voice hardened. "And honestly? I want this case done before we get married. This isn’t just your problem, Nick. Anything that endangers our family, we don’t look away from that."

We headed inside, and when we reached the floor where Irene’s room was, police officers were already crowding the hallway. Two stood guard by the door—definitely the protection escort Oliver had requested.

Before we could even enter, a few officers stepped out of the room, their expressions grim. We waited for them to pass, then quickly slipped inside.

Oliver was standing beside Irene. They both looked up when they heard us.

"The police are done questioning?" I asked.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. And they’re already moving to arrest Dante Gambino."

Irene flinched at the name, her tear-streaked face tightening. She had clearly cried through the entire interrogation.

Oliver continued, voice low and clipped. "Frank managed to record the moment of his death."

The room fell silent—heavy, suffocating.

"In the video, he had set his phone on the desk. It recorded everything—the knock, Dante entering with his men, the gunshot..." Oliver paused, jaw clenched. "Frank fell, but he still had the presence of mind to crawl to the desk and shove his phone behind it. The audio kept recording."

I found myself staring at Irene. She wasn’t even trying to hide her shaking.

"She didn’t know any of this," Oliver said. "Not until recently. Frank had his photos and videos set to autosave on his Google Drive. And Irene’s tablet was synced to it."

He took a breath. "She found everything. Documents. Pictures. Videos of the Gambino brothers’ illegal operations—enough to bury them permanently in prison."

My pulse spiked.

"So that’s why Dante killed him," I murmured.

Oliver nodded. "They found printed documents in Frank’s apartment but assumed he never kept digital copies. They didn’t know he’d backed up everything. And once Irene saw those files... she became the next target."

I turned to Irene. "Who was the woman who accompanied you to the hospital before?"

Her breath hitched. "She was like me," Irene whispered. "Her husband was forced into their group. She helped me convince Jay to let me go to the hospital for a prenatal checkup... and that was how I sent a warning to Frank’s half-brother."

She wiped her tears, but more fell.

"But Dante found out. He killed her." Her voice cracked. "And her husband... he helped me escape before he was killed too. There is no way out once you join them. Frank knew that. I knew that. And now..."

Her hand went instinctively to her flat stomach. "They’re all dead. Frank... her... her husband... my baby..."

Her voice broke completely, and she collapsed into sobs.

My father closed his eyes, fury simmering under his calm exterior.

Liam exhaled sharply. "This wasn’t just murder. This was a purge."

And standing there, watching Irene unravel, feeling the weight of everything she had survived, I knew—this wasn’t over, at least not yet, but soon it will be, we’ll make sure of it.

****** 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

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