Solomia Carisi had lived on Staten Island for her entire life. Today, she lived in the Shore Acres area with her husband, Dominick Carisi Senior, and they ran a neighborhood bakery that Solomia had inherited from her parents when they retired. It was called Dough Rei Mi. The place was beloved by everybody, including the gangsters—even the ones who ran the bars and taverns. The most powerful family in Shore Acres were the Bianchis, and they had always been good to the Carisis. There had even been an understanding in place for generations that nobody was to ever touch the Carisis, ever, because to do so in any bad way was to invoke the dark side of the Bianchi family.

It was also an open secret that the current head of the family, Raphael, was amongst the many wrongdoers of Shore Acres. He and his wife, Donatella, even ran a bar that Solomia made some of her daily deliveries to. But because of Raphael's constant clever maneuvering, though he had been charged with crimes time and again, there was yet anyone to successfully convict him. So this made him a neighborhood legend.

This was the way of life in Shore Acres.

Everybody accepted it.

Nobody had ever disrupted or disputed the balance before.


THE FINE LION

5 NEW HAVEN STREET

SHORE ACRES, STATEN ISLAND


Today, three days before Christmas, was to be just another day of work for Solomia Carisi, delivering to the Bianchis' tavern, but alas…

Just as she was leaving the tavern after making her usual delivery, she stopped in her tracks, having heard something. It sounded like a steady tapping on the building's pipes. Perplexed, more than anything else because an animal wouldn't have been this crafty, Solomia followed the sound. It led to one of the lesser-used storage rooms, near the back of the building.

She opened the door to the room, calling out as she entered, "Is there someone here?"

Quite startled by the sound of a female voice, Alex backed into a corner.

"Don't be afraid." Solomia continued. "I'm going to turn on the light now."

She did, and in the back of the room Alex winced at the brightness; she'd been in the dark for awhile. She waited for Solomia to speak again. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but something was familiar about this person.

"Are you hurt?" Solomia asked.

"Only bruised." Alex told her. "And really hungry. I'm in the back."

Solomia found Alex in the back of the room, next to a shelf of things for the main room of the tavern, and she was very startled by her appearance. But that was because she recognized her. Alex was worn out. She was wearing the same clothes she'd been taken in, and she hadn't had access to a shower or anything clean to wear, and her hair was full of knots. Worried for Diana, her hands were splayed protectively over her swollen middle. Fear was rampant in her eyes.

"Miss Cabot!" Solomia blurted in surprise. "Do you remember me? We've met before!"

Alex thought about it for a moment, but then she remembered. "You're Dominick's and Bella's mother, and we met for a few minutes when you and your husband were visiting little Aria in the hospital."

"That's right." Solomia approached her and held out a hand. "You've been missing for a little while, and all the boroughs are on the lookout for you."

Trusting her savior, Alex took her and let Solomia help her up. "There are we? I have no idea."

"We're at The Fine Lion tavern, on Staten Island."

Alex blanched, bearing in mind the old rumors she'd heard about the tavern since her childhood. "Of all the places that Garrett could have brought me to..."

"I don't know about a man called Garrett, but I have a feeling that you and your little one are going to be alright now."

Alex wanted to ask how Solomia could be so sure, although she was promptly interrupted by hard kicks from Diana. The sensation made her feel a tad lightheaded.

"What's the date?" she asked.

"The twenty-second of December." Solomia steadied Alex and kept a hold on her when she wobbled. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday. I think."

"That's no good. I see you wobbling, so just don't go of my hand, alright, my dear? We're going to get you to a hospital."

Now Alex just wanted to know how Solomia expected that they were just going to walk out of there when she was technically a prisoner, but she was interrupted yet again.

"Hello?" came a new voice. "Is there someone in here?"

Solomia breathed a sigh of relief and called out, "Oh, Donatella—it's Solomia! Go get Raphael, and come back here!"

Alex was more confused than ever. Just like most people in town, she'd heard of Raphael and Donatella Bianchi, and of Raphael's shady reputation. She also knew of Raphael's 'escaping the law' trick, as well as the rumors that he had loose ties to the actual Italian Mob. Alex had always hoped she'd never have cause to run into the Bianchis, but here she was... in their place of work.

Now her was, how did Solomia Carisi, a baker, have such a power of command over the Bianchis?

The couple was back in a heartbeat, and when Donatella saw Alex, she gave a cry of surprise.

"Oh, my goodness! You're the woman from the news—the missing ADA!"

Even Raphael struggled to find the words. "What are you doing back here?"

"She was kidnapped, obviously," Solomia snapped at him. "But if her appearance in your own tavern is news to the two of you, then have any of your 'buddies' or whomever, been through here lately?"

"Garrett has." Raphael sneered before turning on his heel and hurrying out.

Donatella called after him in Italian, issuing a warning, and then turned back to Alex.

She said in English, "My husband has probably gone to get his friends and flush Garrett out from wherever he is; he's from the neighborhood, but kind of a loser."

Alex wasn't one for vigilantism because the ones in the city often complicated her job, but today, she didn't care. She was thankful because it meant that Garrett would be stalled. They would have time to get away.

"And you didn't know I was here?" she asked in bewilderment.

Donatella shook her head. "No. We honestly had no idea because nobody ever comes in this room—it's for longterm storage. Garrett came to ask if he could keep something here for awhile."

"Your husband still vacated the place awfully quick…"

"I'm not in the column of 'wrongdoers' like he is, but it's always been against his code to hurt women and children. He ran to find Garrett because he doesn't like what he's done to you. My his husband is also a man of his word." she motioned to Alex. "You're safe now, and Solomia and I are going to get you to the hospital."

Alex breathed a big sigh of relief. "Thank you."


INWOOD, MANHATTAN

10:30 AM

ONE HOUR EARLIER


Finally, there was a break in the case, although not an overly positive one.

A vehicle just like what Zacharias has recalled had been found in Manhattan, on the last street before the Hudson River, but it was up in flames. There had also been a body inside, but was currently unidentifiable. Garrett was cleaning house.

Another insult to injury was that while there had been a sighting of Garrett not far from where the van was located, but by the time Olivia and Amanda arrived to the area, he had gone.

This last location had been just outside of a large grocery store. Now, they were in Olivia's Crown Victoria, in the parking lot. The car was off, and both women were just staring into space. Olivia was on the verge of breaking down because of her worry, and Amanda was thinking of what to say that would keep her CO from getting weepy.

"From the stories I've heard," Amanda said thoughtfully. "Alex has been through hell before, true enough, but she always gets back up if something knocks her down."

Olivia gave a shaky sigh and nodded. "She does get up. Every time."

"Then she's going to do it again—for herself, and for Diana, so they can get back to you."

"Alex just hates being cold, Amanda. The report for the weather said it's five below outside." Olivia rubbed her eyes. "Even Diana hates being cold, and she hasn't even been born yet; according to Alex, she kicks nonstop until the temperature goes back up. Alex isn't with anyone who knows about her. Do you know anyone else who has a quirk like that about the temperature?"

"I have the 'quirk,' too." Amanda said calmly. "I'm fine right now because I have on a warm coat, but it drives Dominick, Jesse, and even Frannie bonkers now because our place is very, very toasty, now that it's wintertime. If it gets below a certain temperature, though, kid number two gives me a lot of grief."

"Really? Anything else you want to share?"

With a very straight face, Amanda confessed, "I'm constantly craving mashed potatoes and pickles."

Olivia promptly snorted into her coffee tumbler, nearly spitting her drink out as she took a sip. But she quickly recovered and swallowed her drink before she could make a mess.

This amused her partner. "What?"

"Other than a certain kind of homemade bread, and a dipping oil that Casey makes, mashed potatoes and pickles are one of Sophia's top cravings. It looks like some things really are genetic."

"I'll say." Amanda turned the car on. "Where to?"

Olivia sighed. "The precinct. We need to broaden the search perimeter now, and try to figure out who the hell was in that van."

"Good idea. Off we go."


Returning to the precinct took a little over an hour, which was longer than what it normally should have been, coming from Inwood. This was thanks to a steady snowfall, and at least two car collisions that Olivia spotted. New York winters never changed.

But then something happened to break the monotony of near-gridlock traffic. Olivia's phone rang.

"Benson." she said in greeting.

She was received by a warm, gentle voice. "Lieutenant, I'm Solomia Carisi, and we met awhile back. Do you remember?"

Of course she did. It had been on the day Dana died, which had also been the day that Harper and Serena had been introduced to her. She would never forget any of it.

In the driving seat, Amanda's hands tightened on the steering wheel as she tried to figure out why her beau's mother was calling her boss.

"Yes, of course!" Olivia said. "Is there something wrong?"

"I, uh… Stay on the line, please."

Olivia did as told. On the other end, the phone changed hands.

"Hello?" said a tired voice. "Via?"

The lieutenant's heart jumped into her throat. "Baby, is that you? You're safe?"

"I am," said Alex. "And I'm on oxygen and an IV because I only ate and drank once. Other than that, I'm fine."

"What about Diana?"

In her hospital bed, Alex glided a hand over middle, smiling when Diana stretched and turned over. "She's as happy as a clam."

"Oh, thank goodness." Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. "Alexandra, where the hell are you? How did you bump into Solomia?"

"I'll explain it all when you get here—I'm at Saint Katherine's on Staten Island."

"Got it."

There was a beat of silence on Alex's part, and Olivia could hear her sniffling. She sounded like she was trying not to cry.

"What is it?" Olivia prompted. "You're safe—you're away from Garrett."

"I am, but he's loose, and probably just now realizing that I'm no longer in the spot where he was hiding me. I'm scared."

Olivia thought fast. "Don't leave the room, okay? When I hang up, I'm going to get in touch with the squad, and I'll have Elliot and Fin come keep you company. I'm also going to call the head of security at Saint Katherine's, and I'm going to make sure they post guards at your door, ASAP."

Alex felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I understand."

"Very good."

"Thank you, Olivia. I love you."

Olivia smiled, even though Alex couldn't see her. "I love you, too, Alexandra. See you soon."

"See you soon." she echoed back.

Both parties hung up, and Olivia fell back in her seat, exhaling unsteadily.

"Alex was rescued," she told Amanda. "And somehow, Solomia Carisi is involved."

"Oh, boy. I know Solomia pretty well, and all I can say is that she's very lovely, but she's also the person that the rest of the Carisi women inherited their 'drama gene' from. That's Dominick's description." Amanda looked at the traffic ahead of them. "Where did Alex just call from?"

"Saint Katherine's Hospital, on Staten Island. I have some calls to make, but don't be afraid to put the sirens on."

"You got it, lieutenant."

After turning on to a less busy road, Amanda followed through on the suggestion about the sirens, and they were soon zooming towards the most direct route that would take them to Staten Island.

Olivia paused for a moment to center herself. Then she began making what calls she needed.

The war against Garrett was almost over, but at least Alex was finally safe and waiting for her.