Page 37 of Wretched Choices

He laughs and drinks his coffee. “I have a mansion, but I’m not living there. It belonged to my father, but I feel more comfortable here.”

“It feels too clinical for me, but whatever.” I take a bite of my Danish and moan; it is so delicious. It doesn’t escape me how Salvatore’s gaze cuts toward my mouth and down my neck as I swallow, and I do my best to ignore it.

“I will assign you a bodyguard that will be with you the whole time.” Before I can argue, he shoots me a warning look. “You should know that as my wife, you are in danger from my enemies, and that may be your ex or even your father. No one else would dare to touch me or what’s mine.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” I question. I need to uncover pieces of the puzzle that are his life.

“I’m a businessman. The days when we were just criminals are gone. Everything is a business deal these days. I always have something to offer to my opponent in exchange for what I need or want.” He narrows his eyes at me. “And don’t forget, you are not Isabel Roberts anymore. You are Isabella Catalano now; the daughter of Domenico Ruggeri is back.”

I can’t argue with that, so I roll my shoulders back. “Fine, but can they do that discreetly, at least at the office? There are cameras and security all over the place.”

“After I check the place, we can discuss it.” He takes a sip of his coffee, his dark eyes regarding me. “I need to ask you something.”

“What?”

His eyes spark with interest, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing. “You mentioned last night something about working undercover in Chicago. Care to explain more?”

Shit, I totally forgot my rambling last night. I chew slowly before swallowing. “I did, and what I did was amazing, don’t you think?” Sarcasm drips out of my mouth.

My plan to collect evidence and reveal all the secrets of dirty and corrupt law enforcement started with De Angelo. The old man tried to buy property that he couldn’t have. And a middle-aged lady wanted justice, only to be harassed by the police. No one believed her, so she sought a lawyer. She was Cece’s client, and when I heard her story, I dug into it and found out who De Angelo is.

“Amazing. Except the son of a man you put behind bars is out there looking for the person behind it.”

I shrug. “He will never find me. Only my boss and I knew what I was working on. And Cece, but they would never say a word.”

He exhales. “I worked with them, and that little stunt cost me millions.”

“Why? What were you buying from them?”

He stands, towering over me. “Nothing that concerns you. Tell me, is that what you had planned for me?”

I look at him like a deer in the headlights. “Well, not you personally. It was never confirmed who the La Cosa Nostra don is. I overheard things from Camorra, and when I went to investigate, I couldn’t find anything. So, when Ethan needed a date to your fundraiser, I used that chance to look around and you caught me.”

He chuckles. “I did, and you have no idea what you got yourself into.” He leans down, his breath brushing my face. His aftershave overwhelms me, making me want to bury my head in his neck. “I’m going to eat you alive, Bella.” I swallow as his low, raspy voice fills my ears. He smirks at my stilled reaction to his threat before turning around to leave. Over his shoulder, he throws, “I need to take care of some things. We are leaving at seven.”

I stay seated for a long time after he’s gone, contemplating what the hell I’ve got myself into.

fifteen

Salvatore

“What am I looking at?” I look at the images Dante is showing me on the tablet.

“This is Sabatini and his men. He has quite the little army. All traitors, I assume. Once a traitor, always a traitor,” Dante says.

“You mean they were De Angelo’s men?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have numbers? Names?” I ask.

“Around fifty men. Marco is working on names.”

I send a quick message to Gabriel, asking him to join us in this meeting. He needs to see this.

“The kid said something at the end that has me thinking.”

I smirk. Dante can make any man speak. Even if that means letting him die multiple times and reviving him again. I give him a questioning look.

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