Page 75 of Wretched Choices

My chest expands and my heart flutters at the satisfied look on her face when she enters the grand living room, her eyes roaming the built-in cabinets and elegant trim and moldings.

I lead her to the family room with the curved ceiling windows and the fireplace in the middle.

All worry and anxiety are erased from her face as I lead her through the rest of the house. Her shining eyes and the bright smile on her face are my clue that I did well.

I lead her to the right wing of the mansion where our bedroom is. I open the door to the vast space where the king-size bed is placed in the middle. The moonlight lights up the darkness of the room through the double door on the right. I switch the light on and lead her inside.

I take her face in my hands and look at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I have to deal with what happened. Someone will bring your stuff to you. Please don’t leave the house until we get this situation under control.”

She shrugs. “It’s fine. I have to write anyway.” A smile spreads across her face.

I kiss her, and before I can deepen the kiss I pull away, otherwise I will never leave.

I press call on Gabriel’s name, and as soon as it rings, he answers. “Talk to me,” I say, walking into the wood-paneled library where Marco is placing the security system. Two young men I usually see at Marco’s have delivered what he needs, and they are now helping him.

Bastian came with a dozen other soldiers. Marco had pointed to their guarding spots around the mansion.

“There are a few casualties, but fortunately, no one is dead. The bomb was set in your office, which means the target was you. Your office is completely destroyed, as is the storage room. Half of the downstairs bar is gone. The bartender was lucky he was on the other end of the bar, otherwise, he would be dead.” Gabriel exhales heavily. “We were lucky those men started to flirt with the women. We would be dead too if you weren’t jealous.”

I ignore his jealousy comment and focus on what matters. “How did he get in?”

“The bomb came in one of the packages. I saw it on camera. It was placed in the office with your name on. You were obsessing about Isabella, so you didn’t see it.”

“What else?” I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Di Angelo called again. He gave me the names of our men that work with Sabatini. I’m on my way with Dante, and you will not like the information I have.”

I did not like the information Gabriel shared. I’ve been pacing the room where we temporarily set a few pieces of furniture and some electronic devices that Marco installed so we could work.

Gabriel came with the names of the men that have been working with Sabatini. They all are rats; they were picked by that traitor Bernardo, my father’s right-hand man. Rossi and Mioni. Each one of them has a small army of men that are loyal to them.

They were also my father’s captains that I stripped of their places because they stood with that bastard Bernardo when hechallenged me after I killed my father. I thought Bernardo was scared and decided to retire, but it seems he had other plans. I should have known better. I should have killed him that night, but he was like a father to me, and I didn’t want to kill another person I was close to.

“I sent men to each of their homes. What do you want to do?” Gabriel asks.

I stop pacing with one thought on my mind. I need to get the situation back under control, and there is only one way to do this.

“What I should have done five years ago.” I take my gun from the table. “Kill them. Kill them all.”

thirty

Salvatore

Destruction.

Mayhem.

Chaos.

Madness.

All the control I learned during the years I promised to be different from my father has vanished. Replaced the monster I am. The one I kept hidden. I lost it since Isabella entered my life. This is the second time I’ve lost control, and both times were when she was in danger. Both times were because of me.

I was the target, not her.

My decisions led Sabatini to those rats. I should have killed them, but I was trying to do better. Better for the future of the family, to give them something I and others didn’t have.

A choice.

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