Page 81 of Wretched Choices

Neither did Isabella, but contrary to Ashley who knows what to expect, Isabella didn’t. I just used her and didn’t even ask for her permission.

“Do I need to handle damage control?” Gabriel’s low voice drags my attention toward him.

Jealousy creeps into my body, even if I know Gabriel means only good.

“No,” I answer in a clipped tone.

“Is Isabella all right?”

I walk toward him, coming face to face with him. We are the same height, where he is leaner thanks to his training, I’m a bit bulkier.

Through greeted teeth, I say, “If there is something you want to say, then say it,” When he says nothing, just stares me up. I roar at him, “She is not yours to worry about her, she is mine, and whatever I did or not do, it is between her and me.”

His eyes search mine for an answer only he can read, and when he sees it, he takes a step back and raises his hands in surrender. He stays silent as he takes a seat on the chair, and I relax a bit.

I turn toward Marco. “What have you got for me?”

He turns back toward his laptop and starts typing. “I erased all images where you were seen. According to your phone that I have been tracking, and with it your movements and Gabriel and Dante’s, all CCTV should have been wiped clean. Including ones from authorities.” He clicks something, and the image of the street I was on earlier today appears. “Just to make sure, I’m checking everything again. Next is hacking into every phone that was near the area that could have an image of you, even by accident.”

“Good.” I turn back to Gabriel, who is typing on his phone. His demeanor looks calm, but from the clenching of his sharp jaw, I can see he is pissed.

“Gabe, how is the situation in Camorra?”

He narrows his eyes and pockets his phone. “There is good news and bad news. Let me start with the good. Di Angelo has captured more traitors that have been working with Sabatini. According to him, after the funding and support he had from Italy dissolved, he was left alone. He lost all the support he had here too. They only followed him because he promised money and power that he couldn’t deliver.”

“Figures,” I grumble.

“The bad news is, we can’t find him. He vanished. We sent people in search of him. Airports private and public, hospitals even. Nothing. We checked the port for ships that have set sail. Men are also checking every ship that will sail next. Di Angelo has done everything he could, but he’s disappeared.”

“Motherfucker!” I slam my fist into the wall, the pain and the image of the blood on my knuckles calming me a little. “Weneed to find him. He is defeated, and he may not take over my territory, but he will seek revenge. This time, he has nothing to lose.”

“We know that. He will retaliate, and when he does, we will be ready. We need to reflect and reassemble. And for that, you need to calm the fuck down. I’m going to the gym. I expect you to be there in an hour.” He closes the door behind him and the silence that follows is broken when Dante speaks.

“He’s right. You need to calm down. Whatever you’re thinking, you need to get rid of it and focus on what’s important.” He stands and follows Gabriel. “Come on, boss. I will drive you to the gym.”

“Is that all you got?” Gabriel spits the blood to his right as he smirks at me. He gets back in position, jumping from one foot to another.

I launch at him with my shoulder against his torso and knock him onto the floor. We wrestle until he wraps his legs around my neck, holding me in a chokehold. I tap on the floor, and he lets go of me.

I will never beat him in the ring, and he will never use it against me.

“There is nothing we can do if Sabatini disappeared,” I say.

“True, but we can keep an eye on every exit and entry. We can track everything around us, even people. So, when he comes back, we will be ready.”

What I need is patience and to turn the tables and wait. Prepare for what is to come. I need him dealt with. I need to find the calm again. I

stand, and with a new perspective and determination, I say, “Gather the family.”

He stands and follows me. “I advise only underbosses. Keep it small. They can share with those they trust.”

“Fine by me.”

The meeting is held the next day in the boardroom of my hotel. Each one of my underbosses has a legitimate business that is linked with the Lotus Group. It is a perfect cover for our meetings if someone were to suspect something.

Since I took over from my father, things have changed drastically. Meetings in the brothel have been replaced with meetings in my hotel. Illegal businesses were replaced with legal ones. What used to be an underground gambling ring is now an online fully legal platform. Shady nightclubs replaced with fancy ones. Sex clubs where women were controlled were replaced with gentlemen’s clubs where women have full control.

“So, what can we do other than wait?” Luca asks.

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