Page 14 of Shattered Choices

When the men stand and leave, Pino shows up and sits beside her. Something inside me snaps, and the feeling of destruction starts growing. Before I can act, I stand and exit the restaurant, keeping my head down, avoiding any eye contact.

“Wait.” I hear my cousin running behind me, calling my name. I don’t stop until I reach the car, and I hear the click of the lock. I open the door and slide inside.

“Did someone see you?” Rocco questions. I shake my head. “Then why did you leave?”

I snap at him. “Because I couldn’t watch her beside another man.”

I curl my hand into a fist and punch the front console of his car.

“Fuck!”

Punch.

“Fuck!”

Punch.

“Fuck!”

“Hey, calm dawn.” My cousin grabs me by the lapels of my shirt and shakes me.” “You need to calm the fuck down.”

“How? If you know how, just tell me, and I will.”

“You are going to see her today, before they get the information that you are in Italy. News travels fast here. And to do so, we need to stalk her and find the right time.” He narrows his eyes. “That’s why I need you calm and ready. Understand?”

I shake him off me and breathe slowly to calm myself. “I will be ready.”

I don’t know how many hours have passed, but it seems like a lifetime. I watch Isabella go about her day, from that restaurant to a beauty parlor, and then shopping. I watch her eat her dinner and laugh with some woman, who, according to my cousin, is a rich jewelry owner who possibly does business with ‘Ndrangheta.

I watch her enter a nightclub with not only two men following her but Pino as well.

“This is it.” I turn to my cousin’. “In an hour, it will be your chance. Maria will be here in exactly one hour, and when she has Pino distracted, you can get to Isabella.” He exits the car, and I follow him. “But first, we need to get inside.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“Money, cousin. Money.”

I follow him, and for a second, I doubt his skills, but a wad of cash in an envelope gets things done. I shouldn’t be surprised. This is Italy, after all. Money speaks more than loyalty.

We enter the club. Purple and pink lights follow me from the entrance into the main area. Humid air fills my nostrils, followed by the smell of alcohol and sweat mixed with cheap perfume. I ignore bodies dancing and grinding on each other and how the place is packed. My eyes search for the woman my heart is pining for.

A hand lands on my back, and my cousin leans in so I can hear him. “Upstairs, VIP area.”

I follow him, and once again, he places a wad of cash in the other man's hand. We climb the stairs, and I search for her, but she isn’t there. I follow him to the bar, and we order drinks.

“She’s in the room around that corner.”

I follow his gaze and see the door with a fingerprint lock. “And how am I going to get in there?”

“When Pino exits, I will be behind that curtain and will hold the door for you. Once you’re in, the rest is on you.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t know what’s behind that door. No one except the one whose fingerprints match does.”

I shrug. “I guess we will soon find out.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

I chuckle. “You think she would kill me?”

He leans his head to the side. “I don’t know. If I was her, I would.”

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