Page 26 of Shattered Choices

“Well, in that case, you need to be more patient, cousin.”

I ignore him. I know he’s right, but as I watch Isabella entering the club, knowing I can’t follow her, my stomach twists. I wish I could just walk in there, throw her over my shoulder, and take her to my plane and back to New York.

Maybe I will, but not today.

Thinking about things I don’t know how to influence is making me aggressive. All the calm I managed to maintain since I came here is slowly fading.

The end to my overthinking comes in the form of an email from Marco with all the data I asked for.

And as I read through the information, I know I will be calm again. Because now I know who is behind everything that is happening to Isabella and why.

thirteen

Isabella

When I came back to Italy and started to learn all the things I need to know to be a mafia queen, I doubted myself, but the grief and pain were bigger, and it was what moved me forward.

I don’t think I could have done it any other way; I made progress with the organization. Where I have influence, I made things better and found a way to make this job a little safer.

Now, I have control, and I decide how my life will end.

This is why I like this playroom. Watching the men fail and lose because they are too greedy and them thinking they can outsmart me is the highlight of my day.

It’s Friday, and once again, Gio has lost all his money at poker.

“I told you not to play, didn’t I?” I narrow my eyes at him.

He runs a hand over his face, sweat covering his forehead. “I have to play. I need that money.”

“What money?” I shake my head. “It’s money you don’t have. You keep losing. Be a man and accept you can’t play and save that money for your family.”

His head jerks back. “Don’t you dare speak about my family or what I should and shouldn’t do. If I want to play, I will.”

“I will say whatever I want to.” I lower my voice in warning. “Don’t forget who you are speaking to. Your addiction to the game has you speaking nonsense. Be careful.”

Pino tsks from beside me, his chuckle causing Gio to look at him. I watch his throat as he swallows hard and see his courage disappear.

When my father introduced me as his heir and announced that I would take over, Gio was the one who didn’t take it well. He is a little old-fashioned. Maybe too old-fashioned. Others were ready for some changes, sick of constantly getting arrested; either them or someone from their families. They realize it is time for changes, and they are ready for me and Pino to lead this organization into a better future. And we will. But first, I need to find the person selling information to the Carabinieri and get those papers signed by Salvatore.

I made a deal with him to help me out. That was the wrong choice since all I do is keep looking for him everywhere I go. However, he is the only one who doesn’t have anything on me, and he saved me from getting arrested. My father’s lawyer worked on getting me out of this mess, and they can’t find anything connected to me anymore. All evidence disappeared, and all data on me was erased from their servers. There is only one person who could do that.

My father doesn’t like the fact that there’s a rat in his organization. It’s not something new to him, though. He hasdealt with more traitors in his time than he can remember. Their punishment? Well, in this world, the punishment for those who speak is that they pay with their blood. And my father is a ruthless man who, without any doubt, I believe has spilled the blood of his traitors.

This time is different. It’s about me. When he said he would take care of it, I asked him to let me handle things. I didn’t tell him I’m getting help from the husband I’m trying to divorce. This is my responsibility, and I promised my father I would ask for help if I needed any.

The support I have from Pino is everything I need. Pino has built a reputation for himself during the years I was living under another identity.

Ruthless, hard-hearted, and a piece of shit. That’s what Maria called him when he didn’t let her leave her mother’s house a few months ago.

After her husband’s death, she came back to her mother’s house, a small place within the villa. She was newly widowed when she came to live with her mother and had a baby. Now, her daughter is four. She wants to move away and build a new life. That conversation didn’t go well, but I only need to look at his track record of torturing people to know who he is and why everyone respects him. He is ruthless, but in this line of business, everything is fair.

Our little pact is working just fine, and as soon as I get my divorce papers, we can move forward with our plan. Before jumping to that part, though, I need to take care of the problem of today. Finding out who has been talking. The suspects are each of the men in this room. I didn’t just rely on Salvatore to find that out. Pino and I are also looking into the men, just differently. Salvatore has tactics, structure, and plans. He also has the world’s best hacker working for him. I have my curiosity and Pino’s ruthlessness.

My phone pings with a message. I send Gio a warning look before looking at my phone.

Salvatore: We need to meet.

I roll my eyes. Is he for real?

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