Page 46 of Unworthy Ties
As we held each other in the aftermath of our passion, a sense of contentment washed over me, knowing that in Rocco’s arms, I had found a kind of home I never knew I was searching for.
Chapter 23
Rocco
Every hour since I left Fabrizio’s office, his words circled like vultures. Not because I believed him—but because the math of it wouldn’t leave me alone. A deal with a snake isn’t loyalty, it’s leverage.
So, I’d find myself a mongoose—nature’s answer to a snake problem.
The docks smelled especially bad today. Someone spilled what I believed to be fish guts, and we were having a heatwave that amplified every foul odor into a suffocating miasma. I wrinkled my nose as I navigated between the crates stacked unevenly like a jigsaw puzzle of despair.
Dino was already waiting at our agreed upon spot, wearing his usual fashionable attire. Even in the grungiest of areas, the man maintained an unsettling elegance.
“You’re late,” he said, his voice smooth yet edged with impatience.
I glanced at my watch. It was exactly six o’clock.
“I’m right on the dot,” I said flatly.
“If you’re not early, you’re late.” His smile felt like a blade drawn from its sheath, glinting ominously in the dim light. “So, did you ask me here to officially help you with the Salvaggio thing? Because honestly, we could have done that over a phone call. And somewhere less,” He crinkled his nose. “Putrid.”
“Inadvertently, I suppose.”
“Oh?”
The gulls screamed above us, wings slicing through the dusky sky. Dino adjusted the cuffs of his jacket like he had all the time in the world, but I knew better—he never stood still unless he wanted you to notice.
“I’ll cut to it,” I said, my tone clipped. “Fabrizio came to me.”
That got his attention. His eyes sharpened, the smile still lingering but no longer casual. “Did he now? And what’s our mutual friend offering these days?”
“He wants you,” I said flatly. “Whatever you’re up to… he wants you to stop.”
Dino’s smile twitched wider, sharp as broken glass. “And did you take him up on his offer?”
I shook my head, planting my feet like bedrock against the stench of salt and diesel. “I don’t take orders from snakes. I’m not his errand boy.”
Dino leaned back, feigning nonchalance, but his fingers drummed a restless rhythm against the crate beside him.
“He’s afraid of you. That tells me you’re moving the right pieces. I don’t need your whole board, but if I’m going to turn his offer into a leash around his neck, I need to know which moves we want him chasing.”
For a beat, the gulls and the lapping water filled the silence. Dino’s drumming fingers stilled. His eyes slid back to me, sharp enough to cut through the brine-heavy air.
“You always did know how to flatter without groveling,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. He tugged once at his cuff, the motion precise and deliberate, a ritual of self-assurance. “Tell him I’ve got papers on Councilman Rizzi’s campaign fund. He’ll lose sleep chasing that ghost.”
“Rizzi?” I echoed, eyebrow arching. “You’re aiming high.”
“Always aiming high, mate.” The emphasis on the last word was sweet as poison. “If we’re going to play this game, let’s make it worth the trouble.”
I met Dino’s gaze head-on, the weight of unspoken truths hanging heavy between us. “Consider it done,” I said, the words a vow wrapped in steel.
Dino’s smile was a razor’s edge, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Good. And remember, friend, in this game, no one plays clean.”
With a nod that spoke volumes, I turned on my heel and walked away, the sound of Dino’s laughter echoing behind me like a warning. The cool sea breeze whispered secrets in my ear, promising both danger and opportunity on the horizon.
As I disappeared into the shadows, the night embraced me like an old friend, wrapping me in its cloak of mystery and intrigue. The game had only just begun, and the pieces were set in motion for a showdown that would shake the very foundations of the city.
And in that moment, I knew one thing for certain–in a world where power and deception danced hand in hand, there were no allies, only temporary alliances forged in the fires of ambition and survival. And I was ready to play the game, no matter the cost.
