“Can you make sure she gets home okay?” I ask my sister. “I need to finish up some work here.”
Valentina frowns. “You want to stay by yourself? It’s late.”
“I’ll be okay,” I assure her. “Tony will see me back to the island.”
Val makes a face at the mention of his name. She thinks he’s a creep and doesn’t bother hiding it. “Do you want us to keep you company for a while?”
“I’m good,” I tell her. “I just need some time to focus on this project.”
She offers me an understanding smile. It’s been a rough day, and we could all use a distraction.
“Text me when you’re on your way, so I don’t worry,” she says.
I promise her I will, then I say my goodbyes to everyone else before they clear out of the conference room and shuffle into the elevators down the hall. As I’m about to walk into the reception area of my office suite, I hear Tony gossiping to another guard in there.
“Yeah, another one. Same message.Il Diavolo.”
My skin prickles at the mention of that name. I’ve been hearing it almost daily for the last few months as the whispers of his transgressions make the rounds through our social circles. From what I’ve gathered, he’s connected to the recent spate of deaths that’s left everyone on edge. While violence and murder are far from unusual in theCosa Nostra, it doesn’t happen this frequently unless someone’s out for revenge.
I knew when I caught my father and Matteo sweating bullets over the mysterious identity behindIl Diavolo, there was something to be concerned about. They mentioned that whoever he was, he was also using the name Augustine, leaving traces of it in his wake like some kind of weaponized symbolism. Their theories ranged from ties to the Augustine crime family—which was later debunked—to some kind of twisted play on Saint Augustine’s philosophies. As if redemption could move in the shadows with black leather gloves and a blade.
It's rare for me to witness my father unsettled by much of anything, but I can’t forget the haunting words he said that night.
Whoever he is, he’ll never let us sleep soundly again.
Tony, however, seems more fascinated than afraid.
“He carves it right into their chests,” he notes. “HQ keeps saying it’s nothing to worry about, but you can bet your ass the Tribunal knows exactly who he is. He’s on a warpath, and they’ve sanctioned it. That’s the only reason they’d be so unbothered.”
The other guard says something in response, but my tablet chimes, alerting them to my presence. They both promptly end the conversation as I glance at the incoming message.
Eavesdropping, Abella?
I glare up at the security camera in the hallway just as Tony and the other guard step out to meet me.
“Everything good?” Tony glances at my chest before his eyes move to my face.
“Everything’s fine,” I clip out. “I’m going to finish up some work in my office.”
“Yeah,” he mumbles. “Let me know if you need a hand with anything.”
The way he says that makes me feel like I need a shower. I don’t know why my father even bothers with the pretense of a guard when this is who he hires for me.
Scrubbing that thought from my mind, I leave the two guards behind and pass through my reception area into my private office. When I round my desk and notice the gift box sitting there, I freeze.
My first thought is that maybe Gabi left me something, except the gift box doesn’t look like anything she’d pick. The girl is obsessed with pink, and this box is black with gold striping and a magnetic enclosure.
For a moment, I consider asking Tony if he was in here. But he escorted me to the city from the island, and I would have noticed if he’d brought the roses and gift box. They weren’t in my office two hours ago, so someone must have left them while I was in the meeting.
I pick up my desk phone and dial security. Eugene answers on the first ring.
“Miss Moretti, everything okay up there?”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” I hesitate, then add, “I was just wondering if you’d be able to check the security cameras on this floor and tell me who entered my office in the last hour.”
“I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you,” he says. “The cameras have been acting up again, and they’re turned off right now. The IT department is working on a fix.”
I frown. The cameras are off, but my stalker is watching me from them. “Okay, well, I won’t keep you, Eugene.”
