Emilia, what is she doing here?
Othello noticed that she also had the twins with her, which bothered him. He rolled down his window. "You two get in," he said. They nodded, and Gratiano helped Emilia settle thetwins before getting on the passenger side. Othello drove off. Neither one asked where he was going, but during the entire drive, Othello kept looking in the rearview mirror at Emilia, who seemed nervous.
Thirty minutes later, Othello pulled off the road and stopped in a wooded area covered by many trees. He hadn't been in this area before but had driven by it many times, knowing that no one would suspect them to be there.
"Alright, someone tell me what's going on?" Othello said them both. "How do you two know each other?"
"It's not what you're thinking," Gratiano said quickly.
"Why don't you tell me what I'm thinking?" Othello said, looking at Gratiano.
"Emilia isn’t the traitor, but she is connected to him. You both are," Gratiano said.
"What are you talking about?"
"You’re not the only one I know in the family, boss. Emilia and I have interacted on many occasions because of our jobs. Did you forget she does public relations for the police department? You asked me to investigate, and I did. I brought you the name of the traitor, along with the evidence, Othello."
Othello didn't respond. His brain felt muddled, and while it hadn't occurred to him earlier, it still didn't explain why Emilia was here. He also felt a sinking feeling in his gut that he wouldn't like what they told him.
"Othello," Emilia said in a shaky voice, trying to get his attention. "I'm leaving Verona Heights and taking the twins with me."
"What?" He turned in his seat and glared at her. "What nonsense are you talking about? What about Iago?"
"What about him? After all he's done to me and you, do you expect me to stay?" she argued.
Othello knew one day Iago would lose her with all the shit he'd been doing. "What do you mean what he's done to me?"
The car was silent for a few seconds before Emilia spoke. "I debated how to tell you this, gods. I can't believe this is happening."
"Just tell me," Othello told her.
"I can do better than that. I can show you," she said, pulling out her cellphone. "A few months ago, I stumbled on a conversation between Iago and Roderigo. I don't like him. There's something about how he fawns over Iago; I almost suspected they were sleeping together." She smiled wryly. "Anyway, I only heard the last part, and Roderigo said everything is set at the warehouse. I didn't know what that meant, but then you got shot, and at first, I didn't connect the dots. But after that, Roderigo kept visiting. Once, when Iago thought I was out, Roderigo came with another man I'd seen before."
"Who?" Othello asked, as the pain in his chest intensified, and his stomach felt as if it were going to burst as his anger started to rise.
"Cassio Ricci," she said, and Othello closed his eyes, holding back his anger.
"What were they talking about?" Othello asked, his chest tightening.
"You," Emilia answered, then handed him her cellphone.
Othello did not reach for it right away, but he knew he would regret it if he didn't. It was a video, and on the screen, Iago, Cassio, and Roderigo sat in the living room as if they had been friends for years. Othello didn't know how long he stared at the screen before he pressed play, and that was when he heard the conversation.
"Falcon has everything ready. His men will ambush Moor at the docks," Roderigo said excitedly.
"How did you get his schedule?" Ricci asked.
"I'm his consigliere. It's nothing for me to ask his assistant for those things," Iago responded.
"I thought they’ve been guarding his schedule since the shooting?" Roderigo asked.
"They are so fucking tight-lipped, I can't wait to get rid of them and him. Hell, I didn't even know he was fucking someone one until Cassio told me," Iago grumbled.
"Well, it won't be for long," Roderigo said giddily. "I can't wait to stomp on him for what he did to me."
"All you care about is your club," Iago said.
"It's more than that, and you know it," Roderigo huffed. "I couldn't move the gold bars and drugs before Moor took over the place. Building a secret compartment large enough to hold the goods in the storage room was a good idea, but I knew I couldn’t keep them there for long. Moor is so stupid. I bet he still doesn’t know it’s there."
