By the time we reach outside, the chaos is dead. Few casualties, none of mine. But the war isn’t over.
There’s a battle in my head as we ride back to the mansion. I’m thinking about the images. What could that bastard possibly be up to?
Dean’s mafia is barely thriving. No doubt attacking me multiple times would have consumed more resources from him, yet he followed through…and now he and his daughter have disappeared?
It’s difficult to decide whether this is a simple act of cowardice or a meticulously planned escape strategy. Fuck!
He’s up to something; that much is obvious. But there’s a gnawing feeling in my chest that tells me there’s more. That bastard is playing for something bigger, and whatever it is, it’s coming straight for me.
***
“I want Isabella found. Dedicate a fucking team to that if you have to,” I say to Matteo once I get out of the car. Partly because I’m trying to find Dean, but also because if there’s the slightest chance that she was telling the truth, then she might be in danger.
Matteo nods, instantly barking orders at men while I head to the office. My chest feels heavy, but my mind is racing. Maybe Ishouldn’t have let her go. I shouldn’t have let my emotions cloud my judgment.
As I settle into my chair, a cruel laughter escapes me. Emotions. The word tastes foreign…it feels ridiculous. It—
The door bursts open and I yank a furious gaze to the door only to see Matteo hurrying in with an urgency only reserved for a battleground.
“Dovresti vedere questo(You should see this).”
He drops a small, unmarked package on the table.
“A courier delivered this just now. You need to see what’s inside.”
My brows furrow at his harsh breathing. I tear the box open, and my breath falters when I see the first item. A cold, grainy photo of the general’s son, Khalid. The exact one we saw at Rossi’s mansion.
The next thing is a clear evidence bag with a gun inside it and a USB drive.
The nerves in my brain strain as I quickly find my laptop and plug it in. A video pops on the screen. It’s a video of a man sitting casually on a chair in an empty warehouse as he repeats one phrase that freezes my entire body.
Dominic ordered the assassination of the general’s son.
Upon closer look, I recognize the bastard as Marcus Silvano, the real mole we’d just caught. Cold dread settles in my veins as I click on the next file in the folder.
A voice recording pops up in a voice that’s awfully similar to…if not the same as, my voice.
“Eliminate the general’s son.”
Below both files there’s a message in bold red.
We’re coming for you.
What the fuck? I stare at the pieces of evidence before me and it doesn’t take long for the pieces to fall into place.
“I’ve been set up.”
Chapter twenty-seven
Isabella
Suddenly, there’s a tap on my face, and I jolt awake. Elena’s face is the first thing I see.
“Oh, thank God. I thought you died.” She’s hovering over me with a look I can’t quite figure out.
“What happened?”
The side of my head throbs, and when I lift my hand to it, there’s blood there.
