SURRENDER - Mafia Romance

• CHAPTER 18 •

As part of a life where every decision counts, one wrong move can cost your life and one wrong decision can cost the money, you did everything to have. It is imperative that you control everything you can and cannot do because if not, you will create a whirlpool of dangers that will deepen and darken over time.

Joe asked the whole house to gather in Ace's office, claiming that what he had to share was important. We all walked to the office and for some reason, Joe shut the door behind us, even if no one else was home. Ace's calming expressions weren't mirrored in the other faces in the room.

"Okay, first of all, I want you all to know that I tried my best–"

"Joe," Ace interrupted, giving him a warning look, wanting the bottom of this. But I knew from Joe's constant blinking and deep breathing that the news he was about to share wouldn't garner good responses.

"Okay, it is about Elio, you know, uh–" he looked around when he sucked all the attention out of Ace, "he is out of the country"

I expected Ace to yell and fight with Joe but he simply clicked his tongue. He got up and walked closer to Joe.

    "You had one job, Joe."

"I didn't know Ace! How do you expect me to stop him when I know nothing about him!"

"Your job was to know everything about him. Not just what you can know." Ace shook his head again and looked around.

"I'm sorry Ace but I really tried my best."

That triggered Ace's anger.

"No you did not!" Ace pointed his index finger to Joe's nose, "if you did you would have at least found out earlier he was planning to leave. He didn't book the ticket while on the airplane. You had time to know and time to stop him," he finally paused and nodded, "but it is my fault to trust a coward like you to do men's work."

And that triggered mine.

"Ace!" I yelled. All the eyes in the room were on me, as surprised of my outburst as myself. My heart started beating faster when Ace's eyes slowly left Joe's and turned to find mine to flame them, cook them and devour them when needed. He was angry at me for standing up for Joe but I knew I had to.

He stepped closer to me but I raised my chin up. I did something and I was able to stand up for myself and for Joe. All that bothered me was that I didn't want to do this under all these eyes in the room.

"Do you have something to say, Talia?" His voice was sharp as a knife.

"You disrespected Joe, Ace. You can't do that to your own people." I said and he raised up his eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You can't call him out like that and insult him for something he didn't do on purpose."

He scoffed.

"Making a mistake that could cost our lives and using the excuse of not doing it on purpose is not acceptable."

"But you did the same thing when you brought Elio here when everyone was against the idea, no? You risked everyone's lives too. And you had him under your hands too and let him slip."

"No, I have a better idea, how about you take my place, tell them what to do and I will go in your room and hide from people who want to kill me?"

I winced at the disgust of his words but smiled. I knew how to get under his skin and I didn't want to. But he started and my words were nothing but a reaction to his actions.

"You're so insecure, I hope you know. You're incapable of taking care of your men after my dad but you're trying to look like you're the amazing boss of the upcoming age coming to save them after the king died but you're simply making them hate you. You're always fighting with Romeo, always yelling at Joe, you never listen to the others because you think they are young and stupid but without even asking, I know my dad used to lead this better than you. So now Ace, I don't want to take your place but you can't deal with your men then these shoes don't fit you."