Love & Affinities (18+)

38

ADRIANO ENZO CALVETI 

''Who planned the attack?'' The entire room grows silent as my voice lingers through the cold room. One of the men sitting on my table is a fucking traitor and the question I have asked is just to elicit a reaction out of the possible suspect. 

Ares plays along, yet tells the exact truth as to what he had discovered just two hours ago. I sneaked out of bed, leaving Ronan outside Sof's room to discuss whatever the fuck needed to be. ''It was one of Alex's men.'' He places the pictures he captured then on the desk, showing the brand marks on their chests. 

I feel like Alan has a hand in this because no one apart from those who were at dinner knew about our travel to and from the two places. However, the innocence in Sofia's eyes that see her father in a good light blurs my judgement. 

I'd hate to discover Alan being responsible for Sofia's kidnapping and the torment she still goes through. Ares studies each guy in the room stealthily; disappointment fills my chest because none of them show any response that could be regarded as traitorous. If not one of them, the only other possibility is someone who plays a minor role in this household. It could be a new intake of staff. 

"Ronan, I need you to get me a list of all the new staff intake the last time it was done. From maids to our new recruits, I need every single name and their life on my desk." He acknowledges what I say and gets to work immediately. 

Ending the meeting after a few minutes with work set for each of my men, I head back to the basement to check on Alex's second-in-command. The door creaks open to show the pathetic excuse of a man in nothing but his skin. ''I'll ask one more time, James. Where is Alex?'' I roll up my cuffs and bring it to my elbows, ready to bash his face in. 

His nails have been plucked off, tiny little stapler pins line his body, and his face is unrecognizable. He smiles like a menace showing his bloody teeth. ''Fuck you, Adriano!'' My fist bashes into his face from the right as blood splutters all over the already filthy ground. He chuckles again. ''Since I'm dying tonight, how about I finally pass on the message to you.'' I give him a questioning stare. 

What the fuck was he withholding since so many days? ''Alex said to find the root. The root has been growing through your own ground and you fail to see it. Oh and he said he'll be back! Motherfucker!'' My men and I were too busy making up conclusions from his words to notice that he now had his hands free and lunged for the table full of weapons. 

I pull out my gun from the waistband of my jeans, the silver trigger aching to be pulled when something unexpected happens. James hurriedly gets up like a man possessed, grabs a screwdriver and stabs it into his jugular. He chokes on his own blood and wretches in pain, grunting like a dying animal.

Ares heads his way but the blood loss is too much to recur while I stand rooted to the ground, knowing that we just lost our clue. He chokes on his blood for a few more moments before he lies flat on the ground with his eyes wide open, staring into the dark ceiling that has seen many more bodies before. 

''Ares, office now! Everyone else clean this up. I pinch the bridge of my nose to relieve some of the tension and cringe at the pain in my back and shoulder. The gunshot wound fucking hurts when the adrenaline has gone down. All that's left now is curiosity. I want to hold Sofia in my arms and make her spill each and every thought that haunts her but I can't when her demons are close-by and reappearing. 

Ares enters my office, closing the door behind him. ''Alex is making it pretty obvious that it's Alan. You do remember the bomb attack, right?'' I question him. 

''Yes, Adriano. But, I think we've spent enough time going around in circles. Maybe we do need to take his words seriously because the attack just a few hours ago leaves us very few suspects and Alan is one of them.'' I process his words and hate the fact that my suspicions are growing stronger minute-by-minute.