As we race away in the car, a storm of anger and fear swells inside me. How could she be so reckless? How could she risk everything like that?
When the empty road stretches before us, I slam on the brakes, my heart pounding in my chest. I throw the...
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Monday. The weight of the weekend still clung to me, but I’d sent Chiara home last night despite her reluctance. She didn’t understand that I had to leave early this morning to follow up on some leads about the attack. The old warehouse district at the edge of town had a reputation for holding secrets, and I was determined to uncover any connection between the shooters and the growing whispers in the underworld.
As Matteo and I drove to the dockyard, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Chiara. I knew she wasn’t happy about the extra precautions I’d put in place for her safety, but it was necessary. The second I answered, her voice was sharp.
“Gabriel, this is ridiculous! You put a bodyguard outside my door and now I can’t even leave for work? You can’t just control everything I do!”
I sighed, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Tuono, it’s for your safety. After what happened, I can’t take any chances. John’s men or whoever orchestrated that attack could be waiting for another opportunity. You going to work puts you right in their sights.”
“I don’t care! I’m not some damsel in distress! You can’t just decide what’s best for me!” She was practically seething, and before I could reply, the line went dead.
I stared at the phone for a moment, the silence in the car louder than ever.
Matteo, sitting beside me, chuckled under his breath. “Trouble in paradise?”
I shot him a look. “You think this is funny?”
He shrugged, his grin widening. “You’ve got the woman calling you out, and you don’t know how to handle it. Honestly, it’s entertaining.”
I shook my head, trying to focus on the task ahead. “She’ll be fine. I just need to keep her out of harm’s way for now.”
Matteo raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? She doesn’t sound like someone who likes being sidelined.”
“She’s not. But I’d rather have her angry and safe than happy and in danger.”
We arrived at the dockyard, a desolate stretch of industrial land that hugged the coast. The air was thick with salt and the faint smell of oil. Rows of shipping containers stood like silent sentinels, hiding whatever deals or dangers lurked within.
Matteo and I got out of the car, scanning the area. The warehouse we were looking for wasn’t far. It had been flagged as a possible meeting point for some of John’s men, or worse—someone else looking to move against me.
A couple of my men had arrived earlier to sweep the area, giving us the all-clear, but I knew better than to rely on anyone’s eyes but my own. We approached the rusted metal doors, and Matteo pushed them open.
Inside, the air was thick with dust, and the light filtering through broken windows created a jagged, eerie glow. Crates were scattered around, some open, revealing weapons, drugs, and other contraband.
“Well, this is cozy,” Matteo muttered, stepping deeper into the room.
I didn’t respond, my mind already racing. Whoever had orchestrated the attack on me wasn’t far. I could feel it. As we moved through the warehouse, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen—another message from Chiara. This one was shorter.
*Fine. But we’re talking about this later.*
I couldn’t help but smile, despite the situation. She could be infuriating, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We reached the back of the warehouse, where one of the large crates had been left ajar. Matteo pried it open further, revealing something that made my blood run cold—uniforms. Police uniforms.
“Looks like we’ve got bigger problems,” Matteo said, his voice low.
Whoever had set this in motion was using law enforcement as a cover, and that meant we were dealing with more than just John’s petty gang.
This was just the beginning.
As Matteo and I moved deeper into the warehouse, something caught my eye—a faint mark on the floor, hidden beneath the dust and debris. It was subtle, something most wouldn’t notice, but I recognized it instantly. A small, precise symbol etched into the concrete. The mark of an assassin.
My stomach twisted.
Matteo stopped beside me, his eyes following mine. He stiffened, his usual carefree demeanor vanishing as the realization hit him too.
“Is that...?” he muttered, his voice tight.
I nodded, my jaw clenched. “Gio.”
Giovanni. My brother. The one who vanished years ago. The one everyone thought was dead or lost in the shadows. But not me. I knew he was still out there somewhere. And now, this mark—his mark—was here, in front of me, in my warehouse.
The air in the room felt heavier, thicker. This was more than just a rogue gang or a territorial dispute. If Gio was involved, the stakes were far higher than I’d ever anticipated. He had been one of the most lethal assassins in my organization before he disappeared. No one had ever bested him, not in strategy, not in combat. If he was back, and if he was working against me...
Matteo glanced at me, waiting for direction. But for the first time in a long time, I felt...uncertain.
“Gio’s alive,” I muttered, the words tasting bitter. “And he’s playing a game.”
“What’s his endgame?” Matteo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I shook my head, my mind racing. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s more dangerous than we thought.”
I stared at the mark on the floor, a sinking feeling in my chest. My brother was no longer just a memory or a ghost from the past. He was here. And if he was involved in this, everything was about to change.
What comes next...I had no idea.
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And viola, a new character Giovanni. Let's the chaos this sinful hot mess will bring to the story.
