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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The streets of Naples had always been familiar to me, a city with a pulse that throbbed with life, secrets, and danger. But today, they felt foreign. After hours of chasing ghosts and following dead-end leads, the frustration was beginning to settle in. Every step we took toward finding Gio seemed to be in vain. The alleyways, the informants, the contacts—they all led to nothing.
I ran a hand through my hair, standing in the shadow of a worn-down building as Matteo lit a cigarette beside me. His face was hard, but I could tell even he was losing hope. We had been here for days, and every time we thought we had a lead on my brother, it dissolved into nothing.
Gio was always a ghost, even when he was a part of the family business. He knew how to disappear, how to stay hidden when he didn’t want to be found. And now that he had resurfaced, it was clear that the situation was more dangerous than any of us had anticipated. If Gio had gone rogue, it wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about the entire operation. About Chiara.
My jaw clenched at the thought of her. She had no idea that I was here looking for Gio. She thought this was just a business trip, some routine mafia duty I had to attend to. If she knew the truth, if she understood the danger, she would’ve worried herself sick. And I couldn’t allow that.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” I muttered to Matteo, watching as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Matteo flicked the cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath his boot. “No. But he’s here, Gabriel. I can feel it.”
I shook my head. “We’ve been chasing shadows. If Gio wanted us to find him, we would’ve by now.”
“We’ll keep looking. Maybe there’s something we missed,” Matteo said, trying to remain optimistic.
But the sinking feeling in my gut told me otherwise. Gio had always been two steps ahead. I had been so focused on protecting everyone that I hadn’t realized how deeply Gio could wound us. And it wasn’t just about the business. It was personal. He knew how to strike where it would hurt most, and right now, my mind was on Chiara.
She was safe in New York, or so I hoped. Antonio was there, keeping an eye on her. But even with that assurance, the worry gnawed at me. Gio knew me too well. He knew my weaknesses. And Chiara… she was my strength but also my vulnerability.
The thought of something happening to her because of Gio made my blood run cold.
We returned to my villa, the one I kept in Naples for these sorts of business trips. It was quiet, far too quiet for my liking. The weight of failure hung heavy over me. I could feel it pressing down, tightening around my chest. The villa’s living room was dimly lit, the large windows overlooking the coast doing little to comfort me. The waves crashed against the shore, relentless, much like the thoughts swirling in my head.
I sat down on the couch, leaning forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor.
Chiara.
It was her smile that kept coming to mind. Her stubbornness, her fire. She had this way of lighting up every room she walked into, even if she didn’t realize it. It struck me, all at once, that she wasn’t just someone I was protecting. She had become something more.
She was becoming everything.
I was falling for her—hard and fast. Or had I already fallen?
The realization hit me like a freight train. Chiara had been on my mind more than anything else, even more than Gio. I wanted to be with her, to protect her, but I also wanted to see her laugh, see that fire in her eyes when she argued with me, that softness when she let her guard down. She was my strength, but she was also my weakness. And in my world, that was dangerous.
As I was lost in thought, I glanced up and saw Matteo across the room, lounging on the opposite couch, his phone in his hand. A soft smile played on his lips as he stared at the screen.
I raised an eyebrow. “Fiona?”
Matteo didn’t look up, but his smile grew a little wider. “Maybe.”
I chuckled, leaning back. “You’re whipped.”
He finally glanced up at me, one brow raised in amusement. “Aren’t you?”
I scoffed, shaking my head, but the truth was, Matteo wasn’t wrong. He was a charmer, always had been, but I hadn’t seen him like this before. Fiona had gotten under his skin in a way no one else had. It was the same way Chiara had with me.
And as much as I tried to deny it, Matteo saw right through me.
“You know, for a guy who’s been in the mafia his whole life, you’re surprisingly soft when it comes to her,” Matteo teased, sliding his phone into his pocket.
“Watch it,” I warned, but there was no heat in my words.
Before I could respond further, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The sight of Chiara’s name on the screen made my heart jump. I tapped the answer button and her face filled the screen, still as beautiful and captivating as ever, even if her expression was a bit tired.
“Tuono,” I greeted, my voice softening instantly. “Still awake?”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Barely. But I figured I’d check on you. How’s Italy?”
“Same as always,” I lied. “Boring, business as usual.”
She narrowed her eyes at me through the screen. “Liar. You don’t do boring.”
I laughed. “Fair enough. How’s New York? Anything exciting happen today?”
Chiara shrugged, leaning back against her pillows. “Not really. Fiona and I went to our favorite café, but that’s about it. I’m trying to stay out of trouble, unlike someone.”
I smirked. “I hope you are. I don’t want you pulling any more stunts while I’m gone.”
She grinned, that mischievous glint in her eyes. “No promises.”
“Chiara,” I warned, though I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “I’m serious. Stay safe.”
“I’m always safe,” she replied, though her voice softened as she added, “But I miss you.”
I felt something tighten in my chest at her words. “I miss you too, tuono.”
There was a brief pause, and in that silence, I could feel the weight of the unspoken words between us. Neither of us was ready to say them yet, but they hung in the air, heavy and real.
“Alright, enough mushy stuff,” she teased, trying to break the tension. “You need to get some sleep, and so do I.”
I chuckled. “Fine. But I’ll call you tomorrow. And remember, don’t get into any trouble.”
She grinned. “No promises.”
We ended the call, and I stared at the blank screen for a moment longer, my thoughts swirling. I was falling for her, that much was clear. And if I wasn’t careful, it would change everything.
As I put my phone down, Matteo glanced over at me with a knowing smirk. “You’re whipped, boss.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t deny it. “Maybe I am.”
Matteo chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “We’re both in trouble, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, the weight of everything pressing down on me again. “But right now, we need to focus on Gio.”
Matteo nodded, his expression turning serious. “We’ll find him. We have to.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I just hope we’re not too late.”
