Submitting To The Devil - The Devil's Snare - Book 2

Chapter Seventy Five

Derek Densel

"What the hell was that?" Giovani bellowed at me, his voice slicing through the tense air almost the moment my son dragged his precious little granddaughter away from the dining room. It was disheartening to witness that he hadn't even exchanged a word with her before she vanished, and it struck me that my dear accomplice had never even known the fact that Grandpapa was very much alive and cautiously living in the shadows, evading the lethal gaze of the infamous mafia families that prowled our world like predators.

"Now, now, gentlemen," I urged with a disarming smile, gesturing towards the lavishly set table for my uneasy guests. "Please, take a seat. Allow me to pour you some fine wine. Let's ease those frayed nerves." With a sharp click of my fingers, I commanded my men to fetch wine and an assortment of biscuits and cheese, the clatter of their movement punctuating the charged atmosphere.

"There's a very good reason I've summoned you here tonight," I said, a grin stretching across my face as I surveyed the three men before me. Their faces were etched with anxiety; they looked more dishevelled than if they had just rolled through a muck pit. The undercurrent of tension crackled, promising that this meeting would be anything but ordinary.

"What is the meaning of this, Densel?" Aurelio's voice cut through the dimly lit chamber like a knife, his eyes narrowed in fury. He leaned over the table, his spittle glistening as it landed with a soft thud among the scattered dishes. Yet the irony wasn't lost on me as he mockingly lifted my glass of wine, savouring its rich aroma. "We agreed to remain separate until you found her. Until Lorelei came home."

"That's precisely my goal,"I replied, keeping my tone steady despite the escalating tension. "But since that girl claimed her father's life, Lorelei has vanished without a trace. Only we know she's alive, and she's the only other living Puro Doll, and I'd be damned if I didn't dig deep to unravel those numbers. We need Bianca to help us escape from this suffocating underground where we most certainly do not belong. I fear Lorelei won't be found in time if we don't. That girl has to know where her father was hiding her mother."

"She believed her mother was the English slut. You promised my son, Densel,"Giovani hissed, the anger in his voice barely masking an undercurrent of desperation. "You swore to Antonio that you would protect her."

"And that's precisely why she's by my side now,"I retorted, my voice rising as frustration surged within me like a tempest threatening to break free. With a forceful slam, I crashed my fists onto the table, the sharp sound reverberating through the dimly lit, sparse room, amplifying the tension that hung in the air. Benji entered the room again, his demeanour subdued, eyes downcast, and his hands empty—my precious diamond, which had sparkled with promise, was now glaringly absent from his side.

"Father,"Benji called out to me, his brows furrowing with concern as he swept an anxious gaze across the room, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

"Stand guard outside her room! What the hell are you doing back here?"I snapped, my voice laced with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"She's a little angry, sweeping through her room in anger. If she could just speak to Mr Rossi,"he tells me with downcast eyes that make me want to beat the fucking queer right back out of him. Surely a son of mine acting as stupid as he does means he's fucking gay?

"Whatdid I just say?"I grit my teeth as I growl at Benji, reeling in all the control I have over my anger, but I fail—like I do time and time again, mirroring the upbringing I endured.

"Certainly, father,"he nods, stammering his words as he looks between me and the men he hates to serve. Walking back out of the room, he leaves, taking my sigh with him, making me scrub my brow in contempt; I realise perhaps he's out of his comfort zone. He is, after all, but a child, one who never had any real responsibility until now. And I knew, without a doubt, thathe was the one who needed to care for Bianca. My other son's wouldn't give a damning shit about her, but he will. And though that might put him in the proverbial line of abuse, he'd do it willingly.