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I fast-forward through the CCTV footage, my fingers trembling over the laptop's touchpad. Every second counts.
"Come on," I mutter under my breath, sweat beading on my forehead. "Where are you?"
The footage from earlier this evening catches my eye – there she is, exiting the cottage, standing behind the cottage. A sigh of relief escapes me, but it's short-lived as I see two menacing figures approaching her. Felix Carlisi's men.
My heart sinks like a stone, and I replay the scene, hoping I'm mistaken. But there's no denying it – they're taking her away and she's leaving, willingly.
I rewind, and there are the gunshots, killing our men.
At the hands of Carlisi's guys.
"Isabella, what have you done?" I whisper, my voice filled with disbelief and despair. The sense of betrayal cuts deep, stinging like a thousand knives. Was she working against us all this time? Using me, using the Capo, to further her own agenda?
And Felix Carlisi? I spared him his life and in exchange, he took some of ours?
"Damn it, Isabella," I curse, slamming my fist against the wall. The pain radiating through my hand is nothing compared to the ache in my heart. Anger and fear simmers within me, threatening to boil over.
But now's not the time for rage or self-pity. I need to find Isabella, confront her, and uncover the truth – whatever it may be.
She betrayed me, and so did Felix Carlisi.
Now I wonder, why did she let me turn her against my Capo? Against the man who raised me as his own? Against the man who went out of his way to avenge her father's killers?
Reality merges with memories, and I am no longer able to trust how I'm seeing things. The door opens to my cottage.
"Stefano, what's going on?" a voice calls out, and I turn to see Mario, one of the Capo's men, approaching me swiftly.
"Isabella," I say through gritted teeth. "She's gone. She also got our men killed," I add.
"Damn," Mario looks shocked. Still, he pulls out his walky-talky, barking instructions to retrieve and identify the bodies and secure the perimeter.
"Well, what do you want us to do," he mutters, running a hand through his hair.
I clench my fists, weighing my options. "Help me find her," I tell him, my voice hoarse with emotion. "We have to know if she's really working with Carlisi or not."
"Are you sure? You're risking a lot for someone who might've betrayed us." His eyes search mine, gauging my resolve.
"Damn it, I need to know!" I shout, frustration bubbling over. "I can't let her go without knowing the truth."
Mario nods, understanding. "Alright, let's start looking then. We'll split up and cover more ground."
"Thank you," I mumble, appreciating his support despite the uncertainty that plagues me.
As we part ways, I replay the memories of Isabella and me together – her laughter, her touch, the way she looked into my eyes with such intensity. Was it all a lie? Did she ever truly feel anything for me, or was I just a pawn in her game?
And whatever could her game be?
Chapter 35
Isabella
Thesterilescentofbleach and polished wood fills my nostrils as I pace the hardwood floors of Felix Carlisi's NYC hideout. I'm waiting for Clara to pick up my call, since the last thing I told her was I want Juan dealt with.
"Isabella," Clara's voice crackles through the phone, her tone urgent. "I was just about to call you. They got Juan."
My breath catches in my throat. So they did what I asked. Resignation overwhelms me. A man, my cousin, just died at my hands and I need to know how. "What happened?"
"An assassin from The Illuminati, posing as a call girl. They had sex... she rode him until he was almost there, and then..." Clara hesitates, her voice barely above a whisper. "She placed a rose between his lips while she rode him, slit his throat out of nowhere just as he was about to cum. He climaxed while he choked to death, the blood splattered all over her body.""An assassin from The Illuminati, posing as a call girl. She got him naked, bound and gagged under pretense of some kinky sex." Clara hesitates, her voice barely above a whisper. "She placed a rose between his lips, told him’Isabella won’t be attending your funeral’then slit his throat and watched him choke to death."
