35. Elio
Chapter thirty-five
Elio
In three days, Marcus Winston must be dead.
After my meeting with Stella Winston, Cortez and I have held a series of meetings with our family doctor, and the least suspicious way for us to have Marcus laid to rest is by poking the wound already festering within him.
Cortez leans back in his chair. “With his acute gastric issues, the doctor says at least five tablets of Ibuprofen every day should be enough to cause serious complications.”
I rub my chin, staring at the dim glow of the desk lamp. “And it has to be mixed in his drinks to work faster. But we have to consider all the different scenarios. What if it doesn’t act fast enough for instance? What if his body resists it? Or he goes ahead to get treatment elsewhere?”
Cortez exhales, brows furrowed in deep contemplation. “The doc seemed confident in his approach.”
I glance at him. “We don’t have time for setbacks, Cortez. I have only three days to outsmart Marcus. This has to work.”
“And what’s next, after he lands in the hospital due to his overdose?” Cortez asks, eyes fixed on me.
“Our doc will perform an unsuccessful surgery on him. His wife will ensure he gets to the particular hospital where he operates. I’m still working on that, but I’m sure it can play out successfully if everyone executes their part accordingly.”
Cortez nods in approval. “And what if his wife hesitates? She might not want his blood on her hands.”
I pick up my phone, dialing her number. “Surprisingly, she wants him out of the way just as much as we do. But that doesn’t mean I won’t check to make sure she’s committed and hasn’t suddenly changed her mind.”
Stella picks up after two rings, her voice at the other end is low and cautious. “Donatelli, what’s going on?”
“I’ve spoken to my family doctor and he’s confirmed that five tablets of Ibuprofen daily will start causing real problems soon enough. You’ll need to lace his drinks.”
She pauses briefly. “I already said I didn’t want anything tracing back to me and you’re asking me to lace his drinks? What if he notices? Or what if it takes too long?”
My fingers grip the phone tightly, controlling myself from swearing at her over the line. “Listen lady, this is all we’ve got right now with what you have given us and it has to work. You just need to do your part. No hesitation. No mistakes.”
She sighs. “In that case, I’ll only release the footage once he’s actually in the hospital. I need to be certain he’s out of the way.”
My jaw tightens. “You’ll do as I say, Stella. Just focus on your job. And make sure you cover your tracks; wipe the glasses, hide the Ibuprofen or flush them all…clean everything up. I don’t want a single trace left behind and I know you don’t either.”
“Alright,” she mutters. “I’ll do it. But you have to be ready to act fast if something goes wrong.”
“I’m always ready.” My voice is low but firm. “Call me the second he starts complaining of pain, I need to be prepared.”
She hesitates, then says, “Okay. And when that’s done?”
“You’ll ensure he gets treated at whatever hospital I pick. Understood?”
“This isn’t what we agreed to, Donatelli…”
“Now you listen to me, Mrs. Winston. None of these options are up for negotiation. If you get scared and think you can run away or open your mouth to reveal this entire plan to anyone else, your kids at that fancy boarding school, Sara and Terry, will be the ones to pay the price. I’m sure we’re now on the same page.”
“Don’t you dare threaten my kids…”
“Oh, I’ll do whatever I please, Mrs. Winston.” A small smile dances on my lips. She’s scared. Good . “And even after all this is done, I’ll still have eyes on them, just in case you suddenly get remorseful and feel like confessing your sins.”
She gasps, grunts a curse, and hangs up. I set my phone down, my fingers tapping against the desk. These will be the longest three days of my life. But once they’re over, all the troubles of the past few months will be over, too.
My attention returns to Cortez, who’s been silent all along. “Any unusual activity around Aria lately?”
Cortez shakes his head. “Our guys say everything’s clear. She’s fine.”
I nod, but the weight in my chest tightens. “That doesn’t mean they have to relax. I don’t trust this silence. By now, Marcus knows she’s my weakness. If he wants leverage, he’ll go after her.”
Cortez studies me for a moment. “We’ve got people watching her. If anything changes, you’ll know.”
I drag a hand down my face, exhaling slowly. “It’s not just about knowing, Cortez. It’s about making sure she’s untouchable.”
He leans forward. “You really think he’d move on her?”
The mere thought of it causes my fingers to curl into fists. “I know he would. If anything happens to her...” My voice thickens from pain infused with rage. “If Marcus so much as breathes in her direction, I’ll burn everything down to keep her safe.”
“But, Capo, ” Cortez infiltrates my thoughts, “are you sure Aria’s worth fighting for? I’ve always wanted to bring this to your attention, but with everything going on, we’ve been too busy…”
My brow jerks in inquiry. Cortez has his eyes pinned on me like he always does when he has something important to say.
“What’s this about?”
“ Capo , I’ve had a tab on Aria since you asked me to, and recently, I discovered she’s been feeding her journalist friend information about us… our operations.”
My jaw drops open.
“What? Are you certain about this?”
“Positive, Capo . I have some of the recordings on my phone.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out his phone.
Aria’s voice plays out, revealing as much as she knows to Mia. To think that she’d looked straight into my eyes and lied that she hadn’t told anyone about me…
My hands run through my hair in frustration. Sharp pain tears through my heart, casting doubts over the trust I put in her.
For once, I opened my heart, but could that have been the biggest mistake of my life?