11. Salvatore
eleven
Salvatore
I storm out of the club, feeling used. I never wanted this kind of closure. I wanted to talk and set things straight. I wanted to tell her my struggles. I wanted to talk to her about my mother, the guilt I felt, and what made me the way I am. What made me hurt her.
I wanted to apologize and make things right.
And what did she want? To use me for sex.
Last year was torture. Not being able to have her by my side. Not being able to kiss her and love her. Not being able to tell her my fears and what she means to me. That when she suffered, I suffered too. I felt her pain, only I blamed myself and couldn’t look her in the eyes, and I hated myself for it.
Being inside her after a long time was my undoing.
Because unfortunately for her, now that I’ve felt her skin on mine again, I will not give up until I have her by my side. I will do whatever it takes.
Starting now.
“Marco.” I call one the person who can provide me with the information I need.
He answers, annoyed. “What can I do for you, Salvatore? Make it quick. I’m a little busy.” Before I can answer, I hear a muffled scream on the other side.
“Just tell me that is not a problem I will have to deal with when I’m back.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes as I lean back on the seat of my car.
Marco is a good guy, so when he insisted on being part of the family, providing me with cybersecurity, my first answer was no. However, he couldn’t stay out of trouble, no matter how good he was behind the screen. He was a vigilante only with computers, with no experience in defending himself in person. He was the nerdy guy people picked on, until he found a way to avenge himself. In our senior year of college, he got himself in trouble, and if I hadn’t saved him, he would be dead. Since then, he’s been by my side with Gabriel and Dante. His expertise is well used. He still does his part in being vigilante, only I don’t have to save him anymore. I sometimes need to deal with what happens after he does things, like the time he had his sister’s boyfriend hacked and framed for stealing confidential information from the company he was working for. The guy knew it was him and blamed him by taking it out on his sister, beating her. Marco almost killed the guy, and I had to do some damage control.
“Oh, I would worry about that when and if you come back.” He chuckles. “And no, it’s more of a private problem, with a pair of quick legs and curves.”
“Not what I need to hear right now.” I look at the entrance of the club and watch as Isabella exits with Pino. “I need Isabella’s phone number here in Italy.”
He hums on the other side of the line. “Give me an hour and you will have it.”
I disconnect the call and follow Isabella in my car. If I can’t be with her, I will at least follow her. I will be by her side, watching over her, even if she doesn’t know it.
I watch as she exits the car Pino has been driving and enters her father’s house. I turn the car ignition off and lean back in my seat, waiting for the lights in her room to turn on. I watch the window just for a glimpse of her, for her shadows or movements, and when the lights turn off, I close my eyes, making a plan for how to bring her back to me.
My phone beeps with a message.
Marco: Here is the number. Make sure you use it with intention. ;)
I save the number on my phone and massage Isabella.
Salvatore: Dream about me, Bella, because I will dream about you.
Isabella: How did you get this number?
I smirk. She didn’t need to ask who was messaging her. That means she still has my number.
Salvatore: The fact that you aren’t asking who is messaging you just proves that you have been thinking about me as I am about you.
Isabella: True, but I was thinking about how to get rid of you.
Salvatore: Liar. Is that the reason you still have my number?
Isabella: Tonight was a mistake. It will not happen again. Leave before it is too late for you.
Salvatore: The only mistake was you not hearing me out. At least now I know your intentions.
Isabella: You don’t know anything.
Salvatore: I know one thing. You will be mine again.
I wait for an answer, but it doesn’t come. I sigh, fire up my car, and drive away, but I will be back just in time to follow her to her first meeting tomorrow morning.
I shower and change my clothes in the small house I rented under a false name. Here, no one knows me. They know my family name but not who I am.
I don’t know who I am anymore. Everything I believed in has changed. My wants and needs have changed. But what I know is that I will do everything to have Isabella with me again.
I drive back to her house and wait; she’s supposed to have her weekly hair appointment. Seeing her living the life of a mafia princess, the life she once despised, is one thing I never thought I would see. She is also predictable, which I don’t like. I don’t know if her father has enemies, however, I do know that the number one enemy of ‘Ndrangheta are Carabinieri. She is playing a dangerous game being a mafia princess leading her father’s business.
I stay behind her as she is driven to the beauty salon. I wait and watch from a distance as she is being pampered. I also watch my surroundings so I don’t get caught by her father’s men. It’s then I see a familiar beat-up car, and the man inside it, as he takes photos of Isabella.
I pull my phone out, take a picture of the man, and send it to Rocco before calling him. I don’t get a chance because he calls me first.
“What the hell, Torre? What did you get yourself into?”
“What are you talking about?” I mutter.
I can sense his irritation through his voice. “That man is a Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale agent. You know what that is, right? His job is putting mafiosi in prison.”
I sigh. “He’s following Isabella.”
“If you want her to go back with you, you need to warn her. If that agent is watching her, he is onto something big.”
“How big are we talking?”
He chuckles. “How should I know what business your girl is doing?”
“I see. Any tips?” I ask.
“Don’t get caught.”
“Nice talking to you, Rocco. Wish me luck.”
I end the call and contemplate what to do. I take a photo of everyone in the area who looks suspicious and wait until Isabella is done with her pampering. I wait to see who follows her and watch as the beat-up car drives behind Isabella. The idiot who is driving her doesn’t even notice. He didn’t even notice me.
I take my phone and call her.
Ring. Ring.
Decline.
Of course she declines.
I try again, and she declines again.
Salvatore: You are being followed by ROS.
Isabella: How do you know that?
That’s what she’s asking? How I know? I shake my head and a growl escapes me.
Salvatore: Because I do. Where are you going?
Isabella: Not your business.
Fuck.
I follow the agent so I have both of them on my radar. Isabella’s car stops in front of the restaurant, and she exits, not even looking around her.
What are you doing, Isabella?
Another car pulls up, and a woman gets out. Isabella greets her with a kiss on the cheek. They walk together into the restaurant, leaving me with a head full of questions.
It’s only after they enter that I see more familiar faces around the restaurant. Some of them were outside the beauty salon.
The commotion in the front of restaurant and more Carabinieri are increasing, and I know they are going to arrest someone.
I don’t wait to see what’s going to happen because I know. I exit the car and go into the restaurant. At the side, I can see Isabella’s driver being stopped by one of the Carabinieri, and I hurry inside. When I see her, I feel relieved, even if just for a moment because the trouble is going to follow us.
I approach her table, and when she notices me, she narrows her eyes. Ignoring her look, I lean in and whisper in her ear, “There are Carabinieri all over the place. They arrested your driver. Follow me and don’t draw attention to yourself.”
There are no questions asked as she excuses herself and follows me towards the bathroom. When we’re out of sight, I take her by the elbow and rush us through the kitchen, ignoring curses and the questions from the staff. We hurry through to the back exit.
She tries to slow down. “What’s going on?”
“We need to get out of here first.” I keep my grip on her elbow and hurry us outside.
I look around and see it. A delivery bike. One that makes it our lucky day because the key is in it. I hop onto the bike and give a confused Isabella a helmet. When she doesn’t take it, I look at her tight dress and heels and smirk.
“Come on. We need to get out of here. Hop on.”
She pulls her dress up and gets onto the bike behind me, wrapping her arms around me.
I drive away, avoiding the front of the restaurant, and we escape the area. With no destination in mind, I ride us through the city, avoiding the main streets, escaping the danger of my wife getting arrested.
When we reach the outskirts of the city where there are barely any houses, I stop on a cliff facing the ocean.
Isabella gets off the bike, and without saying anything, she walks toward the cliff facing the blue water, avoiding me. I study her; she looks like her thoughts are thousands of miles away. She should be worried. She was almost arrested, and for someone like Bella, one who seeks justice, the tables have turned. She’s become prey for them now.
“Say it. I can hear your thoughts, Salvatore.” Isabella’s accusing voice cuts into my thinking.
“How did you get yourself into this mess?”
She laughs darkly. “We all do things we eventually regret. Sometimes we do things we’re forced to do.” Her tone cuts deep. Her words are meant for me, not for her situation. How I forced her into the marriage by saying I would send her to her father. I took away the life she built for herself, and I forced her back to the life she ran away from.
I could blame myself for her situation, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I may have thought I needed her for the alliance with her father, but I was driven by the need to have her. However, I would have dealt with other things differently; the things that tore us apart. The things I’m not proud of.
She inhales sharply. “Things that are our downfall. And sometimes we do things with the best intentions, only to be stabbed in the back.”
I get off the bike and approach her. “Who stabbed you in the back?” I ask her because this is the only question I need an answer to. No matter whether she hates me or not, I will never let anyone hurt her. Including me.
“That, I need to find out.”
I stop just a few inches behind her. “I’ll find that out for you, and I will make them pay.”
She turns toward me. One step away from me. If I take it, I could kiss her.
Her eyes narrow. “And how do you plan to do that? You have no power here, Salvatore. This is my father’s territory, not yours.”
I take one step forward until I’m toe to toe with her. I raise my hand and trace her cheek with the back of my hand. “That is true. However, I’m a man with lots of power. Something you haven’t had a chance to discover. And I will use all of my resources if I have to and hurt whoever betrayed you.”
She closes her eyes and exhales. When she opens them, she purses her lips and takes a step back out of my reach. “I don’t need your help. You have no authority here. The only way you can help me is by signing the divorce papers and getting the hell out of here.”
I put my hands in the pockets of my slacks and chuckle. “Not happening. If you think I will leave you in this state, you are delusional.”
She scoffs. “You can’t do anything.”
I fix her with my narrowed gaze. “I can. Let me find out who betrayed you. Here, no one knows me, and I have connections that can help me find a person of interest.”
She doesn’t answer, but her contemplating look says everything. I know she’s considering my offer.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything other than me helping you. You don’t know who you can trust in your circle. You can’t test them all and find out who the rat is. Let me do this for you.”
Glancing sideways, she sighs. “Fine. I’ll take your offer, but there will be rules on how we approach this.”
A smile spreads across my face. “You’re the boss. This is your kingdom, and I’m your servant.”