Chapter 60
Chapter Sixty
Gualtiero
Ifeel like a caged animal. My insides are boiling, and it grates on my nerves having to maintain an always cool, emotionless facade. But now more than ever, it’s the game I have to play.
I can’t afford a mistake. Too much depends on me.
Ella. My business. My family’s future. Everything rests on my ability to stay in control.
And right now my focus is in shreds.
When I left Ella this morning, the streets around the hotel were swarming with Molinaro’s men.
They weren’t even trying to hide.
They’re waiting for an opportunity to strike. The bastard came too close the other day. Far too close.
It’s unacceptable.
Every instinct in my body told me to march back into the hotel, wake Ella up, and take her to Rome with me. I don’t want her out of my sight for a second.
But that would have meant a fight. A long one. Ella would demand answers the moment she realized what I was doing, and I didn’t have time to explain my plans for us.
Nor did I want her anywhere near Alessandro and Georgio, the cartel leaders I’m meeting today.
So instead, I doubled the number of men watching her.
They know the rules. No one gets near my angel. If someone tries, heads will roll.
Emiliano is handling the transition. He assured me everything is in place.
Still, when I spotted Molinaro’s henchmen on the way to the airport, I seriously considered eliminating them right there.
But killing them would change nothing. Molinaro would simply replace them.
And I won’t risk Ella getting caught in the crossfire.
Her safety has become my all-consuming focus.
Even now my fingers itch to decimate the scum Molinaro has stalking her.
But I can’t start a street war. Not yet.
As much as it grates on my nerves to hold back, cutting off the snake’s head matters more than striking at its tail.
And that requires planning.
It’s the reason I’m in Rome.
Alessandro and Georgio have the same problem with Molinaro that I do. For now, we’re willing to put our differences aside and deal with him together.
Beyond that, I don’t trust them for a second.
Which means I’ll do everything in my power to keep Ella off their radar as long as possible.
I glance at the clock on the wall.
It’s just before ten.
My hands clench involuntarily.
Showtime.
Her floor in the hotel is locked down. It has been since the day we met. No one gets near her.
The real risk comes when she leaves. That’s when Molinaro will try something.
But Emiliano is confident that he has everything under control. Besides Mateo, he’s the only man I trust with something this important.
Still, regret twists in my gut.
I should be there.
Better yet, I should have left her on the island. She would have been safe there.
But it’s too late for that now.
I force myself to breathe slowly.
Soon this will be finished.
Soon Ella will be back where she belongs.
With me.
My gaze drifts to the clock again.
Right about now, she should be leaving the hotel.
My tension spikes.
If Molinaro tries something stupid, I’ll bring everything I have down on his head.
Ella belongs to me.
And nobody touches what’s mine.