18. Dante
Chapter 18
Dante
“ W e’ve got him,” Romeo practically yells down the line. I don’t miss the mixture of enthusiasm and relief in his voice. “I knew it would only be a matter of time before he’d slip up.”
Romeo and some of his men have been on Edoardo since the ransacking. The tracker on his car only showed him driving to see his mistress or coming here … nothing out of the ordinary. He was adamant it was a waiting game, and I guess he was right.
I sit back in my seat as adrenaline pumps through my veins. “What have you got?” I ask.
“A warehouse in the industrial area on the outskirts of town. It’s not very big, but I can guarantee it will give us the answers we need. Why the fuck would he need a place like this?”
“Are you sure it’s his?”
“Yes. Once I was alerted he was there, I delved a little deeper, made some calls, and found out he’s been renting it for just over a year.”
“Hmm,” I hum. “Where is he now?”
“He left five minutes ago. What should I do? ”
“Are you sure he’s left the area?”
“Yes. One of my soldiers is tailing him as we speak. He’s heading towards his mistress’s house.”
“Text me the address of where you are, and I’ll come to you.”
My hands are slightly trembling as I stand and button my suit jacket. When I exit my office, I head for the kitchen where Arabella is preparing dinner.
“I have to go out for a while,” I tell her, sliding my arms around her waist and leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek.
“Dinner is almost ready.”
“I know, but I have some important business to attend to.”
“Ah, okay. Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”
“No.” When she blows out a puff of air, I kiss her again. I can see the effort she’s put into dinner; like always, she aims to please. “I’m sorry, Bellezza .”
“I will keep it warm and wait for you to get back. We can eat together.”
“Don’t wait for me. Eat now. I’ll have mine when I get home.”
She turns in my arms, facing me. “I’ll wait. I might go and soak in a bath while you’re gone.”
I groan, burying my face in the crook of her neck. “Now I want to stay and soak in the bath with you.”
“Go,” she says. “I don’t want to hold you back.”
“I’ll try to be as quick as I can.”
Her dainty hands clasp the lapels of my suit jacket. “It’s nothing dangerous, is it? You are not going to get hurt or anything?”
I raise my head, meeting her eyes. “Are you worried about my safety?”
Lately, I feel like I’m constantly searching for validation from her, and it’s maddening. I’ve never been this needy, so I despise this side she brings out in me .
“You are my husband; it’s normal for a wife to worry.”
“Because you care about me?”
And here I go again.
Arabella pushes up onto her toes and places her lips against mine. “Go, we can eat when you get back.”
I want to demand an answer from her, but instead, I let go and take a step back. I’m not going to force her into saying something she clearly doesn’t want to. I’ve never been one to chase after a woman, so these mixed signals I’m getting from her are doing my fucking head in.
“If I’m not back by the time you get out of the bath, eat without me.”
Her face falls as I retreat another step and turn to leave the room. When I reach the doorway, she calls out, “Dante.” I pause and glance at her over my shoulder. “I do care about you.”
The corners of my lips curve up slightly as I nod my head and continue forward.
Was that so fucking hard?
As I near the address Romeo texted me, I’m trying to ignore thoughts of my wife. I can deal with that shit later. I need my head in the game right now.
It doesn’t make sense that Edoardo would be leasing a warehouse, so something tells me this will confirm our suspicions. If my hunch is correct, hell will have no fury on that man.
When I arrive, Romeo is waiting in the carpark across the street. He exits his vehicle and climbs into mine as soon as I pull up beside him.
“Any updates?” I ask.
“He’s still at his mistress’s house. The lights are now out; it looks like he’s bunkered down for the night … or at least the next few hours.”
“I highly doubt that old fuck could last more than a minute … that’s if he could even get it up,” I say, reaching for the door handle.
“Where are you going?”
“Across the road to suss things out.”
“Why don’t you stay here and let me go instead?”
“I appreciate your concern, but this shit storm has been hanging over my head for far too long. If there are answers to be had, I’m getting them tonight.”
When I round the front of my vehicle, Romeo goes to the back of his and pops the boot. A grin tugs at my lips when he pulls out a set of bolt cutters. “Who are you, fucking MacGyver?”
He chuckles as he comes to stand beside me. “I was a boy scout when I was young; I was trained to come prepared.”
“You were not. I’ve known you most of my life, remember?”
He casually lifts one shoulder. “These come in handy if you ever feel the need to bash someone’s skull in.”
“As if you’ve ever done that,” I retort, and we both laugh.
Romeo has a dangerous side, just like I do. I’ve seen him in action. Some of the kids at school used to give him a hard time because he grew up poor. He never fought back with words. He always used his fists. He doesn’t need a weapon to cause physical harm.
I look both ways before I cross the street, despite the industrial area seeming pretty much deserted at this time of night.
Everyone seems to have gone home, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get inside without being seen. I can’t risk Edoardo getting rid of anything incriminating in the coming days.
“Strike while the iron is hot” was a principle my father swore by. He’d turn over in his fucking grave if he knew that his best friend may have betrayed him, and he’ll pay dearly if he has. I’ll see to it personally.
When Romeo guides me towards Edoardo’s unit, I quickly scan my surroundings, glancing up for cameras. I don’t see any, which is such an amateur move. Didn’t he learn anything serving the Famiglia for all these years?
I take a step forward and grasp hold of the padlock, giving it a firm shake. “Hand me those,” I say, extending my arm in Romeo’s direction.
“Are you going in now?”
“You better believe I am. I can’t fix this shit until I know what’s broken.” It’s the unknown that concerns me the most. I need to know what this fucker is up to, and with whom.
When he hands me the bolt cutters, I grasp them and apply pressure to the padlock’s shackle, forcing it to snap apart.
“Well, that was easy enough,” he says.
“Don’t underestimate my devilishly good looks for weakness; my brute strength is capable of crushing anything in my path.”
“Noted,” he retorts with a smug grin.
After removing the lock, I reach for the door handle, only to have Romeo grab my elbow simultaneously. My eyes move from his hand to his face, and I don’t need words; my expression is clear.
“Let me go in first, boss. What if it’s a trap?”
Blowing out an exasperated breath, I reluctantly step back. It’s his job to keep me safe, and he takes his position seriously. I need to respect that.
He flicks on the torch on his phone and enters, while I stand at the doorway and watch. From here, the majority of the space looks empty.
Romeo lifts his phone higher, shining it in the air. “Shit, there’s camera’s in here. ”
Honestly, I don’t give a fuck about that now. Even if we find nothing, I want Edoardo out of the Famiglia, effective immediately. I’m done placating him.
I no longer care that he was my father’s closest friend. I can’t have people around me that I don’t trust. His inability to mention the ransacking of his house and then to flat-out lie about having renovations done when he was called out, not to mention having this place. None of it adds up.
I enter the warehouse and flip on the lights. He can know that I’m here … let him try and explain his way out of this one.
The warehouse stretches out before me, three-quarters of it vacant, but something large and draped in a black material lurks at the back.
My footsteps echo against the cold concrete as I move towards it. I pause when I spot the thick layer of dust coating the cloth. Whatever’s under there hasn’t been touched in a while.
My heart plummets, and my breath catches as I grip the black fabric and tear it off. Beneath it lie four pallets of neatly stacked tinned Italian tomatoes … the same tins we use to smuggle our shipments of drugs from Italy. Is this part of the cargo that went missing?
The fury that’s now boiling within me is best described as a searing heat spreading through my chest as the full weight of his betrayal and everything this represents sinks in.
“Is this what I think it is?” Romeo asks.
“Open one of these tins while I have a look around,” I growl, kicking one of the pallets in frustration.
Romeo pulls out a knife and cuts through the thick plastic wrap as I move towards the door on the left.
When I step into the small office space, the air feels thick with tension, and each breath I take is sharp and ragged. My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else, as a burning rage churns inside me.
As I move towards the desk, the walls seem to be closing in on me. My mind feels scrambled. I had an inkling Edoardo was up to no good, and my gut was right, but I never anticipated that things would run this deep. I have a sick feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
My hands tremble as my fists clench and unclench with the need to strike something. That darkness deep inside—the one I manage to keep at bay the majority of the time—is now bubbling to the surface. Someone is going to die tonight, and it sure as fuck won’t be me.
I’m pacing back and forth as I wait for my men to arrive. Edoardo obviously knew the jig was up the moment we walked in here. He must’ve been tipped off through the cameras he had rigged inside the warehouse because not long after we arrived, Romeo got a ping from the tracker.
Edoardo was on the move.
But he wasn’t headed here or going back to his place. The fucker was making a break for it and heading out of town. If that doesn’t scream guilt, I don’t know what does.
Romeo and some of my men are en route to get him now. I’ve instructed them to wait until he’s out of the city limits, where there is no CCTV. He is going to disappear tonight, and I don’t want this coming back to haunt me or the Famiglia .
I’m waiting for a truck to arrive to shift the drugs. It’s only half of what went missing. I have no idea what happened to the rest of it, but I intend to find out.
Did he split it with whoever he hired to hijack the shipments? Or does Stefano have something to do with this? Is that why Edoardo’s number was on his recent call list? Have they been in bed together from the very beginning?
My mind races as I try to remember who gave us the intel that it was the Mortellis who hijacked our drugs. Logic tells me it was Edoardo, but if it wasn’t, that means there are others on the inside I don’t know about.
That knowledge makes my head fucking ache.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when my phone pings. I slide it out of my pocket and glance down at the screen to see my wife’s name.
Arabella: Do you have any idea what time you’ll be home?
Me: No.
Arabella: Okay.
I feel like an arsehole for not elaborating further, but my mind is too fucked up right now.
I no sooner slide my phone back into my pocket, and it pings again. When I see Arabella’s name on the screen, I tilt my head back and blow out a frustrated breath. I’m still getting used to having to answer to someone.
Arabella: Should I still wait for you so we can eat together?
Me: No. Eat and go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.
Arabella: The morning? You’re not coming home tonight?
Before I get a chance to reply, a second message comes through.
Arabella: Are you with another woman?
For fuck’s sake. Not this shit again.
I glance over at one of the guards standing nearby and turn on my heels, heading towards the rear of the building. He doesn’t need to hear the conversation I’m about to have. I’m the head of this family, not some pussy-whipped husband.
I press call because this back-and-forth bullshit is not helping my mood.
“Hello,” Arabella whispers down the line. Just hearing her sweet voice calms me somewhat.
“I’m not with another woman, Bellezza. I thought we’d already cleared this up last time you accused me of cheating on you.”
“Then why won’t I see you until morning?”
“Because you will more than likely be asleep by the time I get home.”
“Where are you?” she asks.
I blow out another long breath. I understand she’s insecure, but I’ve done nothing to make her think she can’t trust me. “Taking care of business … I told you before leaving the house.”
“Should I be concerned for your safety?”
That has a small smile tugging at my lips. “No, you have nothing to worry about.”
“You sound stressed.”
“I am. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Things I can’t talk about.”
“I understand.”
Her life as a Rossi comes with its perks. “Good.”
“Stay safe.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Dante,” she says just as I go to end the call.
“Yeah?”
“Wake me when you get home if you need to de-stress.”
Fuck. This woman. Her words hit me straight in the chest.
“Okay.”
By the time my men get back with Edoardo, the warehouse has been cleaned out, and all the internal cameras have been removed. One lonely chair sits in the middle of the expansive space, ready for the interrogation to begin.
I had one of the guys box up everything from the office so I can sift through it later. I’m not expecting Edoardo to come clean; he knows the score. He’ll be wiped off the face of this earth before the night is through. I intend to extract whatever information I can before that happens. Hopefully, the contents of his office will be enough to piece the rest together.
I remove my suit jacket and cufflinks, sliding them into my pocket before rolling the sleeves of my dress shirt around my elbows. I feel like I’m preparing for battle, and in a way, I am.
Sammy tugs on the heavy chains, opening the large roller door at the front of the building, enough for Romeo’s car to enter.
When he exits the vehicle, he makes his way to me while two of his men alight from the back seat. They move around the rear of the car to collect Edoardo from the boot, dragging him over to the chair.
My murderous gaze doesn’t leave him as he passes, and I notice his complexion is as white as the shirt he’s wearing. He looks quietly terrified, and so he should be.
The Cosa Nostra operates under an unspoken code. Each member is expected to have unwavering allegiance to the family. Betrayal is seen as the ultimate act of disrespect and dishonour. It undermines the strength of the entire organisation, creates vulnerability, and can lead to disastrous consequences for everyone involved.
This betrayal is unlike anything my family has ever experienced. Given that it comes from someone who’s been at the heart of the Mancini empire from the start, cuts deep.
I’m glad my father isn’t alive to witness this. He trusted this man like no other. If Edoardo was the brains behind the drug heist, then it’s probable he played a hand in my father’s assassination. For that alone, I want to gut him like a fish.
As the boss, this is more than just a threat to our operations; it’s a personal insult. A stain on my father and everything he built. I can’t let this slide. It’s my duty to ensure order is restored and that everyone here tonight is reminded that disloyalty has a price. I’ll handle this the only way I can … ruthlessly and with no mercy.
I roll my shoulders and try to regulate my breathing as I wait for him to be seated. Only then do I approach. My initial reaction is to tear him limb from limb, but I have to keep my cool … for the time being, anyway.
I witnessed many of my father’s interrogations over the years, and they always started with psychological manipulation. I’m going to follow his lead by trying to break Edoardo mentally by using intimidation, guilt, and fear. I want to remind him of everything he’s been a part of. The loyalty he was shown, the power my father gave him, not to mention all the financial rewards.
It’s imperative that he feels the weight of his betrayal before I fucking end him.