Chapter 3
I’m sitting in my office, my cellphone in hand, my eyes are glued to Isabella’s dot move over the map.
The moment I laid my eyes on her, I had this urge to track her every single move.
To have my plan work, I needed to keep a close eye on her whereabouts and as well as Ian.
I kept my distance from him at the party a few weeks ago because the two of us cannot be civil.
But the more I listen and watch, the more I memorize her every move.
Every day she goes to the same coffee shop at promptly eight in the morning ordering a medium ice-cold brew with oat milk and two pumps of pumpkin with a cranberry and orange muffin on the side and three butters.
Not toasted. Listening to her parents berate her and comment nonstop on how big she is having me seeing red with anger coursing through my veins.
How could they stand there and say the foul things they cast her way.
“Isabella,” her mother’s voice grates through the phone, “I think it’s best to starting you on a liquid diet starting now before the wedding. It’s the only way you’ll have a chance of fitting into a nice dress. I will not let my daughter wear some cheap plus sized dress.”
I shift in my chair getting more and more agitated.
“You want to look like you care about your appearance on the biggest day for our family and the Di Marco’s.
Can’t have you standing up there looking like your dress was not made for you.
” She laughs. “I mean we will have to let it out by five sizes.”
My grip on my phone is so tight that my fingers are so tight the case cracks at the disgusting words my future mother-in-law is saying toward my Isabella. I will make sure that once I make Isabella.
“I see you’re still creeping on your phone watching and listening on the tracker app that you made me install on her phone, aren’t you?
” Angelo asks as he enters my office as I turn off the app, click the button on the side of my phone to lock it.
“Ever since you had me place it at the party, you have been obsessed.”
I turn in my chair to meet Angelo who is now sitting across from me. “I would prefer a permanent tracker inside her without her knowing. But that will be arranged later. This will have to do.”
He shakes his head as he sits back in the chair. “You are still wanting to go through with this? Go through with marrying Costa’s daughter to pull one out from under the Di Marco’s? It’s risky as fuck, Boss.”
I roll my neck side to side, the cracking sound echo around my office. “My plan has not changed nor will it.” I narrow my eyes as I snap at my second, my best friend.
He tilts his head to the side, he smirks. “Well, just like you had predicted. Costa has agreed to the meeting under the pretense that you have a business deal you thought would interest him. He was more than thrilled to have you reach out to him.”
Just knowing that Costa thinks I want to share my businesses with him or join forces is laughable.
I would rather cut off my own tongue and swallow it than to do any kind of “business” with a fucking snake.
Just letting him think that I’m doing this to profit both of us when I will be the only one profiting from this arrangement. One word. Isabella.
At the event, Ian’s eyes were never on her. Never watching her every move. Never imagining how she would taste as he licks her neck. Never having his hands on her curvy body with her begging for him to make her feel good.
No. I did.
I watched as she moved around the party with her head looking down.
No confidence at all in her body language.
She did not want to be there. I watched as other men in the room trailed their eyes up and down her body wishing they could have a taste.
I watched how the dress clung to her body like it was made for her.
Every single curve was on display begging for me to run my tongue over every single one.
I watched how her deep blue eyes had a tiny copper around her iris when mine met hers when I spoke to her at the bar.
There was a little minx hiding and ready to be to be let out of its cage.
“Good. Let him believe just that.” I turn my gaze to Angelo. The corners of my mouth tilt up into a smile at my plan. One to demolish the Di Marcos, finally by making Isabella my wife.
Just like the night of the event, the car drives up Costa’s long excessive driveway. Even being here during the daylight still does not help how gaudy and over the top his place is.
The car comes to a stop in front of the steps leading up into the mansion. Dante exits, walks around the back to the back passenger to open the door. Costa’s men loom around the steps and near the car. Unlike Costa, I don’t need an army protecting me when I go to business meetings.
Angelo steps out first, adjusting cuffs to his suit jacket and causally checks his gun in the back of his waist band.
Dante nods at Angelo before I exit the back of the car.
As Angelo just did, I adjust my suit jacket.
All three of us are dressed in black pants, black button up crisp shirt with a black suit jacket.
Angelo walks in front making his way up the steps and Dante at my back. One of Costa’s men open the door once we make it to the top for us to head inside. Another one is waiting for us.
“Don Costa is waiting for you in the great room.” He says in his deep, thick Chicago accent.
Following him down the very hallway from the event to the great room. It’s still the same. The gold accents, white marble everything and countless portraits on himself. Very little of his family, of course. Ciro Costa loves three things. Money, women and himself.
We enter the great room and Ciro is sitting in a massive, oversized chair with a tumbler in his hand just waiting for me.
“Ah, Don Ricci. I must say that I was surprised you wanted to meet to discuss business.” He stands to greet me with a fake smile on his face as he stretches out his hand.
Angelo and Dante stand behind me as I take Costa’s hand while pushing down the annoyance and hatred I have for this man. I came here to offer him a deal that I don’t fully intend to go through with. But he does not need to know that.
Plastering on a fake smile. “Well, what can I say? I think our families could really benefit from one another, don’t you think?”
He looks pleased with my response and gestures for me to sit in the other chair in front of him. Angelo still stands by my side with Dante not too far behind. Costa’s second also stands behind him.
“What can I get you to drink? I think it’s only fitting to share a drink together for our families to join forces?” He asks before he takes a sip from his tumbler.
I unbutton my jacket before I sit down. “No, thank you. It’s a little too early for me to be drinking.”
“Suit yourself.” He nods his head and sets his drink down on the table next to his chair.
“I’m curious what business arrangement you are thinking of.
If I’m honest, since your father’s death you have taken what he had started and made it grow bigger than he could have ever imagined.
Not to mention a hell a lot richer. I will admit when you became the Don of your family, I was hesitant if it was going to work with you working with us old timers.
Though, you have proven you are a force. ”
He is not wrong. I have taken what my father had started and made it flourish into more than the old man could have dreamt about.
Nodding my head. “Yes, I wanted to take what he started to make it more. And I think I have done that time over time, wouldn’t you think?”
He stares at me for a min before he responds, “That you have. It’s very impressive.”
I take his response with a grain of salt because Ciro Costa does not care how his actions affect others.
Prime example is how he thinks merging with the Di Marco’s it’s going to help him become more powerful to rule Chicago.
Not happening. His world is going to be turned upside down.
Though, my plan is not going to be a short one.
No. No, this is going to be a long game.
I sit further into the chair, and I choose my words carefully before I utter them out of my mouth.
“If I could be candid with you. There is another reason why I wanted to meet with you.” His brow furrow with confusion.
“I have recently discovered something regarding the Di Marcos. More specifically, Ian Di Marco.”
He does not move. “And what would that be?” I can see how the look in his eye has morphed into anger. You’re not the only one.
I tilt my head and stare to him.
His jaw becomes tight when he spits out at me. “Don’t pussy foot around it, Ricci.”
I cross one leg over the other and lace my hands together on top of my lap.
“As you know, the one thing we all have agreed on is that we do not get involved with sex trafficking of any kind regardless of how much fucking money it would bring in. It’s goes against morals and values.
Being the men that we are and what we do, we draw the line at treating women poorly.
” I pause and stare at him and I can feel my patience waning thin as I want to get this over with.
“Ian Di Marco has brought that to our doorstep.” I take a moment before I give him the final nail in the coffin for Ian.
Costa’s reaction will say everything that I need to know.
“Even though he agreed to marry Isabella, that is not the only thing that he has agreed to.”
Costa’s nostrils flare and his olive skin turns a shade of red. “Fucking spit it out!” He raises his voice.
I remain calm and not react to his outburst as I know I am the cause of it.
“He has plans to sell Isabella to whoever will want to buy their time with her. It has been his plan all along. And there is nothing he won’t do to make this happen.
” Taking a deep breath. “I’m sure you would not want your daughter married someone who deals in trafficking or even be a part of a family who decides to go down this path.
Which is rich considering what our families do. ”
He is silent for a little. Letting what I have dropped onto him sink in. Have it swirl around in his mind trying to see if he could see any of the signs. There is none because this is all part of the plan I have orchestrated.
I to Angelo to hand me the proposal, and he steps to hand it to Costa. “I do have something I would like to propose to you. To help you get out of this situation.”
He narrows his gaze at me before casting his down on to the paper. “So, you’re wanting to marry Isabella in exchange to help protect her. And to join our families?” he asks with anger in his voice.
Smiling to myself inside. “Yes, that is what I think would be best. Marrying Isabella is an act of good faith.”
“Definitely so, no one would willingly want to that dull, incompetent whale. But it’s not even that.
Have you ever spoken to her? She’s dull.
” He laughs. “Enzo Ricci, while I don’t enjoy being blindsided, I do respect you saving my families name.
” he says as he signs the contract. “I will have the contract with Ian rendered void and disappeared by the end of the day.”
“There is no end of the day, Costa. I will be leaving with the contract corrected.” I say dryly.
“Enzo, I’m a man of my word.”
My fingers dig into the arm of the chair. “A man of their word who got their fifth mistress knocked up and made her get the baby aborted.” His face turns a bright shade of red. “I’m sure your wife would love to see the images of you fucking half the city with the orgies at your city apartment.”
“You play fucking dirty, Ricci,” he grunts out. “I don’t care how you fucking marry her. Just take her off my hands.”
I push down the beast inside me banging on its cage. He is not a father. He is not a man. He is scum. Once I have married his daughter, have her fall in love with me, I will make sure Ciro Costa never hurts my Isabella, my soon-to-be wife again.
“Glad you agree on this.”