Chapter 35 #2
As soon as he turns, I take the opportunity to roll my shoulders, shedding any pent-up frustration before the real work begins.
I mentally map the house as I follow James. It’s an open floor plan with minimal places to hide, which tells me that Adrian wants his enemies to let their guard down when they walk through the door.
When the living room opens up before me, I spot him instantly.
Adrian stands beside a gaudy marble fireplace with a crystal glass loosely hanging from his fingertips.
He’s dressed in his typical uniform—dark slacks and a starch white button-down. Except this time, he’s shed the suit jacket and tie, and has his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, like this is a casual hangout among friends and not a hostile takeover.
His expression doesn’t wane when he turns around. He’s completely calm.
“You clean up nice,” he says smoothly, lifting his glass to his lips with a smile. “A step up from the last time I saw you.”
I restrain myself, fighting the urge to ball my hands up in two big fists. Instead, I busy myself by unbuttoning my jacket. “A lot can happen in less than a day.”
His lips twitch in amusement, trying to distract me from his assessing glare, closely observing every minuscule detail.
“You can leave us,” Adrian says, acknowledging the other man in the room. I almost forgot he was even there, which feels impossible with his labored breathing.
James hesitates. “But Boss—”
“I said leave.”
The second command sticks and his foot soldier finally obeys, closing the door behind him.
We’re alone.
“This isn’t what I expected,” he says evenly, immediately showing his cards.
I arch a brow. “No?”
“I was hoping for a little more excitement, but then again you haven’t been as predictable lately. It used to be cute, but now it’s…annoying.”
I sigh, tilting my head to the side. “I wouldn’t be good at my job if my opponent is constantly predicting my next move.”
The corner of his mouth lifts, taking a step forward and setting his glass down on the mantle of the fireplace. “Opponent,” he repeats, tasting the word. “That’s an interesting word.”
“What would you prefer? Mentor? Colleague?” I ask, coldly. “Friend?”
“I did teach you quite a bit,” he says, changing the direction of the conversation.
“Yes,” I reply, mapping out my response carefully. “Mostly what not to do.”
The insult lands, putting a shiny new dent in his ego. Anyone else would miss it. Ignore the signs completely. But the second I see his jaw flex, I feel a semblance of victory.
I take my win as an opportunity to move deeper into the room, refusing to back down any more than I have by just showing up.
“Sit down, Leo. You’re making this feel a little too hostile for my taste.”
Without thinking, I let go of a humorless laugh. “You threatened me and took what’s mine.”
“Yes. But I could’ve put a bullet in her head the second she got too close, like her brother. It’s all about perspective.”
I snap my teeth together, biting back every ounce of violence that begs to be let out of its cage.
I stare at him for a second too long, already letting my anger give away my position. I push through it, knowing the only way to get Mia back is for him to stay alive—which is getting harder and harder to do.
Letting go of all the tension building in my chest, I take a seat on one of the couches in the room.
“You know,” Adrian says, settling into a lone chair sitting perpendicular to my seat. “When I first met you, I thought you had potential.”
“No, you thought I’d be easy to manipulate.”
Adrian replies with a half smirk. “I wasn’t entirely wrong. You are letting a pretty woman derail years of hard work.”
“Honestly, she’s the only thing that’s ever made any of this feel worth it,” I reply honestly. It’s a risk being so candid with him, but it works. His smile falters.
He hums to himself, his eyes going dark with whatever sickness is swimming around in that head of his. I keep beating myself up for not recognizing it sooner. But something I once saw as power is slowly dissolving into madness.
“I was hoping that pathetic little spark burned out a long time ago, but I guess I should’ve made a contingency plan.”
I lean forward, scraping a hand down my pant leg. “Where is she, Adrian? I’m getting tired of your little game.”
His gaze lifts lazily back to mine, that irritating grin back in place. “Game? This isn’t a game, Leo. This is a perfectly curated plan, and I simply had to remove the roadblock for things to progress. But if you decide to keep playing along, then I’ll let you have her back.”
I hold his stare, the temperature in the room dropping despite the crackling fire nearby.
I could just kill him. Use the fire poker I’ve been eying and ram it right through his chest until his heart explodes.
But I’m sure Adrian is already anticipating that and no doubt will kill Mia the second I make a move. “Fine. Start talking.”
Adrian settles deeper into his chair. “Enzo Caruso ruined my life long before he ruined yours.”
I shift in my chair uncomfortably, an odd dread settling on top of a pile of other emotions I haven’t had time to digest.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he muses, turning his head toward the fire. “I didn’t know the details of your plan, but I was able to fill in the blanks pretty easily.”
I don’t answer him. I just sit there and press my sweaty palms into my lap, hoping the feeling will ground me.
It doesn’t
“I built the Caruso empire beside him. Handled the money, the routes, and basically all the grunt work for years. Every dirty little thing that made him powerful was all me, and that bastard sacrificed me to the feds as soon as they got close.”
“But he didn’t let you go to prison,” I mutter.
“Maybe,” Adrian smiles bitterly, “but he didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart. He killed Marco Bellini with the promise that I would hide in the shadows until the time was right. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be forced into hiding while another man profits off your hard work?”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer, nor does he want one.
“I played the role he wanted. I didn’t have any other choice.
Changed my nose, got some hair plugs and started to build a life that he deemed useful enough to let me back into the fold.
I became respectable. Untouchable,” Adrian leans forward, his lips crunching together.
“But I was done being his bitch. I was just waiting for an opportunity.”
A chill prickles the back of my neck.
“And then you came along,” he says, nodding to me. “You were the perfect solution. Young, angry, and loyal. Smart enough to dismantle Enzo from the inside, but cocky enough to not realize I was setting you up to take the fall.”
My stomach twists violently. Every confession feels like a sick realization.
“It was all going great until you enlisted the help of that Russo boy. He was smarter than I anticipated, but I always underestimated the Russo family. Except for Mia. That one is something else,” he whistles, his gaze darkening.
“Get to the fucking point,” I growl, unable to choke down the anger.
He smiles and continues his monologue with more enthusiasm than before.
“So, I killed him and decided I could pin the death on you.”
“Why did you call the commissioner then? That kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”
Adrian chuckles lowly. “Framing you only works after you serve your purpose,” he shrugs, his shoulders shaking like he’s laughing at his own joke.
“I still wanted Enzo gone, and despite all your flaws, you were still useful. There was also the issue with Mia. I was still going to pin the murder on you, but when I found out his sister was investigating the case, I knew I wouldn’t be able to buy her off. ”
“You’re a fucking snake.”
“I’ve been called worse,” he replies without an ounce of remorse. “You aren’t faultless in this, Leo. Your anger made you easy to control. Every opportunity you had, I handed it to you on a silver platter. The only thing you did was get my attention in the worst way.”
Adrian stands, walking toward the fireplace. “Once you kill Enzo, the outfit loses its leader, and the police get their murderer,” he says before turning back to me. “And then I step in to stabilize the chaos with clean hands and the kind of influence that Enzo will never see in a million years.”
“And I’m assuming once Enzo’s people learn that I killed their boss—”
“You’ll be killed too,” he smiles, tilting his head enough for the flames to lick up the side of his face. “It’ll probably be after you’re imprisoned for Vince’s death. Not the best way to go, but at least you’ll die knowing you got your revenge.”
The room falls silent. Every part of me is frozen except for my hands that I can’t stop from shaking.
“You were always expendable, Leo,” he says, the darkness of his eyes softening for a moment. “But then your detective uncovered who I was, and you became expendable sooner than I planned.”
I surge to my feet. “If you threaten her again, you’re not leaving this fucking room alive.”
“Relax. Love makes people so weak,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I’ll let her live if you kill Enzo for me.”
I stare at him, taking in the full scope of the monster standing a few feet away.
Fuck. I hope Michael and Dante are doing their job because I don’t believe a word coming out of his mouth.
“Do you really expect me to go through with this?”
Adrian’s lips curl upward. “I think you’ll do whatever it takes to save her.”
Before I can respond, a loud crash happens somewhere above.
Mia.
Both of our heads snap toward the noise, and then all hell breaks loose.