"Excuse me Sir," I looked up with a frown to find my secretary, Anita, looking up at me from her standing position at the door. She knew I hated interruptions like this and that no one could see me without an appointment. "It's Alex and he said it's really important." She added quickly.
I sighed and gestured to her to let him in. She went back out and shut the door behind her. Shortly after, the door opened and Alexio, my man in the police force, stepped in. For someone in my kind of business, having eyes and ears in the police force goes a long way in making some things really easy."Why are you here Alexio? It's not that time of the week, or is it?" I asked, pushing away the pile of paperwork in front of me and clearing a space for my outstretched arm on the table. Once again, I gestured for him to take his seat and he obliged."You need to hear this Dante. I had to come tell you myself because I have never heard that you slipped up during a job, that's so unusual." He said with a smirk."Get to the point, what are you talking about?" I snapped, already losing patience. "I have a lot of work to do, so don't waste my time.""You know, for a man as good-looking as you are, you have no sense of humor. Anyways, we got a tip about the murder that happened last night." My eyes twitched at his words, at this point, he had my undivided attention."What do you mean by that? I asked them to get rid of the body." I said through clenched teeth. I really despised it when my men couldn't follow through with simple orders."Well... Turns out they didn't and someone called the police this morning when they found the body.""Let me just show you." He added and pulled out his phone and turned the screen towards me.A video began to play. I recognized the alley where I had killed that bastard immediately but I had ensured that my men and I avoided any CCTV cameras last night so they couldn't have gotten any evidence to link me with the murder."What's this about?" I asked, impatiently."Relax and keep watching." Alexio replied, as if on cue, I spotted a young lady walking down into the alley. She seemed to be searching for something, the camera lost sight of her as the darkness enveloped her. I looked up at Alexio, confused, he fast forwarded the video to the part where that same lady ran out of the alley and then paused the video."You still don't get it?" He asked. "This video was taken last night, the time matches the time the murder happened and you saw the way she ran back out, she must have seen something that scared her." I looked up sharply at him."Have they found her already?" I asked."No, but they would soon. Someone sent in the video and I can bet my life that it was Antonio's men. They are seriously searching for her. This morning, my boss asked me to run her through the data base and nothing much came up. She isn't really active on social media, and has no criminal record. The only records we have of her are those from high school and college. She now works in a bookstore. I got her address but when I got there, the whole house had been turned upside down.""Antonio!" I hissed, he had to be behind this. Alexio nodded."My man in the Cappellos house informed me that the girl has not been found, so I have come to inform you that you need to find her. That girl is the only person that can link you to the crime. If she saw you, then she must not end up with Antonio. The police are on the case already but there are no match for your resources and Antonio's.""Good job Alexio, see if you can slow them down. I would get my men on it immediately." He nodded and left after sharing the footage with me. I sent the video to Marco (my right-hand man) with orders that the girl in the video should be found immediately.I sank deeper into my seat, my eyes glued on the screen of my laptop as the video continued to play. When the part where she ran out of the alley came on, I paused the video to get a good look at her.Her hair was kohl-black and it bounced off her shoulders in waves as she ran. She was dressed in a pair of washed out jeans and a baggy shirt that restricted me from getting a good look at her body, but even with the outfit, one could tell that she had a sculpted figure which was twine-thin. I wondered what a woman like her was looking for in the alley last night, but that wasn't the issue now.If Antonio found her before I did, he would use her against me, he would make a huge case out of last night and watch me take a shameful fall. Antonio Cappello is the leader of the second largest and second most powerful mafia in Verona and he hates that title. He wants to be first and has been at war with me for ages to get that title.I had hated his gang since birth. Antonio's father had brutally murdered my father right before my eyes and did unspeakable things to my mom. I had fought my way to the top and ensured that I reduced the Cappellos' influence in Verona to second place.Left to me, I would have totally gotten rid of them, but the Cappellos have built a solid foothold in Verona, a legacy that would take years to topple over.The rivalry between our gangs has lasted for years and it didn't help matters that the man I had shot last night in the alley is Antonio's only son...This meant only one thing: WAR! And even though Antonio doesn't have any evidence to prove that it was me, he must know, just like anyone else, that no one in Verona has the balls to kill his son except Dante Marino and he would stop at nothing to make sure that I paid for that.That's the reason he is after the woman in the video. She is the key to his first step in getting revenge.But I am not going to let that happen. It's not the war that scares me but the things we both stand to lose if both gangs go to war. The Cappellos bite harder than they bark and I wasn't going to put everything I had built on the line because of a son he raised without manners.I was still trying to wrap my head around what kind of situation Alessia had gotten herself into when my phone buzzed beside me on the couch. I had just managed to get Alessia to go to sleep even though I knew she was just pretending to be asleep. I decided to let her be. I picked up my phone and tapped on the message icon that had just popped onto the screen.My eyes scanned through the properly written message in just a few seconds. I couldn't believe my eyes. I tried to take a look at the number that sent the message but the sender had hidden his or her number. How did they get my contact? How did they know about me? I asked myself, but then I remembered the news I had watched earlier. The man that had been murdered in that alley last night was the only son of Antonio Cappello, a ruthless gang leader that controlled some underground businesses in Verona.So Yes! Alessia had gotten involved with some really big shots.I swallowed hard as I read through the message again. Whoever th
I tapped my feet impatiently as I waited for Marco to arrive. He had left early this morning to finalize the deal he had made with a friend of that girl. According to the update I received from Alexio, the girl only had one friend other than her uncle in Verona. With her uncle missing, then her best friend must know where she is.Alexio got information that Antonio had found out about her friend and reached out to her. They made a deal but Marco was quick to offer double the price and the girl had agreed without a fuss. It wasn't surprising in any way, it was how the world worked. Even a family would betray you for money. Marco knew that and used it to our advantage.I was waiting in my study when my phone buzzed, it was Marco informing me that they had arrived and were in the underground room where we conducted certain businesses. I was still dressed in a sweat shirt and trousers since it was still early in the morning.I hurried downstairs and went outside. I went past the garden
I sat on the bed with my hands wrapped around my legs. I looked like a mess; my hair was all tangled up, and my face looked puffy. I stared into the large mirror in front of the bed; my reflection was a replica of my emotions.I had screamed my lungs out when that man had flung me over his shoulders and brought me here. I had heard him turn the lock the moment he stepped out so I knew that there was no getting out of this one.They had not mentioned anything about my uncle, and that is even scarier. I just need someone to tell me that he is alright; that would at least prevent me from going crazy. I couldn't stop wondering about where they could be keeping him and what they could have done to him. I would never forgive myself if anything happens to him.How did I get tangled up in all this? I asked myself. How did they find me? The last thing I remember was when I was in Bianca's kitchen; I had something to eat and then... and then...I couldn't believe it! It was all beginning to m
Marco pulled up in my Audi RS7 to pick me up from work. I stepped out of the building where I had just finished my last meeting for the day. One of my security men ran up to the car and opened the door for me; I stepped inside, and he closed it gently. Marco, who was in the front seat, turned on the ignition and drove out immediately.I picked up my tablet to check my messages and mail; an email notification popped up on my screen. It's from Alexio.That's weird, I thought. I clicked on it and scanned through, I frowned at the content."Why did Alexio send me a police report?" I asked out loud."The men we sent to Bianca's house were arrested," Marco replied, his eyes glued to the road."You mean Alessia's friend? What about that? Why... Why were they arrested?""When they arrived at her place on your orders, they found her dead. Someone killed her, and before they could get out, the police had already surrounded the place. Apparently, the neighbors had called the cops when they hear
"He is a murderer!" A voice yelled inside my head as I paced back and forth in what is now my room, chewing nervously on my nails. He had shot those men without a second thought and had easily asked Marco to get rid of the bodies without hesitation.What am I still doing here? I can't keep living like this; one day, he might wake up and decide to kill me too. Marco had mentioned that his generosity doesn't last long, and I don't want to be here when it wears off.I have to get out of here. It's bad enough that I witnessed the murder in the alley, but now that I've seen this one, he might not let me walk out alive. I've seen too much. My heart rate increased, and my palms turned sweaty."Oh, Ally! What have you gotten yourself into?" I cried out. The image of Dante with a gun kept flashing before me. The fact that he could easily kill me and dispose of me like he had done with the others terrified me. I can't just wait around for him to decide my fate.Looking around, my eyes settled
I had been in my room for hours now. No one came in, and I couldn't go out even if the door was unlocked. The maids had not brought me anything to eat, so I was expecting them to show up very soon.A loud bang erupted from downstairs. It startled me, but I dismissed it as nothing. Then it came again, louder, closer, and more frequently. I stood up from my bed and hurried to the window. I pushed the curtains aside and was about to put my head out when the door opened, and Rosa rushed in. She spotted me at the window and protested vehemently."No, Ally, stay away from the windows," she pulled me away and quickly escorted me to the bed, "just stay put until I come back, do you understand?" I nodded."What's going on?" I asked."Nothing! It's just the usual, but don't leave this room, okay?""Okay," I replied, and she hurried back out, this time she turned the lock. I sat on my bed, waiting for any sound or anything that would signify what's going on, but nothing. Suddenly, I heard the
I paced around in the hallway nervously as I waited for Rosa to come out of her room; she had been in there for the past hour with the unconscious Alessia. Alessia didn't look like she was hurt when I brought her to Rosa, but she appeared so pale, and that scared the hell out of me.We had been in a meeting with the board members of the new company I had successfully merged mine with, when Marco rushed in with news that Antonio's men were attacking the house. Normally, I wouldn't have been bothered; I would have just asked them to get rid of them and stay somewhere else for the next couple of days. But this time, I jumped to my feet and rushed out."Where is Alessia?" I asked him immediately. Marco assured me that Rosa would ensure she remained in her room. We had barely made it to the car when Rosa called from the panic room that Antonio's men had made it past the gate, and our men couldn't hold them off much longer.I ordered the driver to step on it, and when we arrived and fou
Marco wouldn't stop nagging about how I had suddenly gone soft when it came to the girl. He claimed it would cost us dearly if we didn't get rid of her. I tried to calm him down while we waited in the living room for Rosa to assist Alessia downstairs. She had just woken up, and I had ordered Rosa to get her ready for the trip."Where are you going to take her?" Marco asked. I didn't respond, and that only aggravated him more."This is bad, Dante. Really bad. You're not even paying attention to what is important. The Bianca case has not been settled; the police are trying to pin it on you because your men were at the scene. Alexio is the only reason they haven't asked you to come to the station for questioning." I looked up sharply at him."Why has no one mentioned this to me before?" I asked, and he glared at me."Because you are not paying attention. When was the last time you checked your emails? If you had checked them recently, you would have seen Alexio's report on the matter."