Page 20 of Love Me (Touch of Death 3)
I put the photos back into the envelope and drive back to the villa.
I find both the sisters in the office. Gabriella sits at the desk, Adelina, on it. The second I step through the door, two sets of eyes are on me. The sisters are similar yet different. Gabriella is all dark eyes and jet black hair to Adelina’s blue and chocolate brown. Gabriella has a severity to her, where her sister dons jeans and a tank top. They’re contradictions.
“Well? Any luck?” Gabriella asks.
I take the envelope from my pocket and hand it to Adelina.
She removes the pictures, her eyes widening ever so slightly. “Sergio Fonzo is scarface,” she breathes. She scans the images, a frown crossing her face.
“He’s been staying at a hotel. The Riviera.”
The concern on her face deepens. “I know it. It’s in the central tourist area, near Maljik beach.”
I nod. “It will make it easier to get near him but harder to kill him without drawing attention.” I look at Adelina. “Anything that happens from here on out will land squarely on your shoulders. If we make this a public debacle, they’ll be forced to push back ten times harder. If they don’t, they’ll look weak. Kill him quietly and they have the opportunity to at least save face where rival families are concerned.”
Gabriella folds her arms over her chest. “Does it matter? War is war. They’ll come for her either way.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. For the head of a mafia family, she lacks the ability to think strategically. I’m just about to open my mouth and explain the basic principle of how to do her job when Adelina speaks.
“He’s right. This needs to be done quietly. That way, if I take over, the family will still seem outwardly united.”
“So they can off you on the inside with very little resistance? No.” Gabriella rounds her father’s desk and comes to stand in front of Adelina. She’s taller than her younger sister, and outwardly, she would seem the more domineering of the two in her smart dress and expensive, designer shoes. She isn’t, though, and I think she’s starting to realize it.
“You have to trust me, Gabi. I know what I’m doing.”
Gabriella scoffs. “You are a child, Lina. You weren’t raised for this.”
“I assure you, whatever innocence I had has been well and truly taken.” Her choice of words has something uncomfortable twisting in my stomach.
Innocence taken. The images that race through my mind, well, I wish that I could dig them out because they bother me far more than they should.
Adelina turns to me, dismissing her sister. “Kill him. Quietly.”
I nod and leave the room, the sound of the sisters bickering still reaching me halfway down the hall. Finally, I can do my job. I’m one step closer to going home. Adelina is one step closer to sitting on a throne she never wanted. And this…confused period in my life can come to an end.
7
Adelina
Sasha is going after Sergio Fonzo tomorrow night. He’s been running surveillance on him for the last two days, and I haven’t seen him. My stomach knots with nerves at the thought of him going after scarface for reasons I can’t explain to myself. He’s a killer. This is what he does. Maybe I’m just worried he’ll get killed before I have the chance to end him. That’s what I try to tell myself anyway.
Of course, as soon as Sasha kills Sergio, Enrique will know something is wrong. He’ll come for me. Maybe I’ll be able to get Sasha to kill him, but I can’t rely on that. Enrique is smarter than I’ve ever really given him credit for. I’m running out of time.
I find myself outside Sasha’s bedroom door without really remembering how I got here. I think I need…a friend. My hand hesitates an inch away from the wood. He’s not your friend. He killed Daddy. In our situation, I go through moments where I almost forget, where I see him the way I did before. A soldier, a savior, a lover. Then I remember, and that festering resentment rises up like a wave, drowning out everything else. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to forget, trying to force it away. I take a step back, my hand falling to my side. No, Sasha is not my friend, no matter how much I might need one.
The floorboard creaks under my foot, and the door flies open. In the blink of an eye, I’m staring down the barrel of a gun. My eyes slide past the weapon to Sasha, heart thrumming in my chest so hard it’s choking me. He won’t shoot me, but basic survival instinct kicks in when a gun is pointed in my face. He lowers the weapon, and I’m met with a fierce glare.
