Chapter14.
1215 Words
Alessio's POV.
I'm just about to stand up from behind my desk when there's a soft knock at my office door.
"Yes."
The door opens slowly. Isabella pokes her head around. She looks worried.
"Alessio. There is someone here to see you."
I regard her with a frown between my brows. Why does she look so worried?
"Let them in, Nonetta. Thank you."
She steps aside. A tall, dark-haired man, wearing a dark suit and a badge clipped to his belt, steps into my office. He tips his head at Isabella and thanks her politely. Then he turns his attention to me.
"Alessio Valentini." His voice is steady.
I sit back down behind my desk and tilt my head to the side, amused.
"I assume that this isn't a social call?"
He answers me flatly. I invite him to take a seat, but he shakes his head and remains standing where he is.
"I'm agent Nico DeLuca. DEA. I'm here to make it official. You're under investigation, and I'm not going to stop until I see you behind bars."
Anger and slight concern flash inside me. Why? Why now? What does this man know that I don't? I keep my expression neutral. I can't show him anything. I have to play this close to the vest. I can't show him my hand.
I smile, faintly at him.
"So formal. Did you rehearse that in the car on your way over here?"
He ignores my question. Almost like I didn't speak at all.
"Every dirty deal. Every ounce moved. Every life destroyed. I'm going to pin it all on you, Alessio. You can either make this easy on yourself, or we can do it the hard way. The decision is yours to make."
I lean back in my chair and interlock my hands in front of my chest. I regard him with a cool, unbothered look.
"I'm a big believer in hard work, agent Deluca." I take a beat. "Are you sure that you're ready for this?"
Nico remains cool, but I can see something flash behind his eyes. A sort of steeled determination. Like this is personal to him.
"More ready than you think, Mr. Valentini." He takes a step towards me. "You feel it too, don't you? This familiarity between us?"
I let out a low chuckle. He's right. I do feel it, but I'm not sure what it means, and I'm sure as hell not going to let him know that.
"Maybe I just have one of those faces, agent DeLuca."
"Maybe." His voice is grim. He takes a step back from me. "Or maybe it's destiny putting you in my crosshairs."
I raise both my eyebrows at him. I have to give this man credit for having balls. No officer of the law has ever come at me head-on like this before. I have to admit that a part of me, a very small part, respects him for it.
"Be careful, chasing ghosts, agent. You might find one looking back at you."
Nico turns to leave.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts. I'll see you again real soon, Valentini. You can be sure of that."
The door swings shut behind him with a quiet thud. Silence follows. I stand up to leave again, but then I hear loud, angry footsteps pounding down the hall. Dante storms into my office. He looks angry. He sounds angry. He is angry.
"Who the hell was that? The Feds, huh? And you just sat there, smirking, like it was Sunday dinner!"
I try my best to remain calm.
"He was just doing his job, Dante. And I was doing mine."
Dante's voice rises. His eyes are bulging with anger.
"Your job?! He's putting a target on your back, Alessio! You should have shut him down!"
My voice turns dangerously low.
"And bring heat down on every corner of this city? We don't react out of emotion, Dante. You should know this by now. We calculate our next move. We act smart about it."
Dante begins to pace my office like a caged animal. He has a wild look in his eyes.
"You looked weak, Alessio, again! That's how they get you! First respect, then the whole damn empire comes crashing down around you!"
I rise to my feet, towering over Dante. He stops, turns, and stares at me.
"Don't lecture me about empire, boy! You barely know how to handle your liquor! You still have a long way to go before you have the right to lecture me about running this business and this family!"
Dante and I are now standing face-to-face. The tension between us sizling, about to explode. Then my office door swings open again and Selina steps inside. She's draped in a black silk dress, her eyes sharp and assessing.
"Don't tell me you're fighting over me already, boys?"
Her voice is dripping with pure seduction.
Dante grits his teeth. He addresses Selina, but he doesn't take his eyes off of me for a second.
"Stay out of this, Selina!"
Selina raises a perfectly trimmed eyebrow at him.
"Oh, come on now, Dante. You know me better than that."
She turns her attention to me. "What's going on here, Alessio?"
I take a step back from Dante and start buttoning my jacket.
"It's none of your business, Selina." I answer dismissively as I start heading towards the door to leave. "I've got a meeting with Lily. I don't have time to babysit the two of you."
Dante opens his mouth to protest, but I leave without looking back at either of them. They both stare after me in stunned silence.
Finally, I'm in the car on my way to see Lily. Rain taps against the windshield quietly. The city lights pass in a blur. The weight of everything that just happened settles heavily on me. I become lost in my own thoughts.
Nico Deluca. The name is sharp on my tongue. It feels wrong and right at the same time. Something about the way he looked at me. Like he knew me. Like I should've known him. But that's not possible.
I exhale a slow, steady breath.
And Dante... The hot-headed little bastard! He's got too much fire and not enough mind. He really thinks that a wild temper like his will keep this empire standing. He knows nothing! He's a danger to himself and to me, and to this entire family!
I growl under my breath.
If he doesn't wise up soon, he won't just bring the entire house down, he'll be buried under it!
Then there's Selina. Always hovering. She was supposed to leave after one night, but now I can't seem to get rid of her. She's up to something. I'm sure of it. I just don't know what it is yet, and I don't want to waste my time trying to figure it out right now.
Now is for Lily. Sweet Lily. The only place I can breathe without looking over my shoulder. Where the world fades and the only thing I see is her. Her light bleeding into my darkness.
Just a few hours. Just a little while. Then I'll go back to being the man they expect me to be. Cold, calculating, and unbreakable.
But not right now.
- Writer
