Chapter 7 - A Mafia Boss's Trust
For six hours, I sat in the locked room, playing the part of a terrified, weeping prisoner.
I paced the floor. I cried into the pillows. I made sure the camera caught every moment of my "despair."
But inside, my mind was racing.
Damien was setting a trap. By pretending to turn on me, he was making Vincenzo believe his plan had worked, making him overconfident.
When midnight struck, the lock on my door clicked open silently.
Damien slipped inside, moving like a shadow. He had disabled the camera loop.
He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling me next to him.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his large hands cupping my face.
"I'm fine," I whispered. "What is the plan?"
"Tomorrow night is the annual Syndicate Gala," Damien explained. "All the heads of the Chicago families will be there. Vincenzo plans to expose you there, proving to the families that I am weak, that I brought a traitor into my home. He will call for a vote of no confidence to strip me of my power and take the throne."
"And what are we going to do?"
"We are going to let him," Damien said, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips. "Because I have been doing some digging of my own."
He pulled a manila folder from his jacket.
"Vincenzo wasn't just trying to kill my sons. He has been skimming from the syndicate's pension funds. He sold out two of our capos to the Feds last year. And the doctor who framed you at the clinic?"
I held my breath. "Yes?"
"He owes Vincenzo two million dollars in gambling debts. Vincenzo forced him to supply the neurotoxin."
I gasped. The web of corruption was so intricate, and my past was tangled right in the middle of it.
"I have all the proof," Damien said. "Tomorrow night, you will come to the Gala as my prisoner. And when Vincenzo takes the stage, we will spring the trap."
He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "It will be dangerous. If things go wrong... bullets will fly. You don't have to do this, Ellie. I can smuggle you out of the city right now. Give you a new identity."
"No," I said firmly, grabbing his hand. "I love Leo and Luca. And..." I swallowed hard, looking at his scarred, handsome face. "I'm not leaving you."
Damien’s breath hitched.
He leaned in, and this time, nothing stopped him.
May you like
His lips captured mine in a kiss that was desperate, hungry, and full of unspoken promises. It tasted of danger and salvation.
"I will burn the city to the ground before I let anyone touch you," he murmured against my lips.
