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I latched onto the anger that this swine dared touch one of my men.
“You have what belongs to me,” I said, keeping my voice level despite the rage boiling inside. “And I have what you want.”
Bonetti’s lips curled into a smirk beneath his mustache—a new feature that did nothing to improve his countenance. He gestured toward a metal folding chair with his free hand, the gun never wavering from Franky’s temple.
“Take a seat.”
I remained standing. “No. I brought the money. Now I’m leaving with my soldier.”
The door closed behind me with a sharp clap.
Franky’s head lolled to the side. His watery gaze fluttered beneath swollen lids. He wasn’t lucid, or he’d be cursing me for walking into this trap.
“Let us go, Rocco,” I hissed.
“Isabella. Beautiful as ever, even when you’re angry,” he said with a shrug. “You’ve been…difficult to reach lately.”
“I’ve been busy.” I nodded toward Franky. “And you’re wasting my time.”
Bonetti chuckled, the sound like gravel in a blender. “You’re not in a position to make demands, Isabella. The briefcase first.”
I lifted the sleek black case. “These unmarked bills say otherwise.”
Bonetti’s eyes glittered coldly. “You misunderstand the situation entirely.”
The gunshot came without warning—a deafening crack that shattered the tense silence. Franky’s body jerked violently, then slumped forward as crimson sprayed across the grimy wall behind him. The bullet had entered just above his right ear, leaving a neat black hole where his life had escaped.
Chapter 49 – Isabella
No.No!
Santa Caterina.
How could he?!
My legs buckled beneath me. The briefcase slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor with a dull thud as the room tilted sideways. Black spots danced across my vision, and a high-pitched ringing filled my ears. I caught myself against the wall, my palm leaving a sweaty print on the peeling wallpaper.
“You—” I couldn’t form words, couldn’t breathe. The air had been sucked from the universe.
“Now.” Bonetti swung the gun at me. “Sit.”
I tripped over my feet and collapsed into the chair. Bonetti came to stand against the rickety table beside me.
Looking down, he said coldly, “Here’s what happens next….”
His words were lost to me, his voice faded away. My gaze snagged on the pool of blood. It flowed out, taunting me that there wasn’t a damn thing that could remedy the situation.
No….A voice whispered through my mind. There was one thing left to do.
Slicing my gaze to Bonetti’s, I fueled my voice with every drop of hate and disgust I felt. “You think you can dictate terms?”
Bonetti’s eyes narrowed. He brandished the pistol. “This says otherwise.”
I drew myself up straight. I would have stood if I trusted my legs to hold me.
“There’s something you should know,” I snapped.
There it was, the smallest of tells. It flickered deep in those ugly brown depths.
