Chapter 9

Unspoken Desires - Chapter 9

Damian

The flashing red and blue lights painted everything in chaos. The cops had the entire perimeter roped off, trying to keep the press at bay. The coroners moved with grim efficiency, loading the last of the bodies into a van. They were in for a long night.

The injured were long gone, rushed away in screaming ambulances that left behind the stench of blood, smoke, and adrenaline.

I stood near the wreckage of the café, my boots crunching over shattered porcelain and glass. The air still tasted metallic.

Gabby had been their target, and if Matt hadn’t seen all of Svetlana’s plans, and brought them back with him, we never would have known the real reason why this happened.

“Everyone, over here!” Luca’s voice cracked like a whip through the noise.

We all stopped with we were doing and turned to look at him. He stood in the center of it all, radiating fury, barely holding himself together. His hand was clenched so tightly I thought he would crush the phone he was holding.

As I started walking over, something caught my eye. Vincent. He had Max by the collar, one hand fisted tight around his throat, just for a second. But he let it go. Max stumbled back half a step, brushing his neck like it was nothing, like it hadn’t even happened.

I blinked, not sure if anyone else saw it. Max didn’t look shaken at all. I knew something has happened because I could feel the power shift in the room.

“Take whoever you need,” Luca snapped as we closed in around him. His eyes locked on each of us like he was daring us to object. “Do whatever it takes. I want this handled, now. I want everyone involved rounded up and brought before me. I want them all gone.”

“Luca,” Matt stepped in, his voice barely getting through the tension in the room. He was calm but sharp and focused. “I need to show you something, and then we all need to talk. You need to see what I uncovered while chasing Svetlana.”

Matt glanced around the group and then kept going. “Her plans are back at H2H. I didn’t bring them with me. But this attack; it wasn’t random. It was outlined in there. We just didn’t know who ‘the girl’ was. But now, everything that happened here, it all fits.”

Gabby was the girl. And luckily Matt left out the ‘Fatman’ part. Smart, because I don’t think Mario was in the mood to take a joke.

“Let’s regroup at H2H,” I said, already thinking three moves ahead. “Everyone heads straight over there. We will go through everything, piece by piece so we don’t miss anything or get blind sided again. Figure out how to stay ahead of this. And how to strike back.”

Then I turned toward Max. He was already watching me like he knew what was coming. “Hey,” I said. “We need you on this. Your tactical skills are advanced, and we need every edge we can get.”

His jaw tightened. I knew he was ready. You could tell he was taking this personally.

“No!” Mario’s voice thundered behind me. Everyone turned, and Mario stepped forward, furious, nearly shaking. “He’s not coming.”

The silence in the room hit like a punch. Even Luca looked at him, confused. “Mario, you can’t mean that. We need him”

“He stays out of it,” Mario said again, more controlled but still burning. “I don’t want him involved, at all.”

Max didn’t show any reaction. He just stared straight ahead, his expression now unreadable.

Suddenly, I was sure of two things:

One - we couldn’t get through this without Max’s help.

Two - whatever was going on between Mario and Max, it was furthering the cracks in the familia. The Traditionalist versus the Capo.

__________

Sareena

The closing shift at the clinic always left me tired but tonight felt heavier. The waiting room had been full all day, patient after patient. It never quieted.

As I walked to my car, I pulled out my phone for the first time since morning. Only one message. From Damian.

Damian: ‘Hit at the café, by Columbia University. I’ll be out all day and may not make it home until really late. Might not make it home at all. Please go to the condo. Please don’t stay at the house alone.’

My heart skipped. A hit at Columbia University. Not coming home. I swallowed hard. That couldn’t be good. Gabby goes to Columbia.

I backed out of the parking lot and immediately called Gabriella. Straight to voicemail.

I frowned and tried again. Same thing, so I left a voice message. “Hey, it’s me,” I said softly after the beep. “Just checking in. Damian said that there was a hit at the café by your school. Call me when you get this, okay?”

Once I got to Damian’s penthouse, I took a few minutes to talk to the concierge and then let myself into his unit. It was dark and quiet, but familiar. It felt safe. I dropped my bag just inside the door.

After what happened in Vegas, I’d spent so many nights here, trying to outrun the shadows. I knew I’d start feeling safe in our new home eventually too, but Damian hasn’t had the chance to finish upgrading the security yet. For now, this was better.

Thinking of the past made me realize I hadn’t spoken to Sophia since our birthday. I wanted to check in and ask how her dinner went. She deserved the happiness, even though I wished she would have found it with anyone else. I also wanted to make sure she was okay after hearing about what Matthew uncovered and told Damian.

When I dialed, it went straight to her voicemail. And a sinking feeling started forming in the pit of my stomach. Sophia and Gabriella always answer, even if they are busy. Even if it is to just say they will call back when they can.

I shook it off and headed to the shower. They’d call me when they got the chance.

After a long, hot shower, I curled up on the couch and flipped aimlessly through the channels. I glanced down at my phone again. Still nothing. No calls, and no texts.

“Maybe I should call Nono,” I said quietly to myself. “He should be in Tuscany by now.”

I dialed the villa directly, and after a few rings, the housekeeper answered.

“Pronto?”

“Hi, it’s Sareena. Is my Nono there?”

“No, Signorina… we’ve been waiting all day, but no one has come. We thought maybe… the plans, they had changed?”

My throat tightened. “No. They were supposed to be there hours ago.”

“Mi dispiace, Signorina… the car, it has come back after waiting many hours. We were expecting them for dinner, you see.”

I murmured a thank you and hung up. Then I just sat there. Phone in hand. Heart racing. A dread settling into my chest. Something wasn’t right.

Panicking, I texted Damian: ‘Gabriella won’t answer my calls, and neither will Sophia. And Nono, he hasn’t made it to the villa in Tuscany yet. Damian, what is going on?’

No response from anyone. Just a letter that was slid under the front door.