Gabriele’s POV
My aura immediately changed and I would have pounced on him if not for Arianna’s tight grip on my hand.
Anger boiled within me. For all, I knew Brett could have been responsible for the attack. How else did he find out about this?!
The news just got out a few hours ago. He couldn’t have left the US at that time and taken a flight to Italy only to be here now. It made no sense!
The only logistical explanation was that he left as soon as I did which was impossible because the news wasn’t out yet.
Arianna’s hold on my hand tightened once more and I had to forcefully peel my eyes off the annoying man by the door and drop them to meet her soft orbs.
“Gabriele, please… Trust me,” she whispered and I felt all of my barriers break.
I couldn’t refuse her.
I didn’t want her to think I didn’t trust her. I would have explained my doubts to her but Brett was right in the room and I didn’t want him to think there was a crack between us.
“Let me handle him, please,” she added and a frown sat on my face.
There was no way I was going to leave her in a hospital room with Brett alone!
“No, Arianna…” I hissed out.
But she held my cheek and my anger started melting. My bones weakened and I couldn’t bring myself to defend myself.
“Baby, trust me… Please,” she added in a whisper.
My shoulders slumped but she had placed me in a tight position. I had to either forcefully protect her and she was probably going to hate me or -I could just trust her this once.
Besides, Brett would be stupid to try anything here. If he hurt her, he was going to die horribly.
“Fine,” I gritted out begrudgingly. “If you need anything, press the red button by your bed and he is dead,” I whispered to her.
I placed a kiss on her temples and started heading out. Brett had a smug satisfactory look in his eyes and it took every control nerve in my body not to punch the look off his face.
I got close enough to his ear and stopped to whisper.
“If anything happens to her while you are here… I am going to pour hot boiling oil on your testicles before killing you with my bare hands.”
The smug look immediately wiped off and a grin sat on mine. At least now he knew that whatever he was thinking had to be aborted.
I walked out of the room and found Agostino holding a struggling Basilio. The moment my godfather saw me approaching, he let Basilio go and faced me.
“What’s going on?” I asked in irritation. They had been here bickering about unimportant things and Brett had come into the hospital and even had the guts to come into Arianna’s ward!
“Angelo, calm down…”
“What the fuck is there to calm down about?! This was the very thing you were doing when the house got attacked!” I spat out in anger.
The hall suddenly went silent as the air shifted. My godfather’s eyes darkened and he croaked smile sat on his face.
“Arianna needs to know that you love her enough to trust her… And what you just did back there proves that! Do you understand?” He said with a voice that echoed against the walls.
I could tell he was angry but he still wanted to lecture me. I understood the concept behind it but it still pissed me off that they let him come in the first place.
“If he didn’t come in there, I wouldn’t have been placed on the test!” I hissed out. “For all, we know that bastard might be involved in the attack! How else did he get here so fast?”
“Yes, Fratello! That was exactly what I told him. America is twelve hours away! How did he freaking get here when the press just got the news released a couple of hours ago!”
One look at Basilio and I got the reason why Agostino was holding him back. He probably tried to stop that bastard too.
“I understand you two but you need to know that the men behind that attack are already in my cell and even if Brett was involved, don’t forget he is her friend! You do not want to cause your lover emotional trauma!” My godfather spat.
His anger flew through our bones but I was too stubborn to apologize.
“I am going to your cell to speak to those criminals!” I mumbled and Basilio pulled himself away from Agostino.
We started walking away but I stopped and stared at him. “Since you trust that Bastard so much, please make sure he doesn’t hurt a single hair on my Arianna!” I spat.
Agostino kept a straight face as he nodded.
I know he wanted me to apologize for raising my voice at him hit I ignored his anger and walked away.
The cars were waiting at the parking lot. Basilio and I took the same vehicle.
“Take us to Agostino’s house, now,” Basilio said. Without being told he knew where we were headed and what was needed.
“Did any of the women make it out alive?” I asked as the car zoomed off into the streets in direction of Agostino’s underground home where he had his cells.
“Everyone is safe… Arianna was the only casualty…”
From his response, it was clear that this was an intentional attack not just on my household but on my woman. Why was she the only one injured?
“They are currently in the mansion in Naples,” he said.
I was quiet at this point as I considered what Arianna had requested. I want concerned about the other women. I had no feelings for them. Letting them go wasn’t even a big deal for me… My hesitation came when I had to drop the mafia.
I had to protect her somehow. But how could I protect her when I didn’t have the loyalty of the local gangs? What if they decided to hurt her to get revenge?
“Is there something you will like me to do?” Basilio asked seeing the intense look in my eyes.
I took a deep breath and turned my eyes away from the window.
“Yes, I want you to set them free,” I said.
“Free?” He stared at me like I had grown a second cock on my forehead.
“Arianna wants a simple life… That’s what I will give her. Set them free. Anyone who has nowhere else to go can remain in the said mansion… Pay them some money and let them go back to their lives…”
Basilio’s eyes were now bigger than saucepans. He blinked hard, hoping he would be able to somehow detect if this was a dream or if it was truly happening.
“I know that I have always wanted you to stop but… We are really close to catching Gianni Gabriele. Are you sure you want to let this opportunity slip?” Basilio asked in an urgent voice.
It was a big request seeing how much I have tried to avenge my mother and sister in the past year. But to what extent? I couldn’t let my life revolve around Gianni and his plans…
If I was going to avenge my family, I couldn’t do it at the expense of my love.
“I need to protect Arianna. I don’t need to chase after Gianni anymore. Let the men off,” I said.
The only people that were going to get the worst treatment of their lives were those men who had dared attack my woman in her sleep!
“Okay Fratello,” Basilio breathed out. “I will support whatever decision you make,” he said.
The rest of the ride was silent as we drove down to Agostino’s underground home.
When we finally got there, the guards let us in and one designated himself as our beacon. He led us straight to the men we wanted to see.
“Have they said anything yet?” I asked as placed the key into the lock.
“We have tried all methods of torture, sir… They are ready to die with the secret,” The man said.
“There has to be one of them that would slip,” Basilio insisted. “Let me try them out…”
“Of course, they are all yours,” he said as he pulled the door open.
Three men were sprawled on the floor bare-chested. Their clothes were torn and wet, signs that they had been tortured properly. Yet they refused to talk.
They were determined to die for their cause. But I was also determined to kill for Arianna’s safety.
“I will make this easy… Tell me who sent you and I will let you go!” I growled glaring daggers into their pale bodies.
They didn’t twitch or cry. They just maintained straight bodies like I hadn’t just spoken to them.
But I noticed something wrong with their current position. I moved closer and reached the first man.
The lifelessness in his eyes was the first thing I noticed and then I saw the white foamy substance in their mouths.
Fuck!
“These fools are dead!”