MAFIA POSSESSION ( Completed)

MOTIVATING YOU

“As my fiancée I’m forced to protect you and clean up after your mess, but if you insist on making me look bad, rest assured that that boy’s life will be short and it will end ugly.” He paused and muttered a curse under his breath. “Learn to deal with the cards you’ve been dealt, Isabella. Sooner or later, you’ll no longer be given a choice.”

My lips tightened into a straight line and my brain struggled to think of a reply. None came and when it didn’t come my eyes started to tear up. Why was I such a girl? My breath quickened and my grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles were white. Was this all I had in me?

“As it is, the only reason apart from his age that he’s still alive is because Marcello said you two were only talking. Let me find out that there is more to the story….you won’t like what I do.” His voice was laced with the promise of a painful death. What scared me the most was the uncertainty of it being directed only towards Alex…perhaps that threat was directed at me too? Would I face death by his hands, the way Sophia had warned?

“I’m a busy man. Is that all you wanted?” He knew the power he held over me— the son of a bitch. I breathed, trying to recover some control over my emotions which seemed to be a hindrance as of late. Why did my heart even feel anything other than hatred towards this asshole? He thought he could manipulate me into doing what he wanted.

“There’s one more thing…Marcello. He hasn’t been around recently, but I would really appreciate it if he disappeared for good.” My voice was still unsteady despite my best efforts to talk smoothly.

“Marcello?” He said the name like it was a question. Perhaps he didn’t know what an ass-wipe his guard dog was. 

“He has made both me and my sister feel incredibly scared and unsafe. When he grabbed my arm, it was painful and it even left a bruise.” It wasn’t a lie. “Even Lucas was pissed and he basically had to come to my rescue from the jerk you sent here to supposedly protect me.”

He made a restrained noise. “He touched you?” His question was dangerously cold-cut ice. Oh-oh, I suppose Marcello hadn’t given him the full details of his little head-to-head with Alex.

“Yes. And everyone shopping at GameStop that day is a witness.” I wouldn’t try to make it seem better than what it was, I wanted Marcello gone and if that meant evoking Anthony’s wrath upon him then so be it.  Better it be focused on the goon then me.

“He neglected to tell me that,” Anthony snarled. In that moment, I knew I had won a small battle. My lips involuntarily curled into a smirk— I could take that. A small victory was a victory nonetheless.

“Will you get rid of him?” Somehow, my valor returned. It was fueled by Anthony’s tightfisted nature when it concerned me. He was so possessive that it almost gave me an unnatural high.

But at Anthony’s next words, my stomach dropped.  “Are you asking me to kill him?” He still sounded royally pissed, but his tone held no objections to the idea, maybe just a bit of curiosity.

“Would you do it if I did?” The question just rolled off my tongue. My eyes shut, bracing myself for his reply. Did I really have that much power? Could a man’s life really be in my hands? Wouldn’t it haunt me forever if my desire for revenge succumbed to this blood-thirst that seemed to taint my family?

Anthony hesitated for only a moment. “I would kill for you, Isabella,” his voice was rich. It made my skin shiver.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and swallowed the saliva that had collected on the back of my tongue. “That’s not what I want.” I said slowly. “I just want him out of my life. Let Allesandro back on my detail, he’s almost like family and he’s never shown any aggression towards me. Him and Lucas managed to keep me alive for 14 years, I’m sure they can manage another 4.”

At that he chuckled low and deep. “I wonder the argument’s we’ll have once you’re grown. You’ll probably only get better at getting your way.”

“I hope so,” I smiled. Knowing most of his anger had now dissipated, the thought of killing someone probably put him in a good mood. I’d have to tuck that bit of information away for later.

“I will let you have this, Isabella, only on one condition.”

Letting myself fall onto my bed, face up, and staring at the celling I frowned. Nothing good could come from making a deal with the devil. Still, I asked, “What’s that?”

“End your friendship with that boy. Don’t question why he is no longer speaking to you. He knows what’s good for him and you should learn it too. Do this and Marcello is gone.”

“And If I don’t? You’d send that asshole back to me?” I asked, trying to play shocked and offended. 

“Marcello has been with me many years, I trust him. He just doesn’t know how to deal with females, I’ve never given him one to protect before.” He didn’t even seem a little concerned.

“Rest assured if he goes back, he’ll never touch you like that again.” His voice became bitter when he said those last words. Like the thought of Marcello touching me wanted to make him hit something.

It made me smile again right before speaking. “Right… so you’re blackmailing me?”

“I’m motivating you.” He sounded amused.

Honestly, what else could I do? Alex knew what my family was, who Marcello worked for, and whatever the goon had told my friend had managed to scare him enough to stop talking to me. Maybe this was all for the best.

Right before all this shit went down I’d been trying to end it romantically with Alex. Maybe this was a way to just end it without major ramifications. Aside from a broken heart, that is. But then then again a broken heart is better than a dead one, right? Anthony was giving me an easy out but somehow it felt like he was winning.

“Okay Anthony, you win. As long as you promise not to hurt Alex and keep your guard dog far-far away, I’ll behave.” I paused for a moment.   “But just so you know, you could motivate me in other ways other than threats and blackmail.” That was more forthcoming than expected. There was more suggestion in that sentence than in anything I had ever said to him.

The sad truth was that he was becoming my obsession and there was a need inside of me to make him aware of it. He had to know, he had to know what he was doing to my heart. And I wanted the power to do the same to his.

“Isabella…” he hesitated, clearly understanding the insinuation but struggling to formulate a response.   “I have to go now. It’s getting late and you’ve kept me on the phone long enough.”  Of every reply anticipated—him just blowing me off had not been one.

“Anthony, come back to bed, it’s cold!” A female voice sounded in the distance. Anthony’s breath quickened and he offered a muffled response, probably covered by his hand so I couldn’t hear it.

In that moment, my heart sunk.  My stomach turned and painful tightness began to swell in my chest. “No…” my voice was a ghost of a whisper but yet I knew he heard it.

He cleared his throat. “I have to go, Isabella.” He was back to being cold cut and ice. Ridding himself of all previous emotion and attachment.

A bitter laugh escaped past my lips. “Of course you do. You’re a busy man. ” I said scornfully. 

There was a moment of silence in which I knew he didn’t know how to respond. What could he say? He had never once denied sleeping around. He just made it seem like it wasn’t important, like I over-reacted and like I was fool to expect him to ever change.

This time, I ended the call. No longer able to hear him speak nor wanting to. The last thing I wanted was to hear him tell me how I was being unreasonable or some stupid shit like that. It wasn’t past him to say it, like he had before.