I crossed my arms, carefully observing. A slight amount of compassion fell over me for Hale once I saw Gabriella knee him down there. She left him crouching down on the ground, before walking towards the one who held the bat.
Before she reached for it, lots of cars began to appear through the driveway. They all surrounded the ones that were around the two of them. I stepped back after watching how each one of the drivers stepped out of the cars, aiming guns at them.
As I stood beside Xavier, I observed how she froze and looked around. Her expression showed frustration once she realized the situation she was in. The circle of men that accompanied her pulled out their guns, aiming them at Hale, who had grabbed her from behind. But so did the ones that surrounded her men.
At this point, if one of them pulled the trigger, they'd start a whole war right here and I'd probably lose my chance to confirm my suspicions of Gabriella being the other target whoever's-been-plotting-against-me mentioned. Wait-
I turned back to look at Xavier, who closed my car's passenger's door closed once he left my mother inside. Seeing what was happening, and what I was about to do wouldn't do anything but disturb her even more. Xavier raised an eyebrow at my next words.
"Bring the rest of our men, and quick." I ordered, quiet enough so only he could hear while my eyes remained glued to the scene in front of me. He slowly nodded his head before complying.
A few moments later, I felt a few presences behind me. Without sparing them a look, I reached for the gun in my waistband before muttering. "Counter arrest the Americans. On my signal."
Without another word, they all began to spread out, guns in hand. The rest of the group seemed to be oblivious to our actions, except one. As I sneaked undetectably around them, my eyes met a pair of emerald green ones which reflected in the lamp posts that surrounded the area. If I'm being honest, the way she stood so calmly and the way her eyes bore into mine seemed- majestic, like out of those movies Xiomara spends most of her time watching- wait, the hell am I thinking-
I hid behind the red Porsche's open door, watching how both Hale and Gabriella's backs faced me. After waiting for a quick moment, I gave an approving nod.
My men began to appear behind the Americans, wrapping their arms around their necks and placing their guns around their temples. The Spaniards seemed to notice this, a confused look appearing on their faces. But that look was washed off when I slowly walked over to Hale.
His eyes widened as I grabbed his shirt, yanking him away from Gabriella. The scowl he already wore grew even more once he noticed it was me, placing my gun right in his neck.
Gabriella turned around, facing us. The proximity between the both of us was barely a few inches, with Hale in the way. I managed to get a good look at her face, especially her eyes. They seemed to capture my attention ever since I first saw them.
"You traitors!" Hale exclaimed, his breathing growing heavy each second that passed. At this, Gabriella scoffed.
"Well, you wouldn't be in this situation if you knew how to lose and how to keep your snake in your trousers." Sarcasm and rage laced every single one of her words as she grabbed his hair, pulling his head back. She leaned down to whisper in his ear, but due to the close gap between us, I managed to hear her clearly. "You're going to pay for what you did to my sister."
I started connecting the dots. "Knew how to lose", "snake in your trousers", "what you did to my sister". Gabriella mentioned having a sister earlier, and the picture I saw of Hale dragging a girl was the same girl that walked in with Gabriella, and she confirmed that she was her sister back when we were going to play Poker- I remember Hale saying "why don't you play for me, in the bedroom"- oh shit-
I watched as she walked back towards one of her men, yanking the handkerchief of his blazer. She straightened it, before walking back. Her shoulder brushed mine as she wrapped her arm around his head, gagging him with it.
Finally, she looked up at me. "I'd love a word with you." She said before signaling for one of her men to walk over.
As he did so, she stepped back, allowing him to grab Hale by the back of his neck. "He's coming with us to Spain, so lock him up. There he'll see what's waiting for him." She ordered, watching as he was now being pushed away before turning to the rest of the men. "You know what to do."
After she turned to me, my eyebrows raised in amusement as each and every one of her men turned around and pulled the trigger to their guns. The Americans fell limp to the floor, blood splattering everywhere.
"Now, a word?" I suggested, ignoring the mess behind her. She fixed her dress before those intoxicating green eyes made contact with me.
"Follow me." She replied, beginning to walk back where the jets were. As I began to follow her, I noticed how she was leading me to her jet.
It looked even more luxurious in the inside than I imagined. She gained my attention once she cleared her throat. I sat across from her while she reached for a bottle of wine. "I think we've never managed to finish our conversation, but it seems like I have more to discuss..." She started after a sigh escaped her lips.
"I'm listening."
"About what you mentioned earlier, yes. My purpose of coming to this event was to find someone. In this case, the person behind the situations I told you about." She added while pouring wine in two glasses. The next thing she said caused me to raise my eyebrows in a slight surprise. "And... I appreciate the help earlier with the Americans, Mr. D'Amico."
I slowly nodded my head before replying. "I just remembered that if you got annihilated, I wouldn't be able to have the talk I've been wanting to have with you."
This caused her to squint her eyes at the glass of wine she handed me. She looked back up at me when I continued. "But I would like to ask you what amount of money you require to stay silent, and not tell anyone about the shooting that-" Before I kept going, I cut myself off, not wanting to elaborate.
"Actually, what do you want, so you stay silent and not tell anyone about Hale's capturing, or the situation with my sister?" She responded, giving me a suggestive look while slowly sipping from her glass.
We remained silent for a moment, just observing each other's expressions. She seemed conflicted, but at the same time she gave me the impression that she was ready to let go of anything I asked for. As if she needed it. On the other side, her eyes met mine, giving me a questioning look from her seat.
To me, it was clear now that she was the person I had come looking for. And I needed her help, as much as she needed mine.
After another silent moment, I fixed my dress shirt's sleeves before looking up at her, who had her eyes fixed on my movements. I couldn't believe what I was about to say. I had never needed anyone except myself, I'd always rely on myself, and no one else.
After I cleared my throat, she hummed in response. Making it clear she was listening. "How about..." I began, watching as she raised an eyebrow.
"How about we make a deal?" I spoke in a suggestive tone. She gave me an amused look. One I questioned.
"You, want to make a deal with me?" She replied nonchalantly. I checked my watch before paying her attention. 2:23am. My sleep schedule's really fucked. It always is- but anyway-
"Yes, actually. I think it will be good for both parties, and any type of secret will be kept between us." I added, extending my hand as Gabriella began to refill our glasses with the swirling red wine.
"What are you exactly suggesting, Mr. D'Amico...?" She spoke after me, placing the bottle of wine down on the table that separated the both of us.
"You know exactly what, Miss Díaz."
I sighed, knowing where all this was going. At this, his eyebrows furrowed while he gave me the same questioning look once again. From my point of view, it seems like he's suggesting we team up, and resolve the unpleasant issues we've both been facing. But we were both trapped, each one of us holding a secret that could easily be used for blackmailing, or even attacks.
"So, what do you say, signorina Díaz?" He asked, his sharp Italian accent snapping me out of my thoughts.
[miss]
It would be beneficial, having the Italians on our side. One of the reasons I had come to the Masquerade was to make at least one new alliance, since the Americans threatened to end our contract. But by now, I'll be the one ending it, and making sure I rip it to shreds. After what their leader did to my sister, I'm not taking anymore chances. If I have to destroy their reputation and Mafia, I will. I'm tired of all this crap already.
I had to recognize that the man sitting across from me could be the key to succeeding. I'd be providing him with the assistance he might be needing, based from what I saw when he showed me those pictures on his phone a few hours ago. Something in me, my gut, told me that what awaited wasn't anything good.
My eyes fell on the glass of wine in my hand. This wine, made from the grapes that survived that fire. That's what I'm doing right now. Surviving. I felt like I had stopped living once I began to lose everything. Now I'm just dealing with all the open wounds. Ones that haven't stopped bleeding ever since they were created, no matter how hard I tried to heal them. I felt like my fate was destined to be one where I'd always feel that aching pain in my chest, along with that void of emptiness that once used to be full of happiness, of love, and faith.
I doubt I will ever feel what I once felt.
Life broke me, and that's all it's been doing ever since all this started. It crushed me, along with my hopes of ever seeing my family in one piece. All I have now is Isabella, Mateo, Aurora, Denise and Nathan. That is my family. The ones I'm willing to protect, even if it costed me my life. Just the way I said it when I vowed I'd give my life for this Mafia. I was born into this, and I'm willing to die in this too. I had already started to see death- not as an enemy, but as an ally. Even if we had hell marked on our foreheads, just letting us know a place awaited there with our names.
I didn't know from where I was gaining all the strength that held me together, but I just knew it wasn't mine. That pain in my chest, the one that made my hands tremble, was one that made my knees feel like giving up on me, and my feet to fail to keep me standing. I wanted to cry, scream, punch and break anything that crossed my path. I had lost my rocks. My parents, the ones who showed me an incredible amount of love and appreciation. And Isabella, all I had left from them, was slowly breaking too.
But that strength held me together, it forced me to become my own rock, and hold my sister together. If I let her go, I'm afraid I'd lose everything else I had, along with the last glimmer of hope that illuminated my heart.
My jaw clenched as I made eye contact with Angelo, who gave me a stern look while waiting for my answer. I extended my hand towards him, his own grasping mine after my next words.
"Deal."