Chapter 68: Chapter 68
Ayanna
“You’re a real valuable bargaining chip,” Marco Rinaldi tells me in the limo. He’s shoved me inside and slammed the door.
The second his driver hits the gas, we’re speeding down the winding graveled terrain that leads up to Massimo’s remote home located in the mountains outside Dresden.
Marco pockets the remote he’s been clutching and lets out a relieved breath. “Glad I didn’t need to blow anybody up. Believe it or not, I didn’t want to kill my cousin.”
“You could’ve fooled me,” I mumble.
“Hey, hey, hey. You ever meet the rest of the goombahs in my family? Matteo resembles porky the pig, and Stefan’s busy knocking old women over if it means he gets a step ahead. Massimo’s always been my favorite. I might’ve hurt him by getting him to drink that brandy, but it was necessary.”
Marco presses one of the buttons on the sleek wooden dashboard in the back of the limo. A panel slides to the right to reveal a built-in minibar. He reaches in to grab a bottle of sparkling water and raises his brows at me. “Thirsty, ballerina?”
“I have a name.”
“Yes, you do. Ballerina.”
“What was wrong with the brandy?”
“Between me and you, it had a certain kind of poison in it. Massimo’s very susceptible considering his heart condition. All part of the experiment. He’s got no clue.”
“What experiment are you talking about?”
“You know. You used to perform for Salvatore and my uncle during the business dinners. Isn’t that why Massimo started dreaming about you? He might not remember it ‘cuz half the time he was drugged out of his mind… but the rest of us do. Massimo’s whole sickness has been used as a means for Disc. co. to develop more medications. More treatments. His father sold him out. Why do you think we were trying so hard to get him to do that treatment in Zurich?”
“And when he left without doing it, you had the doctors come—”
Marco shrugs. “It’s business. Just like this move of mine is.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and force my gaze out the backseat window of the limo. I might’ve chosen to come with Marco, but it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with my hope I was resolving the situation as peacefully as possible.
What other option did I have? Massimo would have fought tooth and nail against his cousin and the men Salvatore had armed him with. He would’ve put himself in more danger.
He’s in no physical health to fight a war against Salvatore and the others.
For as dominant and powerful as he is, he’s no match against his true might.
In a way, Salvatore’s already won.
He has Dad. If he’s sending crews of men to capture me and rigging Massimo’s estate with explosives, then his patience is running out. He’ll murder Dad sooner than later if he doesn’t get what he wants.
It goes against everything Mom and Dad have advised. But I made a snap decision in the spur of the moment that I can only hope works out.
Massimo’s alive and rid of the conflict at his doorstep. Maybe I’ll be able to persuade Salvatore into finally releasing my family from his tyranny, and in turn leaving Massimo be.
I sigh, my heart aching. Half an hour ago I had been flitting around the dance studio, losing myself in the music as I freestyled. Massimo had appeared and I’d felt a beat of passion darting into his arms. I had no idea it would be for a last time…
My eyes close and I lean my head into the cool window glass.
Marco takes notice, sipping from his bottle of sparkling water. “Cheer up, ballerina. I hear Salvatore gets sick of his women pretty fast. Your end’s probably gonna come on quick. Hopefully, it’ll be painless.”
“Stop talking to me.”
“Did you get mouthy like that with my cousin? Don’t let my civilized appearance fool you—I will bitch slap that little pout off your face if I have to. I’d rather deliver Salvatore’s possession unmarked, but respect is respect. He’ll have to understand.”
I ball up a fist in my lap. My mouth stays clamped shut despite my mounting temper. It leaves me flushed and full of pent up tension. I’ve never been an angry person but being forced to sit beside the man that’s taken me away from Massimo brings it out of me.
He won’t shut up as he boasts about his good fortune.
He tells me all about how Salvatore had approached him after their recent sit-down dinner and made a proposition.
“It came as a surprise,” he rambles on. “But Salvatore’s an observant man. He picked up on the dynamics in my family and he could tell I was his best option. I’m levelheaded and reasonable, unlike Massimo and Stefan. I’m not a lazy fuck like Matteo, and I’m no drunk like my Uncle Dominic. He gave me an out, so I took it. I’m looking at it as a job promotion.”
I shoot him a loathing glare. “Do you really think Salvatore’s going to reward you? You’ve proven how easily swayed you are by betraying your family.”
“Some thing’s are worth the risk.”
I’m forced to endure the rest of the limo ride listening to more of Marco’s bragging. At some point, I disappear into my thoughts and filter out anything he has to say.
The drive from Massimo’s estate deep into the city takes us almost two hours. It seems the next time I’m sitting up straight and pulling myself from my headspace, we’re braking outside the Dresden Performing Arts theater.
A building I know all too well.