Page 72 of Ivory Obsession
“Already on it,” Salvatore muttered, his fingers drumming on the table as he mentally sifted through the intricacies of Caruso’s empire.
I turned to Luca. “Double the men around businesses Caruso has targeted. I want eyes everywhere, no corner left unchecked.”
“Salvatore,” I called out, making sure my authority resonated with each syllable. “Start pulling the strings. We need everyone on high alert, but not a word to anyone outside this room.”
“Got it,” Salvatore confirmed.
“Caruso made it personal,” I murmured into the silence, a vow hanging in the air, poised between the shadows and the light. “He’ll regret it.” With every fiber of my being, I committed to the path laid out before me.
“What about your girlfriend?” Marco asked.
The capos shifted uneasily, their eyes locked on mine as I made my next declaration. I didn’t want to correct him. I didn’t want to tell him that Jade had never been my girlfriend, and if she had been, she certainly wasn’t anymore.
“Jade needs to be protected round the clock. Increase her surveillance, but keep it invisible. Caruso can’t know we’re onto him,” I ordered, feeling the weight of each word as they left my lips. Jade’s image flashed through my mind—her dark hair, her focused gaze—a reminder of why this was more than just business.
“Got it, Dante,” Marco said, his nod resolute. He understood what I didn’t say; keeping Jade safe was a task that went beyond loyalty—it was about protecting someone who could change everything for us, for me.
“Make sure it’s done discreetly. No mistakes,” I added, locking eyes with each one of them in turn. The gravity of the situation settled heavily in the room, an unspoken acknowledgment that our actions now could mean life or death.
“Anything happens to her, it’s on us,” Luca muttered, his usual stoicism giving way to the seriousness of the matter at hand. Protecting Jade wasn’t just a strategic move in a war against Caruso; it was personal, and each man in the room knew the stakes.
“Let’s get to work then,” I concluded, watching as they filed out of the room, each man carrying a part of the burden that now rested on all our shoulders. Alone now, I allowed myself a moment to consider the depth of my feelings for Jade, the intensity of which both surprised and concerned me. But there was no time for hesitation; actions were needed, not emotions.
And with that, I set into motion the gears of a machine designed to protect, to serve, and to avenge. For Jade, for the family, and for the future I dared to envision—one where threats like Caruso were nothing more than a distant memory.
I had been so good lately.
But if I had to kill him to make sure that nothing happened to Jade, well, fuck it. That was exactly what I was going to do.
I just needed to make sure he suffered first.
Chapter Thirty-One: Jade
The tang of bile stung the back of my throat, and I swallowed hard.
Across from me, Ellie’s brows knitted with concern as she watched me push around the untouched food on my plate.
I was supposed to be telling her, but I was chickening out. The nausea wasn’t making it easy for me to focus.
“Jade, you sure you’re okay?” Ellie asked, her voice a mix of worry and suspicion.
I mustered a weak smile, feeling the lie slip out easier than I expected. “Yeah, just this flu bug that’s been going around. It’s really got a hold on me.”
“You might need to go to the doctor,” she said.
“Yeah, I know,” I replied. “I got a…I should probably go home. I need to rest.”
Ellie wasn’t convinced, but she nodded, reaching across to squeeze my hand. “Text me when you get home, alright?”
“Will do,” I promised, though my thoughts were already racing ahead. I needed space, time alone to digest the news that had upended my life—news I couldn’t yet share, not even with Ellie.
Even though I really wanted to.
I hailed a taxi outside the restaurant, grateful for the anonymity it provided. The cabbie glanced at me in the rearview mirror, but I paid him no mind, my fingers scrolling aimlessly over my phone’s screen. It was a futile attempt at distraction; my mind was a whirlwind of what-ifs and how-abouts.
Home came too soon, or perhaps not soon enough. I stumbled into the sanctuary of my bedroom, letting the door click shut behind me. The bed called out to me—a soft, inviting expanse where I could lay out all my tangled thoughts.
“List,” I murmured to myself. A list would make sense of the chaos. Pros and cons, simple and clear. It was the scientist in me craving order amidst the emotional storm.