03 | Hardened Resolve

*Alberto’s POV* 

I paced the basement room that I had my men prepare at our warehouse to store all of our weapons. There was a large conference table in the center of the room with maps and different devices placed on top of it. 

“As I was saying,” Ethan, one of my hackers, muttered as he shot a glare towards Denzel for his interruption. “Whoever wiped out all camera surveillance and security footage capturing the vehicle that took Ms. Blanco was good—” He commented, making me clench my fists about to punch his brain back into place. “But we are better.” He smirked as I drew in a deep breath. Fūcking finally!

“Do we have a location then?” I questioned him, feeling my heart stop momentarily. 

“Well,” He gulped nervously as he clicked on one of the devices on the table, making one of the screens on the wall turn on with a bird’s-eye view displayed on it. “Not necessarily confirmed, but we have an idea.” He stated before pulling nervously on his collar. 

“You better start talking if you value your life.” Edgardo commented, crossing his arms as he eyed me cautiously. 

“There was a point two second delay on the security footage of a club owned by a company called GS Enterprise. This delay allowed us to pinpoint the exact time they attempted to delete the footage. Clear rookie mistake—”

“I’m losing my fūcking patience with you!” I snarled, making him jump back, almost dropping the tablet that he was now holding. 

“Right,” He swallowed nervously, swiping now on the tablet and making the footage on the screens change. “Giorgio Salucci is the alleged owner of said company. All things point to—” He added as Santoro’s photo appeared on the screen. “Giles Santoro.” He grinned while I cracked my neck, stepping closer. 

“Is that all you fūcking got? Because I swear—”

“No, no. Of course not, Capo.” He stuttered before the screen changed again back to the bird’s-eye view that now had a few beeping red buttons. “These are all the nearby properties that were purchased by GS Enterprise.”

“Edgardo—” I was saying as he uncrossed his arms and made a move to leave. 

“Already on it.” He said over his shoulder while I looked back at Denzel. “Now you can talk.”

“We received something—”

“For fūck’s sake. Couldn’t you say that before!” I growled, slamming my fist against the table as my eyes bore into his. 

“My apologies, Capo.” He cleared his throat. 

I sucked in air through my teeth as I waited for him to fūcking continue. “Cinquecentomila euro per informazioni su di lei.” (Italian for “Five hundred thousand euros for information about her.”) He disclosed as I ran my hand over my face. This is a fūcking trap. I can smell it. 

“You know where the money is.” I gritted out before waving him away. Trap or not, if I could find any means to find her, I would. “Send all the coordinates to Edgardo and keep an eye on anything else that they may have slipped up on.” I muttered to Ethan as he nodded before leaving me alone in the room. 

I reached in my pocket, pulling out Isa’s phone. I held it tightly in one hand as I unlocked it. As soon as I had found her phone, I had my hackers unblock it for me. I clicked through her photo album, immediately finding the selfie she took the day we both got our tattoos. 

She was breathtaking as always. I stared at her perfect face on the phone as I gritted my teeth. “Ti troverò, piccola. Prometto.” (Italian for “I’ll find you, baby. I promise.”) I declared before curling my hand around the phone and tapping it against my forehead, my eyes squeezing shut.

I heard voices behind me, making me straighten up with new determination. Edgardo was right. Moping around wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed to start acting like the devil that I am. These fūckers will learn who the fūck they messed with because no one messes with Alberto Morello or his loved ones and lived to talk about it.

*Isadora’s POV* 

My head was pounding. Like if I had a hangover or even banged my head. I tried swallowing, but my mouth was drier than the Sahara Desert. I tried moving my hands to massage my aching temples when I heard and felt the clicking of metal. 

What the fūck?

I opened my eyes as I squinted my eyes towards my hands and I tried to pull my arm again, immediately feeling the restraint holding me back. I squinted again, trying to see in the dark room as I struggled to breathe. 

What the hell happened? Where am I? Why—Mom!

I pulled on my restraints again as tears threatened to fall. No, no, no! They killed my mom. They fūcking killed her!

As I was beginning to have a panic attack, I felt a body shifting beside me before the person placed their hand on my bare stomach. 

 Fūck! I was still in my lingerie. Mio dio, what did they do to me?

“Stop struggling against the restraints, baby. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” His sleepy voice muttered before his hand slipped upward, squeezing my breasts. 

“Mattias? What the fūck, Mattias!” I hissed before crying out in pain when he squeezed my breast painfully hard. 

“That isn’t a way to speak to your fiancé, Isa.” He growled, shifting in the bed until he was on top of me. 

My heart beat frantically against my chest. This wasn’t like Mattias. He was easily manipulated. There was no way he had planned all of this.

“I thought you said you had nothing to do with that?” I asked through clenched teeth as I dug my nails into my hand in anger. 

He had me fūcking fooled. The sweet idīot, my asš!

“Well, technically.” He whispered before trailing his finger around my nīpple.

“Stop, Mattias. You don’t want to do this?” I squirmed underneath him, earning a slap on my breasts from him before he wrapped his hand around my jaw. 

“Do what, principessa? Marry you? Whether you like it or not, it’s happening and soon. Fūcking you? We’ve done that before, baby girl. How about I remind you how good my cōck feels pumping into your tight cunt?” He smirked, leaning forward to take a nīpple into his mouth. 

I felt sick to my stomach. What the fūck did I get myself into? 

I squirmed further, desperate to get his disgusting mouth and hands off me as he squeezed my jaw tighter, holding me back before coming up for air.

“Don’t act like you don’t want it. Besides, the faster I get you pregnant, the more likely you are to survive everything that’s to come.” He declared, making bile rise to my throat as the pounding in my head almost blinded me. 

“Please, Mattias. If you ever cared—” I was saying as his hand shifted to my neck. 

“I do fūcking care!” He snarled, spit flying everywhere. “And what did you do? Pick that old man over me. You even let him shoot me.” He motioned towards his bandaged shoulder. 

“He’s not old and I fūcking love him! What do you want from me?” I shouted in return, making him glare back.

“Too bad you’re mine and you’ll never see him again.” He growled before pressing his lips against mine and climbing off the bed. 

“Did you kill him?” I choked out as I watched his retreating back move around in the room. 

He grunted impatiently, but continued looking around without replying. “Did you kill him, Mattias?” I repeated as my tears dampened my cheeks, my heart constricting inside my chest. 

“Not yet, but we will.” He declared, turning to look at me with an evil glint shining in his eyes. “I suggest you act right, Isa. You are alive because of me. I’m the one that saved you.” He hissed, banging his finger against his chest. “Now, if you don’t want them to kill you like they did your mom and will your dad and godfather, you have to do as they say.”

“Never!” I spat in return, earning a slap to my face. 

I felt the blood trickle down my bottom lip. I glared at him as I licked it clean. “You will never beat us. The Blancos and Morello are invincible! You’ll never kill them!” I seethed as he smirked in return.

“Are you sure? Because last I heard, your dad was bleeding out. What’s to say that he didn’t die already? Do you really think Morello is shīt without your father?” 

“You’re lying!” I yelled, fighting against the damned handcuffs. “I’m going to fūcking kill you with my bare hands!” I added, lifting my leg to kick him, but he wrapped a finger around my ankle and pulled me down before straddling me.

“Usually your feisty attitude turns me on, but right now, it’s only going to hurt you, Isa.” He said with concerned eyes. 

Sick fūck. 

“You have two options. One is to write down locations, codes, properties— you know the drill. The second option if you don’t want to betray your family is to hold still while I fūck you on camera and I’ll send it to Padrino. Can you imagine all the stupid mistakes he will make when he receives that video? Poor guy is literally obsessed with your perfect little pūssy. I mean, I can’t blame him.” He shrugged, making me shake my head in disbelief. 

I can’t believe this is fūcking Mattias. I have to be dreaming. 

“And before you make a decision, just know it won’t stop there until you provide us with the information. I won’t be the only one having a taste.” He added as his eyes bore into mine. 

I will never betray my father. I prefer them killing me before they get anything from me. 

When I remained quiet, he scowled at me. “You really prefer being fūcked by all of our men before giving us the information?” He asked through gritted teeth. 

I decided to keep quiet. People slip up when they talk too much. If I stayed quiet, I may just be able to get information from him instead. Fūckers like him feed off of fear and weakness anyway. I’d never let him win.

“So that’s your decision then?” He scowled, setting the paper down on the nightstand before reaching over for his phone. “You really don’t know who you are dealing with. My father and I are nothing compared to that sick fūck that will  break you.” 

I closed my eyes, still refusing to acknowledge him, but listening to every word he said nonetheless. 

“You asked for it!” He hissed as I heard him press the record button. 

My body tensed as my heart beat frantically. I refused to open my eyes. Maybe if I didn’t see it—I just didn’t want to see what this sick fūck was going to do to me. 

His hands skimmed the inside of my thigh before spreading me open for him. I knew he was about to fūck me with his mouth because I heard him sniffing my pūssy as his teasing breath made the tears flow down my cheeks faster. 

I think I’m going to be sick.

“I can’t blame you for going crazy over her, Padrino.” Mattias chuckled against my skin as he addressed Alberto in the video. “Her pūssy is as delicious as I remember.” He mentioned, making my heart stop. “I’ve been eating the best pūssy I’ve ever had all day, but don’t worry. This time you get to watch how I make her screām my name.” He grunted before his tongue made its way down my slit. 

I was about to beg him to stop, but I wasn’t going to fall into his trap. That’s what he wanted. He wanted Padrino to hear me beg for him.

I bit the inside of my cheek until I drew out blood as I begged Padrino for forgiveness. 

I’m sorry, Padrino.