Page 197 of The Devil's Fire

“The guy who attacked Althaia at the hotel was Asian, too. We know her mother was laundering money, but we never found out for whom. Could it really be for Asians?” Giovanni was thinking out loud, trying to connect the dots.

“But why Asians? It doesn’t make sense.” Arianna questioned.

“She wasn’t working for the Asians.” I said and faced them. “The ones we faced were mercenaries and not only of Asian descent. Whatever her mother was doing, it was ending, and they wanted to get rid of her.”

My initial suspicion was that she was working with Asians. However, after that night, it became clear they were just hired to cover up for the one who ordered the hit. The money laundering wasn’t for some random street gang but for someone much more powerful.

Jacinta could take care of herself, too smart to be blackmailed by a couple of lowlifes. It must be someone with something greater and more valuable to hold against her, making her act the way she did.

Such as her daughter.

The door swung open once more, and Antonio and Lorenzo entered, offering a nod in greeting. Antonio and Luca had done the best they could. We arrived just in time before it would have been too late for them as well.

They were able to hold them off with the extra weapons hidden in their car. Still, Antonio needed stitches from being slashed and Luca got shot in the leg, but nothing more than a flesh wound and would be back on his feet soon.

Ellie checked on her husband’s stitches before stepping out, leaving us to our discussion. I didn’t want to feel bitter about it, but there was a subtle relief when she left. I didn’t want to have to look at the painful reminder of her bump.

“Cara talked to Althaia’s father. He’ll be here in a few hours.” Lorenzo informed us. I didn’t want anyone from outside to be here, but he was still her father.

“How’s Cara holding up?” I asked him.

“She’s been out of it. I had to give her something to calm down. She’s asleep now.” He let out a small sigh, and I could tell he hadn’t slept either.

“What do you want us to do?” Giovanni asked, determined to put a plan into action.

“Nothing. For now.” My response caught them off guard.

“You can’t be serious?” Arianna exclaimed loudly.

“Keep your voice down.” I sneered at her with a glare. “If we go into action now, not knowing exactly who to target, word would spread out that we are looking for someone, and it will force them to go underground.”

“We’ll keep a low profile for now, but I want eyes and ears everywhere. Some fled during the fight, and there will always be one fucker or two who will run their mouth and brag about being hired to take down la Famiglia Bellavia. Once we have given them enough time to let their guard down, we’ll strike.” I explained.

With time, they will think they have broken me, but little do they realize the storm of vengeance I will unleash.

The Devil’s wrath.

sixty-four

Althaia

I was surrounded by an impenetrable darkness, my entire body burdened with a crushing heaviness that imprisoned every limb. There were muffled voices in the distance, but my mouth refused to let out a sound for help.

What’s happening to me?

An overwhelming fatigue swept over me. Too weak to fight it, I let it drag me into a deep slumber, leaving my question unanswered.

I was slowly waking up, but my body still felt heavy and... in pain. Aches resonated throughout my entire body. My head pounded, and my stomach writhed, making it hard for me to move.

A distinct weight pressed down on my hand. It was a different heaviness from the rest of my body. I tried to move my hand, but only a finger responded. I heard some shuffling before my hand received a gentle squeeze, and something brushed against my face. I leaned slightly into the touch; a small sound escaped my lips as I attempted to speak.

“Althaia baby, wake up.”

“Everything hurts.” I wanted to say, but my lips weren’t moving.

“You’re doing well, baby. Take your time.” He spoke gently to me, and I felt his hand caressing my head as I gave it a small squeeze.

After a while, I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times with my heavy eyelids while trying to let my eyes focus on my surroundings. Confusion settled in when I realized it was a hospital room. I turned my head to the side and saw Damiano.

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