Page 55 of Twisted Obsession

This had meant we could spread our talons out and claw in even more. Malta, being a Narco-state, had been turned around by my sheer hard work and relentless need to be back where I was born to be, in London heading up my mum’s family businesses.

It was a great position to be in, for us all, all except me.

I let out a sigh as I stared out to the beautiful old town in acceptance, before reaching into my pocket for my phone. Making sure, as always, that my number was blocked, I dialled the only phone number I knew off by heart.

Disappointingly, it rang several times, and I was just about to disconnect when she answered.

‘Ciao,’ her breathy voice whispered into the phone and instantly I started trying to work out just what she’d been doing previously, and then forced the vision of her away.

‘Hello,’ she tried again.

Standing there motionless, not even allowing myself to breathe, I absorbed everything I could about her in those few all too short seconds.

Was she happy?

Did she ever want to be with me, or had she bested me at my own game?

And why the fuck did I care?

Like always, I had no answers. Although this time, after mistakenly hearing about her latest news, I also had anger.

‘Dante?’ The way she said my name, slightly breathless and questioning, broke what was left of my heart. And as always, I disconnected the call.

I’d long before stopped wondering why I called her. Why she still kept the phone I’d given her all those years ago. Why I refused to let go of the pain that was still there between us. Maybe it was just to confirm I was still alive. Or, maybe it was because Giovanna was and always would be my obsession. I had women falling at my feet, but I wanted the only one I couldn’t have.

The woman that no matter how hard I tried to get back to, seemed further away with each year that passed.

Because I had a plan to get back, to ask her those same questions, but I was convinced that someone was now undermining me, and now I knew Marco agreed with me. Cocaine and money had been disappearing, not enough for Salvatore to make a fuss about, as we always expected a little to go awry, call it a sweetener. But it was enough for me to need tokeep an eye out for the scum who was threatening to destabilise my plans. My idea had been to see out my time, another ten months, and then to take what I felt I was due, return to Italy and then back to London.

If the percentage they were taking increased anymore my plan would be thwarted, because I’d be needed here instead.

A distinct floral smell hit my nostrils, and I recoiled.

‘Huh, hmmm.’ Clearing my throat, I forced down the emotion that nearly always reared its ugly fucking head when I was on the receiving end of an orgasm that didn’t come by my own hand.

Enough.

I pushed my hands deep into my trouser pockets and cursed as the small stain by my zip, although now dry, caught my eye. Trying to take my mind away from everything, I lit another smoke and placed one hand on the wide stone ledge, before looking down at the streets below me. It was late May, and the summer sun was high in the sky and reflecting warmly off our limestone building, which we had spent a fortune on cleaning the previous year, because it represented the legitimate side of our businesses. Some of the tourists were only just disembarking from one of the huge cruise ships that had appeared in the early hours of that morning. From three storeys up, I could hear and feel their excitement at discovering the beautiful country of Malta.

And it was then I thought I saw her, beneath a wide brimmed hat. Surprised, I drew in a long exhale of smoke and held the poison inside my lungs until I began to feel dizzy. There was no clear view of her face, but the way her long, light brown hair shone in the sunlight, stirred the memories I only allowed myself to see when I was asleep and couldn’t fight them off any longer. Watching the movement in her hips as she hurried through the crowd, brought a recollection of Giovanna running through thepiazza in Naples before throwing herself into my arms. Finally, I released the smoke and gasped in the oxygen my body was screaming out for, cleansing me and hopefully the view. But it didn’t, because nothing, not alcohol, drugs, or even the threat of death, cleared the memory of her. Like a fucking idiot who used pain as a way of getting high, I pushed my thighs against the window to get a better view of her. The agony inside my chest increased with every footstep she took. I moved forward until I was leaning as far out of the window as I could without falling, following the woman in the hat until I could no longer see her, and she’d disappeared with the crowd.

But it couldn’t be her, so I forced myself away from the window, stumbling backwards until I was seated on my arse.

No more.

Quickly, I righted myself and pressed the buzzer for Marco to come back in.

‘Marco, clear my schedule. I’m going sailing for the afternoon!’ I shouted. ‘And Marco, you’re going out tonight.’

‘Yeah?’

‘I think it’s time you visited all the casinos. It’ll be on me, of course. Take a few select men and make it look as though you’re out to relax.’

‘Sounds good.’

‘I’m convinced that whatever’s going down, is down to Ricco.’

‘Yeah?’ His brow furrowed as he looked back at me. ‘Look, I’m not one to question you, Dante, but are you sure this isn’t because you don’t like him?’

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