Page 11 of Kidnapped Wife

This made her stop and she stared at Romero. “What?”

“You heard me, and like my brother, I don’t make a habit of repeating myself, although right now I’m guessing he is breaking his rules for you. From the moment my brother met you, you’re all he has thought about. He even broke important meetings to make sure he was at the café the same time as you. You’re the first person I have seen him act like a complete asshole over. Isabella is nothing, but you’re making her something by pushing him away.”

“Did Massimo put you up to this?” she asked.

“Fuck, no. All Massimo wanted me to do was keep you company while he took care of business. Trust me, if he could, he’d have already taken care of Isabella, but he can’t just do that unless he is willing to start a war,” Romero said.

“What do you mean?”

“Isabella is a daughter of D’Angelo. There are rules in place that in an odd way protect us all, but it also means we must go through the proper channels to deal with problems that arise. Don’t get me wrong, from time to time, someone can be killed with absolutely no consequences. Then there are times, when a death, well, let’s just say, is more trouble than it is worth. If you keep pushing Massimo away, he will respond, and in doing so, it could guarantee us all a painful death.”

Elsie took a deep breath.

“If you loved him, you’d give him a chance. I promise you,his word is his vow. He doesn’t break his word.”

She knew Massimo was like that, but Romero was right. Isabella was messing with her head, and allowing her to live in her mind was ruining her marriage. She tried to run away.

“Do you still love him?” Romero asked.

“Yes, of course. I love him more than anything in the world.”

“Then trust him the way he trusted you.”

“Trusted me?”

“Do you really think there wasn’t a risk bringing you into the family? The cops could have tried to lure you to their side. I know we have a lot of the force in our pocket, but there are some who would love any opportunity to take us down.”

“I would never do that.”

“But there was always a risk, and my brother trusted you.”

Elsie had no idea.

“So maybe, why don’t you give him the same trust he has shown you?”

****

Massimo arrived back at the cabin and it was late. He saw Romero outside, smoking a cigarette.

“You’re going to freeze your ass off for a smoke?” Massimo asked.

“Can’t do it inside. It’s a smoke-free zone.”

Massimo chuckled. It was a habit he’d never taken up. He also didn’t like his father’s cigar smoking either. He was more of a whiskey man himself. Also, Elsie didn’t like the smell of cigarette smoke.

“How was business?” Romero asked.

He sighed.

“That’s good.”

“D’Angelo has noticed funds missing from his account,” Massimo said.

“Okay, but why would he come to you? Funds missing … shouldn’t he be handling that himself?”

“He believes he is too close to the problem.”

Romero stared at him. “Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?”

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