Page 98 of Angelo

Relationships blossomed during this time as well. Monte and Mariposa became almost inseparable, and, since Monte was on duty with Elyse each day, Mariposa made herself indispensable as Elyse's righthand woman. The girl seemed determined to prove her worth and loyalty. Trust strengthened between them. Elyse eventually dropped a hint to Mariposa about their plans for her brother, and the girl accepted the news far better than anticipated.

"You aren't concerned about your brother's welfare?" Elyse asked quietly.

Mariposa mumbled, "I am likely going to hell for saying this, but..."

"What?"

The younger woman explained, "Gaspare's stupidity and recklessness know no bounds. The drinking. The gambling. The underage girls. If not forPapàconstantly cleaning up his messes, left to his own devices, Darwin's theory would have taken out my brother ages ago."

"You’re savage, Mari," Elyse gasped.

Dark eyes glimmered as she glanced at Elyse. "No, I amgrateful. Thank you for trusting me with this information. I may be a De León, however, I do not owe the men in my family shit for what they put me through."

"You're better off without them," Elyse replied with complete sincerity.

Mariposa whispered, "I never got to say this to you, Elyse, but I owe you mylife for taking me in. You took a risk on me, and, for that, I will never forget your kindness. I no longer view you as an ally.”

She frowned. “You don’t?”

"Because we are friends now."

An emotion that felt suspiciously like happiness stung Elyse's eyes. “Absolutely.”

Change was in the air. It was unseen but deeply felt. The shift slithered through thecoscaslike a viper, sinking venom into anyone blocking its path.

The first arrest was made in early fall.

Nitto Messina was taken into custody. His arrest was followed by many more. One by one, Antonino Buscetta, Carlo Moretti, Gilberto Garcia, and César Castillo were brought in by the police.

Paranoia surged through the clans. Court dates and trials consumed their underground meetings. During this crisis, allies turned to Alessandro for guidance. He’d come into his own ascapo. While Vincenzo ruled through fear and violence to keep everyone in line, Alessandro was nothing like his father. He was more of a politician than a butcher. Still merciless in his own way but far more business savvy.

Alessandro advised everyone to lay low and find ways to wash their dirty money clean in case the police started poking around accounts. They listened and started funneling money into legal enterprises. Such as tech companies focusing on solar energy and smart cars. Hotels and apartment complexes and commercial centers. And private hospitals and clinics.

This way, they could hide their wealth in plain sight and continue making money through these new channels until the worst of the investigations died down.

A week later, Valentina released the photographs of Gaspare with Taddeo.

Anonymously, of course.

Luca planted the burner phone on Gaspare.

Stealthily, of course.

One of Samuele Trevisano's men discovered it on his person. When the "truth" about Gaspare came to light, outing him as a snitch, a narc, a snivelingbitch who brokeOmertà, a small civil war erupted. A handful of De Leóns sided with Gaspare. They’d been dying to avenge the deaths of their family, and, as far as they were concerned, Alessandro and Valentina needed to pay with their lives. They proclaimed Gaspare's innocence, protesting that he had been set up by the motherfuckingcapohimself. Before they could strike, though, Valentina swooped in and eliminated them all at once in a series of tragic car accidents.

One De León drove off a cliff.

Two were hit by a semi-truck.

Three more collided with a drunk driver.

Afterward, Gaspare fled the country without even saying goodbye to his wife or his sister. The man knew he’d likely be shot on sight if he stayed in Palermo.

As a team, Alessandro, Elyse, Benedetto, and Valentina became invincible. Alessandro kept finding new ways to make money, churning out millions with the skill of a seasoned CEO. Benedetto gave them access to allies on both sides of the law. Elyse played defense, scouting out and subverting threats before they could take root. Valentina played offense, destroying their opposition in four-inch stilettos without breaking a sweat.

In time, the judge sentenced Nitto Messina to twelve years in prison and six years for Carlo Moretti. Fate seemed to be on their side until, five days before Christmas, Benedetto showed up at the palazzo unannounced. Malina escorted him to Alessandro and Elyse.

“Is everything alright?” Elyse asked her grandfather.

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