Page 71 of Plus-Size Bratva Possession
“I know that too,” she replied. “Larissa called. Said one of them let it slip.”
I could hear her breathing on the other end; somehow, that small sound was a painful reminder of the distance between us.
“Are you okay?” I asked finally.
“Not really,” she answered with a small laugh that seemed more of a snort. “But I'm getting there.”
“Elena, I—” I stopped, unsure how to continue. I knew it might sound hollow, but I couldn’t come up with anything better than the truth. “I miss you.”
Her breath caught, and for a moment, I thought she’d tell me I had no right. “I miss you too,” she admitted so quietly I barely heard it.
“Come home,” I said, the words out before I could stop them. “Please. We can talk about everything. I promise I'll listen this time.”
“I can't,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “Not yet. It's too... I need more time.”
I nodded, though she couldn't see me. “I understand.”
“Do you?” she asked, a hint of challenge in her tone. “Do you understand what it felt like to have you look at me like you couldn’t stand the sight of me? After everything we...” She trailed off.
“I was wrong,” I admitted. “I shouldn't have reacted the way I did.”
“No, you shouldn't have,” she agreed. “Gastone, I need to go. I'm not... I'm not ready for this conversation yet.”
Panic flared in my chest. “Wait, Elena, please—”
But the line went dead. I sat back down in shock, but as the hour passed, I told myself that it would be okay. At least, this time, she picked up that phone.
***
I couldn't sleep that night, or the next. After speaking to her, I had become obsessed all over again. It was like she was a clot, and I’d just picked it, and every good memory I shared with her was gushing up like blood.
All the time.
Talking to her again made me remember exactly where I’d gone wrong. How I hadn’t listened when I needed to most.
Three days after the call, I had half-convinced myself to just drive over to the lake house when Dom called.
“Boss, I found Ricardo,” he said. “He's in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. Looks like he's been living off the grid for years. Sending you the location.”
With everything that had happened since the Lebedevs came into my office, I had gotten so lost in my thoughts of Elena that I’d forgotten I’d asked Dom to find what he could about the things Elena said. To see if Adriana’s lover truly existed.
“I'll be there in twenty,” I said, already grabbing my keys.
***
Dom waited for me outside our warehouse.
“He's in there,” he said, nodding toward the side entrance. “I kept an eye on the place and followed from a distance.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, making a move. “You keep watch out here.”
Dom nodded, and I headed indoors, careful not to allow the door to creak. Once inside, the place wasn’t anything like I expected. The dim, concrete warehouse had been repurposed into a home of some sort. There were lamps, a makeshiftkitchen, carpets, and sofas. I walked in as quietly as I could, and that’s when I came across the wall.
On the right, the wall was covered with whiteboards scribbled with dates, maps, and shipping routes.Ourshipping routes. Pinned to a string were photos, even surveillance stills of my goddamn apartment building.
It looked like Ricardo kept himself busy planning my destruction. In that single moment, I understood who had been responsible for many of the attacks against our operations. How? How had he managed to cause such destruction? With what resources? What money?
I kicked a chair to the side in anger, and the sound startled him.
