Page 73 of Secret Betrayals
Then Gabriella chuckles, dragging my attention back to her.
“No, I won’t tell you who they are,” she says, eyes flicking to Hound. “Their protection is crucial—not just for my family, but yours too. And Hound? You won’t be able to hack our systems and find out. My family hasn’t survived this long by being sloppy.”
She winks at him. Bold as hell.
Hound doesn’t say a word. But I know my brother. That was a challenge. He’ll try anyway. Pop chuckles softly. He knows it too.
Gabriella moves on without giving it another second.
“We uncovered a blood hit placed by the Salvatore family targetingeveryMasterson. After you were shot,” she says, looking straight at me, “we discovered that Salvatore was pissed that the Keepers’ failed to…” She clears her throat. “They failed to take you out, which played right into our hands. Salvatore is not a man who likes or accepts failure.”
A smirk curves on her lips but doesn’t reach her eyes.
“This was personal for Don Salvatore.” She looks at my father, then back at me. “Knowing who killed his father, he wanted blood for blood. The new alliance with Satan’s Keepers and then discovering your mother was associated with LSMC was a… coincidence, one he played into. Two birds, one stone. Get you and the club out of the way and avenge his father.”
My jaw clenches. Rage stirs under my skin.
“That fat fuck’s been making moves for years,” she continues. “Trying to undermine my family’s position within theCamorra, hoping to snatch pieces of my brother’s territory. But that’sourbusiness. What matters toyouis that this has become deeply personal.”
Her voice lowers.
“When we call for blood, the mafia, I mean. We don’t just mean one man. We mean his legacy. His whole line. That’s what the Salvatores expected when they put the hit out.”
Her eyes lock on mine—hard, cold, but beautiful in a way that hits somewhere deep. Too deep. For a second, I’m back in a memory—those same eyes looking at me like I was everything. Back when I thought we had time. When I thought I could figure my shit out without losing her.
I shake it off.
“Recently,” she says, “we discovered our children were added to the hit.”
Silence hits the room like a sledgehammer.
“That happenedafterwe came here. After you were shot. Which means someone in or around this club is feeding them information.”
She’s staring at me now like she’s trying to tell me something without saying it out loud. Her voice has a new edge. Not fear—fury.
My brothers lose it again, chairs scraping, voices overlapping. I let them vent for a second before slamming the gavel down hard.
“Enough. Let her finish.”
They shut up—grudgingly—but they listen.
Gabriella takes a breath and shifts her focus back to the group.
“Satan’s Keepers failed in their task. The club being prepared for almost anything made it worse for them. And with the club on lockdown and you in the hospital, they couldn’t get to any of you or the children.”
She pauses, glancing at my Pop. He nods, giving her the floor.
“The Salvatores knew the window was closing. So they decided to get their hands dirty themselves,” she says, her voice low but deadly.
And for a moment, just one, I seeher—the woman who once loved me, the woman who bore my sons, the woman who would burn the world to keep them safe.
And I realize—this isn’t just business for her anymore.
This is war.
“My team and I set a few breadcrumbs to lure Sergio and Gianni here. One thing about men in power is that they are all about their egos, and when they are bruised, they tend to be stupid, irrational, and lash out.” Gabriella says, voice steady, eyes slide from me to Axel and then back to me. I don’t try to decipher whatever the hell that was. I nod for her to continue, ignoring how Axel is mugging her. “We knew Sergio—being the obsessive control freak that he is—wouldn't stay away once he thought vengeance was within reach. It didn’t take much to draw them out. Our goal was simple. Eliminate the threat to your mother and your club. It was time.”
She pauses, her tone hardening. “If I’m being honest, I was tired of watching your backs from the shadows. Fortunately, given their past betrayals and the disrespect they have shown for our ways, there won’t be any backlash. My brother has installedsomeone to take over their outfit. And with the backing of other Dons, there won’t be blowback for your club—or mine.”
