Page 15 of Ivory Sins
“Nova is a bastard,” Petrov continues. “The selfish asshole has been selling mafia secrets to our rivals and the Bratva have been after him for a while now.”
Nova is a mutual enemy, fantastic.
“It's interesting to know that we're after the same person.” Petrov picks up a file and slides it over to me. “Check it out.”
As I flip through the pages, I realize it's a collection of photos taken of Nova. From the angles of the shots, I believe these are spy photographs—the Bratva really is looking for this guy.
"They have trained Nova to hide in the shadows, but we'll get him... someday," Petrov says.
My eyes narrow on a photo of Nova and Hunter Calderon—they're both standing across from each other, discussing. The more I flip through the pages, the more images of them I see.
This only proves that they're working together. But why? What does Nova stand to gain from all of this?
The door opens, and a tall tattooed man waltzes in, “Pakhan…” he calls Petrov's attention and says something in Russian.
I raise my head and watch him hand his boss a USB drive.
Petrov accepts it and inserts the device into his laptop. A smirk plays on his lips as his eyes stare at his lit screen. Soon, his attention shifts to me and asks, “You work for the Bellanti, da?”
I nod slowly, suspicion creeping into my gaze.
“You might wanna look at this.” He turns the screen in my direction.
There's video footage playing on the flickering screen. In it, a red car hits a man I recognize to be Enzo DiMartino. The video has no sound, and the time stamp indicates the incident happened 7 years ago. The car door opens, and that's when my eyes narrow and my breath hitches in my throat.
I watch Olivia step out of the vehicle, her hand over her mouth, her face a mask of horror. She looks around to be sure that no one saw her and then rushes to check Enzo's pulse. She's crying, her chest is heaving rapidly, and her hands are ruffling her hair. She looks confused, afraid—terrified. And then seconds later, she sprints back to her car and drives away.
Whoever sent this video—Hunter or Nova—must be trying to cut a deal with the Bratva and my gut says this can only be Nova.
I sit back in my chair, a thousand thoughts overlapping in my mind. This is what she's been hiding—the accidental murder of Enzo DiMartino. That explains a lot.
My phone chimes in my pocket; it's an alert. Olivia's security has been tampered with. My heart skips a beat, and I immediately dial her number. It rings, but she doesn’t pick up.
Finally, she answers.
“Ollie, are you okay?” I ask, my voice laced with urgency.
“Ollie can't come to the phone right now,” a distorted, static voice says. “She's mine.”
My jaw tightens, and my blood boils with fury.
8
Marco
IbargeintoOlivia'spenthouse,my heart racing in my chest. The place is a mess; the coffee table is broken, and the furniture appears to have been moved. And there's a bold message on the wall written in what looks like blood. It reads, “She's mine now!”
My fingers clench into a fist and I slam it against the wall, the impact creating a dent in the affected area. My knuckles hurt—that's nothing compared to the pain of losing Olivia.
“Fuck!” I yell, my hands ruffling my hair in frustration.
I'm still struggling to come to terms with what's going on here, when the Bellanti storm into the house. They stop by the entrance, their gazes sweeping across the room. Luca, Matteo, Isabella, Lorenzo, Angelo and even Nico Moretti are all here. Yes, it's a fucking full house. Except without the owner, Olivia.
I can see the anger in their eyes and the glint of fear dancing underneath.
“Marco, what the fuck happened here?” Isabella asks me.
“I'll tell you what happened,” Lorenzo chips in, charging toward me with a blow that turns my face. “You were supposed to protect her!” he snaps at me, his eyes blazing red. “Where the fuck were you when this happened, huh?” He swings another punch, but Matteo's fast enough to grab his hand.
