Page 125 of Titan

“I had no fucking idea it was her, but it makes sense. All of it fucking well makes sense.” I ran a hand through my hair. “She’s been running the trafficking ring and now this… she wants to take me out to make way for Dino.”

Edric’s eyebrows rose up into his hairline.

“Trafficking ring?”

I hadn’t told him about that. Hadn’t been relevant before.

“She runs a sex trafficking ring.”

“The one that held me and is trying to get me back,” Theia added.

I turned to her. She looked unnerved by what we’d found out.

“Hold on, that’s why he’s protecting you?” Edric asked, looking at us. “Holy fuck, it’s all connected.”

“Yes, it makes it even more imperative we put a fucking stop to this shit. Make sure the men follow the vans. I’ll bet they’ll be returning to wherever her headquarters are. I’m betting it’s the same place they keep their… victims.” I waved at the two of them. “Come, we need to get Theia back to the penthouse, then we’re going after Pippa. I don’t give a shit if she’s family. She’s fucked all of us over with this shit. I’m not standing for it any longer.”

I took Theia by the arm, pulling her back the way we came towards the car. Edric followed us, carrying the bag and fiddling with his phone. When we reached the car, he stuffed the bag in the boot and got into the passenger seat. I helped Theia into the back, giving her a quick kiss before I got in the driver’s side. Edric had got a lift with one of the men while he was monitoring the place, so hadn’t brought his own car.

“Get Sal to mobilise everyone. Once we find out where the fuck her headquarters are, we’re going in.”

“Shouldn’t we think about this?” Edric asked as I set off towards the penthouse. “I thought you didn’t want to start a war between you and your cousins.”

“You heard her. She’s been fucking with their businesses too. It’s not up for debate, Edric. I don’t care what happens. I’m not letting her get away with this shit any longer.”

Edric didn’t respond as his phone went off.

“Yeah? What do you mean, the car went another way? No, stay on the vans. We need to know where they’re headed.”

Pippa was going somewhere else. That didn’t bode well, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Our resources were limited since we’d only put a few men on monitoring Devlin. I wanted them on the vans.

Edric hung up and looked over at me.

“Where do you think she’s going?”

“Fuck knows. We find her headquarters first, then we’ll deal with Pippa.”

Right now, my focus was on getting Theia back to the penthouse, where I knew she would be safe. It would give the men time to find out where the vans were going. We were going to shut Pippa’s ring down and force her out into the open. I had proof she was behind the missing shipments. And I would get proof of her other activities. Then Dino and Gian would have no choice but to listen to me. Even if they knew about the shipments, they didn’t know about the sex trafficking. Dino wouldn’t have been okay with it. He might not be the most stand-up man, but the Villettis didn’t deal in human trafficking. I was sure of that much.

I checked Theia in the rearview mirror. She was staring out of the window with a pensive look on her face. I’d check in with her before I left her at the penthouse. This whole situation was fucked up, but I’d make it better. We were going to end it tonight. If I removed Pippa from power, I’d make Theia safe too. She wouldn’t need constant watching to make sure no one took her. Our lives could be normal again. Well, I’d never have a normal life as a mafia boss, but I didn’t want her to live in fear.

I swear I’ll make it safe for you, Theia, if it’s the last fucking thing I do. You deserve that. You deserve everything. I’ll give you that and so much more. I promise.

Forty One

Theia

My mind was a riot of feelings. I was most concerned about what was going through Gil’s head. He was calm on the outside, but I knew the knowledge Pippa was behind all the shit with his cousins weighed heavily on him. I didn’t blame him for being done with it and wanting to take her down. She’d betrayed the family in more ways than one.

When we got back to his building, he hustled me into the lift and took me up to the penthouse himself. He hadn’t given me a spare key yet, so he needed to let me into the flat. He didn’t say anything to me until we reached the door. Then he took me by the arm and turned me towards him.

“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

I smiled up at him.

“I’ll be okay. You have to go be the boss.”

His lip twitched, but he didn’t smile back.

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