Chapter 9

Gio POV 

It was already complicated enough doing business with the devil as we had to. For appearance's sake, we were in business together purely to make sure neither of us went to the cops to take the other out. It was too sticky of a situation and now, she was involved. 

The only genuinely kind, and moral person in the whole pack of them and she appeared when I least expected it. She saw the world with open eyes and still chose to look on the bright side of things, she had a wicked sense of humor and she was breathtaking. 

It was bad enough that she was a good person, but I was also attracted to her beyond belief. I was holding myself back from making a pass at her and failing every time we got close. She could see through the bullshit covers we had and called me on it with a ferocity that only pulled me in further. 

I had to take her father down, he was filling the streets with drugs, pressuring small business owners to make shotty cuts to benefit him. Using honest people as fronts and threatening their lives and families if they refused. There was a single line he wouldn't cross. The countless people he's killed, the crooked cops to cover it up. 

I hadn't come to the US trying to find any fights. My family ran a small smuggling rig just bringing in things that shouldn't even be illegal small comforts to the immigrants here that reminded them of home, but we're somehow illegal in the US. Sometimes things were just cheaper, we found little loopholes and caveats here and there together merchandise over into US soil. 

We chose the small town because we figured no big bear would be lurking here, we couldn't have been more wrong. He didn't like the fact that we were doing something he should be doing and decided that he needed to get rid of us before we became too big of a problem.

One night one of our shipments blew up. My cousin and younger brother both died in the blast. I couldn't understand who had done it. I had no clue if I had provoked anybody. 

I sat by my cousin's bedside in the hospital, hoping he would pull through. That's when Dominic Caputo came into the room, domineering over his lifeless body that was fleeting away. He told me that I shouldn't have tried anything on his turf and that I was lucky I still had my life to see the end of our operation. 

Well, what he didn't expect was an influx of cash from my father and a vendetta to see the end of him and anything he loved. 

We offered protection to those who wanted it and started pushing back against him. The thing with ruling with fear people can't wait for you to top all over and the second somebody else appears trying to take power they're gonna flock to him. 

It didn't take long for me to have half the city with me and I treated them well. I looked after them, gave back to them, and kept his thugs from beating up anybody who was an easy target. 

It was all going according to plan but then, this breath of fresh air appeared out of nowhere. She told me the truth which I wasn't sure I had heard in a long time. She smiled with her eyes and laughed freely. 

The darkness I had covered myself in had been washed away and I felt lighter. 

Her father had built this scheme to put me into the hole with all of his cronies hanging on every step I made I didn't know if there was a single good person in this town. 

Now I was wondering if that included her. He hasn't spoken to his eldest daughter in years so I left her alone but just as we're getting too thick of this fight he's brought her home. 

Now that she knew she wasn't going anywhere, she may have thought she had a choice but she was dead wrong. He would lock her up and throw away the key to keep his reputation intact. If he thought for a second she'd go to the cops or worse me he might just kill her. 

She seemed to have this nice idea that his family was beyond his grasp and he wouldn't do a thing against them but I knew better. He was forcing his youngest daughter to marry my cousin to get close to me. Luckily I was two steps ahead. 

Marco wasn't my cousin how they thought he was I'll never understand but he was a dear friend willing to help the cause. His parent's shop went under after being used as a front by the Caputos. When his dad tried to get out he was beaten within an inch of his life still requiring physical therapy. 

Caputo didn't have the best memory. He didn't recognize Marco at all and he was too greedy to get information that he didn't suspect a thing. 

From what I could tell, Guilia didn't care, so long as she got her pretty parties and her year of attention she was fine doing whatever Daddy required. All the information I had on her was that she was a spoiled brat who looked the other way to get whatever she wanted. 

I expected the exact same thing when it came to her sister. They may have been raised separately, but still have the same dirty blood. That couldn't have been further from the truth she was confident and strong, and she stuck to her values. 

I won't lie, my emotions were getting in the way.

When she came to my house that night and told me she knew everything, I couldn't help but be fearful for her. She had uncovered some of the dirtiest secrets of the most foul man to walk the earth. I didn't see how anybody could be safe from him.

Now I fear I've broken her trust forever. She won't listen to a word I say. She needs to leave, pack up, and go back home, or better yet leave the state. He'll do whatever it takes to come out on top. 

We were planning on taking over most of his company, trying to steal investments here and there, but now with her, I didn't see how that was possible. I wouldn't be able to lie to her and she would see right through me if I tried. She'd know I was up to no good and she called me on it or worse she'd tell her father.

I didn't see her as the run Dad type, but she did seem to have a soft spot for her sister round and round this round my head trying to figure out the best play. I didn't like it when people got in the way, especially innocents. Caputo didn't have any remorse when it came to bystanders in the crossfire. 

"They know what this town is like if they want to stand in the middle of the road who am I to stop them?" He had once told me. 

If she didn't leave, I was forced to involve her in this. That's where it gets messy. She didn't see the evil side of him clearly. There was still a little girl in her who wanted to believe her father was a good man. I had no doubt he would try and use my affection for her against me. 

So close to our goal I couldn't let that happen. I'd have to do something to protect myself and her. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. 

I set up my chair and pulled on my jacket, ready to go over to Caputo's offices, get some work done, and hopefully avoid her and her beautiful gaze. She was like a siren sometimes pulling me deeper into the abyss. 

Like a fool I didn't seem to mind, I needed to stay on the right side of this and keep my hands clean. I couldn't get them dirty especially not for a girl I was better than that. My little brother's smile flashed into my head. He'd been closest to the blast, we didn't find any salable remains. I can still smell the burning corpse. 

I clenched my fists and tightened my tie, as beautiful as she was I belonged in the shadows now fighting against the devil. No siren could pull me away.