Chapter 15
Leo
I had received a late night call from Isabella the previous night, and she had spoken in whispers and asked to meet me at a cafe. I could sense that she was trying to keep the meeting hidden from Marco.
The next day, I was anxious to see her again. I arrived early at the cafe, sitting at a table, sipping on an espresso. When she arrived, I jumped out of my seat, glad to see her again. I was hopeful and excited as she weaved around the tables towards me.
“Thank you for meeting me, Leo,” she said, in a formal tone. I wished that we could just fall into each other’s arms again and kiss and be together. I knew that wasn’t possible, not right now. I would have to work hard at gaining her trust again. Marco had spent a lot of time breaking it.
“Of course, Isabella, I’ve been waiting to hear back from you,” I said and sat down after she was sitting across from me.
She was in a dark dress, with dark sunglasses covering her face. It was like she had tried very hard to keep herself from being recognized.
“Do you want anything to drink?” I asked her and she shook her head.
“I don’t have much time. I want to be back before papa starts suspecting anything,” she told me, and she was speaking in a conspiratorial whisper.
“Okay, you can tell me why we’re here then,” I began. Isabella jerked her head up to look at me, and then slowly started dragging the glasses off her face. I saw her green eyes sparkling now, not with excitement, but with a sort of dejection.
“I found a ledger in papa’s office, it was the proof I needed to know that you’re not lying. He was involved in trafficking children and women in Naples. I know that now,” she said and her voice seemed choky as she spoke.
My hands itched with the need to reach for her, to stroke her hair and hold her again. But Isabella was averting my gaze as I looked at her. I could sense that she wanted to keep her distance from me.
“I’m sorry that I pointed a gun at you, that I didn’t believe you,” she continued and her voice became thin, like it was about to crack.
“You don’t have to apologize to me, Isabella, you were just trying to protect your daughter…our daughter,” I said and she met my eyes again. I could see fear in those eyes.
“I want to do something, I want to help in any way that I can. I don’t want papa to rule our lives anymore. I want him destroyed!” she hissed and I could see her nostrils flaring. She was angry. She was a mother who was trying to keep her child safe, and the person she had to protect her child from was her own father.
“We have a plan,” I said and she crossed her brows.
“We?” she asked.
I shifted in my seat and held her gaze.
“I’m working with Gino Cavallini, I’ve been working with him since your father left Naples. He showed me mercy and opened my eyes to the atrocities that Marco had been involved in,” I explained. I could see that Isabella was uncomfortable. After all, Gino was still the son of the man who had killed her mother. She gulped and looked away from me, I could sense her thinking…trying to make a decision.
“What plan?” she asked.
“It involves Adam Wright and if you are willing to help, this could really be beneficial to our mission,” I told her.
Isabella looked even more confused now.
“What are you talking about, Leo? How do you know about Adam Wright? He’s just papa’s lawyer,” she exclaimed.
“He is also Marco’s confidant, and business partner. He could lead us to the people they are holding here,” I replied and Isabella’s breasts heaved frantically.
“He’s doing it here too? Trafficking?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“We have reason to believe that he’s building the same business here. He’s got a taste of the kind of money it generates and he wants more,” I told him. Isabella was gritting her teeth, I could see that she was enraged. She’d thought that Marco had stopped it in Naples.
“What can I do? I’ll do anything!” she declared.
“Our sources tell us that Adam wants you. So, you might be our best bet. If you can isolate him, make him think that he…he can have you…then we could plant a tracking chip on him. He could lead us to the people they’re holding. We could save those people!” I explained, watching her closely. It was difficult for me to explain the plan to her, because it made me sick.
Isabella’s nostrils were flared, she was looking away from me, out of the cafe windows and at the people walking past.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she replied, after some moments of silence had passed between us. I clenched my jaw. A part of me was hoping that she would refuse to do it. Then Gino would be forced to come up with a different plan.
Isabella looked at me again, her green eyes piercing into my face.
“Will I have to do anything with him?” she asked, with her lips trembling.
“No! I will be there, I’ll make sure he’s not able to do anything. I promise you, Isabella,” I said and reached for her hand that was on the table.
“Saturday night, he’s organized a charity ball at the Marquis Hotel. We will all be there, I’ll get him alone then. I have to go now,” she spoke like she was giving orders, and she yanked her hand away from me before I could hold it.
I watched her leaving the cafe in a rush. At least our plan to destroy Marco was working out, but I wondered if things would ever be fine between Isabella and I.
I wondered if I would ever get to know my daughter.