Chapter 5 - The Black Wolf Comes Home
Carlo expected a mafia boss.
So I gave him one.
But not the reckless widower he had manipulated for nearly two years.
I ordered my men not to pursue anyone outside the property.
No street war.
No retaliation against families.
No bodies dumped into rivers.
Instead, every entrance was locked.
Every surviving camera was activated.
Every file from Isabella's memory card was copied.
Then I called the federal prosecutor who had been trying to destroy me for eleven years.
“You're going to enjoy this conversation,” I told him.
Carlo entered the main hall twenty minutes later.
Four men followed him.
I stood alone beneath the chandelier.
My sleeves were rolled to my elbows.
The tattoos covering both forearms were visible.
Carlo looked around.
“Where are your soldiers?”
“Home.”
He smiled.
“Finally losing your mind?”
“Possibly.”
He approached.
“You should have listened to me about the maid.”
“You should have listened to my wife.”
His smile disappeared.
I placed the wooden horse on the table.
Carlo stopped walking.
That tiny reaction was enough.
“You found it.”
“I did.”
“Dante—”
“You killed Isabella.”
His face hardened.
“She was going to destroy everything.”
“She was my wife.”
“She made you weak.”
“No.”
I looked toward the staircase.
“She made me human.”
Carlo reached beneath his coat.
Before he could finish the movement, red-and-blue light flooded the windows.
Sirens surrounded the estate.
Carlo stared at me.
“What did you do?”
“Something you never thought I'd do.”
The front doors opened.
Federal agents entered.
Carlo actually laughed.
“You called the government?”
“I called witnesses.”
His expression changed.
“You'll destroy yourself.”
“Probably.”
“My businesses?”
“Some.”
“My freedom?”
“Maybe.”
“My reputation?”
I stepped closer.
“My sons still have their father.”
For the first time in my life, that was enough.
Carlo was arrested before sunrise.
Three months later, Isabella's murder investigation was officially reopened.
Nine members of Carlo's organization were indicted.
And I spent more hours speaking to attorneys than I care to remember.
But every afternoon at four, I went home.
May you like
No matter what.
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