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I finish cleaning up my blood and grab a bottle of water, downing the entire bottle. I make my way to the treadmill. It will be easier to run and talk.
“I don’t even know where to begin.”
“How was your meeting? Who was it with?”
I set the speed on the treadmill to a light jog. “A private detective. Alexandra has been acting weird, and I needed to know what she was hiding.”
I catch his reflection in the mirror. He’s surprised. “Whoa. You had your father’s assistant investigated? Why do you think she’s hiding something?”
“One minute she wanted to pursue a relationship with me and the next she changed her mind. She started attending every meeting with my father and always took notes. She wasn’t being herself. Something changed.”
“And you just found what it was? Based on your attack on the bag, I’d say it wasn’t good.”
“She’s been working with Rossi. There are calls and texts between the two, and the private detective said she’s been meeting with him every couple of days.”
“Damn, dude. What are you going to do about it? Am I the only one that knows?”
“I just found out, but eventually, I’ll have to tell my dad, Francesca, and the rest of the guys. I don’t know what to do except fire her and lock her out of everything.”
She has access to everything, including bank accounts, business accounts, and the entire shipyard database.
I murmur, “My heart and mind are at war right now, and I don’t know what to do. I’m pissed. I’m hurt. I feel betrayed.”
“Rightfully so.”
“To be honest, I was afraid of falling in love, especially with the events from the past couple of months. I didn’t want to risk being betrayed like my father was with his mother, but it happened anyway. This is the same shit my mother did.”
“I think what your mother did was worse, but we don’t know the entire story. Maybe there’s a reason she’s been meeting with Giuseppe Rossi. You can always ask her.”
“There’s absolutely no reason for Alexandra to be consorting with the enemy. Giuseppe Rossi waged war on us and named her specifically, so why work with him?”
“What if she’s being the middleman for your father? He hasn’t included you in everything lately, has he?”
“When it comes to something like this, I’m always included.”
“Alright, if you want to fire her and lock her out of all accounts, then I support you and will help you, but I think you should be certain there isn’t more to the story than there seems.”
“I have an entire envelope full of proof that she isn’t who she said she is. She changed her name for fuck’s sake because her family is associated with Giuseppe Rossi. I bet if I pull up the database, her father will be in there.”
He puts the weights down and holds his hands up. “Hey, I’m not arguing. I work for you. I’m just playing devil’s advocate right now. I don’t want you to do something you regret.”
“It’s too late for that. I never should have fucked her in the first place.”
A stabbing pain radiates through my heart, but I push all emotion to the deep corners of my mind, where I won’t think about them. I don’t have time to let emotions cloud my judgment.
Giuseppe Rossi is still coming after us, but this time, he has a mole on the inside that’s been giving him information.
We are severely disadvantaged, but I won’t let a woman I might have loved take us down from the inside.
Chapter Fifteen
ALEXANDRA
I quickly typeup an email to Arturo, reminding him of his car’s scheduled maintenance tomorrow. Francesca pushes open my office door and plops down in the chair on the other side of my desk.
“What’s up?” I ask her as I send the email.
“Do you have lunch plans?”