Page 89 of Mine Again (Mafia Bride #2)

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Isabella

T he words ricochet through me. My lungs seize, but before I can fire back, Hale leans forward, his eyes shining with fresh malice.

Apparently, branding Luca the most hunted man alive wasn’t enough.

“Caruso cannot trust a single soul, because someone will sell him out. Especially after the next hit.”

I must look at him in shock.

“It will happen again, Isabella. Everything is already in place. Governments and pharmaceutical giants will bicker over who pays. Two days is not nearly enough for them to get their act together.”

“Don’t you care about the lives you’re putting at risk?”

Really, it’s a dumb question. I realize it the second it leaves my mouth. If he cared, he’d never have done it in the first place.

He shrugs. “The world is overpopulated as it is. Who will miss a few entitled Westerners?”

Says the most entitled man I’ve ever met. I scoff.

“What should be my next target?” His eyes glint with delight.

“America, Europe… we’ve had our fun there.

Asia should be next. Japan, perhaps. And after that, Australia.

Imagine the chaos. Every da y, another facility falls, and all the while your Luca is painted as the monster. ” He laughs, the sound manic.

“The government’s reward will rise after this, you can be certain. Fifty million is only the beginning. Other governments and Interpol will pile on, eager to prove themselves. International coalitions, private companies, bounty hunters… all of them with their teeth bared, chasing the same prize.”

He leans forward, his grin spreading, eyes alight with sick delight. My stomach heaves, bile rising.

“Do you know what that kind of money does to people? It turns brother against brother, friend against friend. Even a loyal man will betray his own blood when a carrot like that dangles in front of him. Luca won’t be able to take a single step without wondering who’s waiting to cash him in.

He’ll be hunted everywhere, Isabella. Hunted until there’s nothing left of him. ”

He settles back in his chair, steepling his fingers like some smug monarch holding court, basking in every syllable of his cruelty.

But because he loves to hear himself talk, he keeps going.

“Caruso is going to run like a rat through a maze with the walls closing in. Every camera will track him. Every border will wait for him.”

He laughs, sharp and ugly.

“The net tightens with every hour, and all the while…” He gestures at the screen like a proud artist unveiling his masterpiece. “…we’ll get to watch it unfold on TV. So convenient, isn’t it?”

“You mean they’ll stream what you feed them,” I snap.

“Well, yes. Why deny the truth?” He sighs as if pitying me.

“Look, I understand why you’re upset. Nothing in your life has ever been as it seemed. And I just ripped away the fairy tale your pretty little head might have spun about Sebastian.”

His words cut with surgical precision. “Your father used you. Sebastian lied to you. And Luca? He’s no different from them. He cages you. He tells you only what he wants you to hear. Everyone treats you as a chess piece to be moved where they decide. At least I’m honest with you.”

I nearly choke on his bluntness… and his lie. Honest, my ass. Fury surges through me like a volcano about to blow. Hale’s smile says he’s savoring every reaction.

Luca is nothing like Sebastian or my father. If he built a cage, it was forged from love, meant to shield me from cruelty and greed, from men like Hale, my father, and Sebastian. That makes all the difference.

Still, the words scrape at raw wounds. Hale has read me like a book since I arrived, and now he’s pouncing on it. He’s playing on my insecurities, twisting them for sport.

“You, Isabella, cannot trust anyone either. Truly, you’re better off alone, running your own race.”

“Is that why you’re a loner?” I quip. “No woman… or man by your side?”

He flinches at the insinuation.

“I bed supermodels and famous actresses,” he says, incredulous.

I shrug, unimpressed. “They wouldn’t touch you without your billions. They sure as hell don’t like you for your charm.”

And that’s the truth of it, isn’t it?

“You can buy bodies, Hale, but you’ll never buy love. Not real love.” I pause, letting the words sink in. “That’s why you’ll die alone. And deep down, you know nobody could truly love someone like you.” I lace my voice with pity, and it isn’t hard. Hale does live a lone existence.

He thrives on control, on fear, on admiration twisted into obedience. But pity? That cuts deeper. Men like him can’t bear to be seen as small, unloved, forgettable.

For a fraction of a second, his grin falters, his eyes hardening before the mask slides back into place. His chuckle is more brittle than before. I cling to that tiny fracture, the proof that even monsters bleed.

Still, he carries on as if unaffected.

“I do like a challenge. My charm might yet work on you, Isabella. Especially when you realize Luca isn’t the man you used to know. Five years is a long time. Many things change. ”

Perhaps they do. Luca may be different, harder, but he’s not Hale.

I force my voice steady, even as my insides quake with anger.

“You’re wrong. He’s not you. He’ll never be you. I trust Luca, and nothing you say will change that.”

Hale tilts his head, his lips curving like he’s humoring a child.

“Are you sure about that?”

He switches the television off and rises. Halfway to the door, he spins like Fred Astaire in a ballroom, facing me with theatrical flair.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he says, though his cheerful tone makes it clear he didn’t. He was waiting for this. “I left a little something on the coffee table for you.”

My eyes snap to the cream manila folder I hadn’t noticed before.

“Proof your precious Luca isn’t as innocent as you want to believe. He’s a murderer who lied to you. And if he lied about what’s in there, what else has he hidden?”

My pulse stutters. My jaw locks tight, but I refuse to speak. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

He turns again, hand on the door. “Find me if you want actual answers. Otherwise, I’ll see you at dinner.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on, Isabella.” His tone is smooth, coaxing. “That would be a shame. We have such stimulating conversations. And you really are a beautiful girl. I’d like to spend more time with you.”

With a wink, he leaves, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

“Perverted creep,” I mutter.

The last thing I want is to endure his presence any longer than I have to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried something soon. What better way to hurt Luca than to claim me for himself? Not that I’d ever let it happen.

I stare at the folder in the center of the table. Has it been there the whole time?

Hale’s playing games, that much is obvious. Whatever’s inside, he wants it to knock me off balance .

I should leave it alone, but curiosity digs in like a hook.

My hand moves before I can stop it, dragging the dossier closer. Somewhere, Hale is probably watching, rubbing his hands together, ready for the show.

My heart slams against my ribs when I see the name stamped across the cover. For a moment I go still, then adrenaline surges, flooding me so fast my hands tremble.

A lump rises in my throat. I grip the edges until my knuckles ache, torn between choices.

If I open it, I give Hale exactly what he wants. If I don’t, I’ll never know what lie he’s twisting into truth, leaving me unprepared for our next encounter.

My pulse pounds in my ears, my fingers refusing to let go.

At last, I lift the cover.

And immediately wish I hadn’t.

The room tilts, my vision blurring as my world begins to crack.