Sexting the Ruthless Don

7

Gabriel

The city looked like a chessboard from the top floor of the Marchetti Enterprises tower. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the tiny cars moving through the streets. I held a glass of whiskey, though I barely tasted it. My mind was miles away, focused on a stubborn reporter with dark hair and a dangerous habit of asking the wrong questions.

Behind me, the heavy oak doors of my office opened.

Luca, my second-in-command and oldest friend, walked in holding a tablet. He didn't bother knocking. He dropped the device onto my desk with a loud clatter.

"We have a problem," Luca said, his voice flat. "Your little pet project just found a master key."

I turned away from the window, taking a slow sip of my drink. "Explain."

"Our cyber team has had Azeelia Cole’s apartment bugged since she started poking around the warehouse," Luca said, crossing his arms. "Her phone microphone picked up her talking to herself. She found Ethan’s old keycard. The one for The Obsidian Lounge. She’s planning to go there tonight."

I felt a faint smile pull at the corner of my mouth. I had almost forgotten about that card. Ethan had been terrified of losing it, so he hid it in his old college textbooks. I didn't think Azeelia would ever find it.

She was smarter than I gave her credit for.

"Cancel the card, Boss," Luca said, pointing at the tablet. "I can deactivate the RFID chip right now from the network. When she tries to scan it at the front door, it will flash red. Security will turn her away, and that will be the end of it."

"No," I said simply. I walked over to my desk and sat down in my leather chair. "Leave the card active."

Luca stared at me as if I had lost my mind. "Are you serious? The Obsidian Lounge isn't just a nightclub, Gabriel. It’s where the capos meet. It’s where our private ledgers are discussed. If a journalist walks in there with a dead man's card, she could see something that brings the federal agents straight to our front door."

"She won't see anything if we monitor her," I replied calmly. "Tell the floor manager to restrict access to the VIP basement. Let her wander the main floor and the upper balconies."

"Why?" Luca demanded, slamming his hands on my desk. "Why are you letting her get closer to our business? First, you let her play this texting game with you. Then, you pull her out of a warehouse instead of letting those street thugs handle her. Now, you are inviting her into our private sanctuary. What is the strategy here, Gabriel?"

I met Luca’s angry gaze without blinking. "Ethan stole a ledger before he was killed. I need to know what he told her. If she goes to the club, she might lead us to wherever Ethan hid the physical copies."

Luca let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. He leaned back, staring at me with a knowing, critical look.

"You're lying," Luca said softly. "You don't care about the ledgers. You already rebuilt the accounts after Ethan died."

I narrowed my eyes. "Watch your tone, Luca."

"I’m watching my Boss lose his mind over a girl," Luca shot back, totally unafraid of my warning. "You could have interrogated her in a basement to find out what Ethan told her. Instead, you're playing cat and mouse. You like her, Gabriel. You like the way she fights back."

I didn't answer him. I just stared at him with cold, dead eyes until the silence in the room became unbearable.

Luca finally sighed, holding up his hands in defeat. "Fine. It’s your funeral. I’ll tell the club security to let the card work. But if she causes a scene, I am throwing her out myself."

Luca turned and walked out of the office.

As soon as the door clicked shut, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out. It was a notification from the encrypted messaging app. The name Scarlet flashed on the screen.

My chest tightened slightly. Ever since I told her the truth about Ethan working for me, her messages had shifted. She was trying to regain her footing. She was trying to act like a seductress again, but I could feel the raw desperation underneath her words.

Scarlet: I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday, Gabriel. About people keeping secrets to protect the ones they love.

I unlocked the phone and typed back quickly.

Viper_00: It’s the only way to survive in this city. Secrets are currency.

Scarlet: But what happens when the secrets run out? What do you do when a friend betrays your trust? Is loyalty absolute to you?

She was digging. She wanted to know if I had killed Ethan for betraying me. It was so incredibly obvious, yet she thought she was wrapping her questions in a flawless, flirtatious disguise. She was my favorite little liar.

Viper_00: Loyalty is everything. Without it, I am nothing but a target.

Scarlet: Have you ever had to punish someone you cared about? Have you ever had to kill a friend?

I smiled at the screen. She was pushing her luck, stepping right into the fire. I decided to give her exactly the kind of vague, dangerous answer she was looking for.

Viper_00: I have done terrible things to keep my empire safe, Scarlet. If someone breaks my trust, they face the consequences. But I do not enjoy killing. I only remove obstacles.

A few seconds passed. I could almost picture her sitting in her apartment, biting her lip, trying to decipher my words.

Scarlet: That sounds very lonely, Gabriel. Don't you ever want someone who isn't an obstacle? Someone who isn't afraid of the terrible things you do?

Viper_00: Finding a woman like that is rare. Most women run when they see the blood on the floor.

Scarlet: I told you before. I don't run.

I found myself staring at her message for a long time. The truth was, she hadn't run. She had walked directly into my gala, insulted me to my face, and survived a shootout in a warehouse. Azeelia Cole was terrified of me, but her courage was louder than her fear.

The intercom on my desk buzzed loudly, breaking my focus.

"Mr. Marchetti, the shipping executives from Europe are here for the quarterly meeting," my secretary announced.

"Send them to the conference room," I replied.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I had a multi-million-dollar logistics deal to negotiate, but as I walked into the boardroom, my mind kept drifting back to the phone in my pocket.

Halfway through the meeting, the European executive was rambling about dock fees in Naples. My phone buzzed against my leg.

Without thinking, I pulled it out under the table.

Scarlet: If I were with you right now, I wouldn't let you be lonely.

I typed a reply with one hand.

Viper_00: If you were with me right now, you wouldn't be doing much talking at all.

"Is there an issue with the budget, Mr. Marchetti?"

I looked up. The European executive was staring at me nervously. Beside him, Luca was grinning like an i***t.

"No issue," I said smoothly, sliding the phone back into my pocket. "Continue."

When the meeting finally ended and the executives left the room, Luca leaned across the polished wooden table.

"Texting your anonymous girlfriend again?" Luca mocked, a wide smirk on his face. "You barely listened to a word they said about the Naples port. You were smiling at a screen like a teenager."

My eyes darkened. "Keep talking, Luca, and I will cut your tongue out."

Luca wasn't frightened. He just laughed, packing up his documents. "You can threaten me all you want, Gabriel. But you're losing your edge. Don't let this girl make you soft."

I watched him leave the room. I wasn't getting soft. I was simply entertained. But deep down, I knew Luca was partially right. These conversations with Azeelia had become too important to me. I liked the game. I liked the connection. I liked her.

Hours later, the sun had set, plunging the city into darkness.

I sat alone in the main security control room in the basement of my estate. The room was lined with glowing monitors, displaying live feeds from every single property I owned.

I typed a command into the keyboard, bringing up the front entrance cameras for The Obsidian Lounge.

The club was busy tonight. Expensive cars lined the street, and wealthy guests in designer clothes waited behind the velvet ropes.

At exactly 10:30 PM, she arrived.

Azeelia walked into the frame of the security camera. She was wearing a sleek black dress that hugged her curves, a matching coat, and a pair of dark heels. She looked stunning. She also looked terrified, though she hid it well behind a mask of cold determination.

She walked past the line of people and approached the massive bouncer at the front door.

On the screen, I watched her pull Ethan’s black keycard out of her purse. She handed it to the guard.

The guard took the card and swiped it through the portable scanner. I knew exactly what the scanner was showing him. The screen would flash yellow, indicating that the card belonged to a deceased member. It required manual override from management.

The guard frowned, looking down at the scanner and then back up at Azeelia. He raised his hand to his earpiece, preparing to call security and have her escorted off the street.

I picked up the direct radio link on the control desk.

"This is Marchetti," I said into the microphone, my voice echoing directly into the guard's earpiece.

On the monitor, the bouncer stiffened immediately, standing perfectly straight.

"The woman in the black dress," I instructed calmly. "Let her inside. Do not question her. Do not follow her. Just open the door."

The guard nodded sharply. He handed the card back to Azeelia, unhooked the velvet rope, and stepped aside to let her pass.

Azeelia looked surprised for a fraction of a second, but she quickly hid it. She put the card back in her purse, lifted her chin, and walked confidently through the heavy gold doors into the darkness of my club.

I leaned closer to the glowing monitors. I switched the camera feed to the main interior floor, tracking her as she moved through the crowded room filled with music and flashing lights. She was completely unaware that my eyes were on her every move.

A slow, dark smile spread across my face.

"Show me what you’re looking for, Azeelia," I murmured to the empty room.