Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Wheelchair
Massimo discreetly took the small white pill from Nina’s tiny fingers, hiding it seamlessly inside his palm.
"Thank you, piccola," Massimo whispered softly. "You are a very good doctor."
He looked up at Carla, who was shaking with fear in the doorway. "Carla, take Nina to the kitchen. Give her whatever ice cream she wants. No one is firing you."
Camille rolled her eyes, aggressively crossing her arms. "You’re too soft on the help, Massimo. That’s why this empire is falling apart. You’re weak."
"Leave him alone, Camille," Dean said, playing the role of the loyal best friend. He walked over and patted Massimo on the shoulder. "He’s been through enough. Let him rest."
Massimo stared at Dean’s hand on his shoulder.
Six months ago, during the ambush, Dean had thrown himself across the backseat of the SUV, taking two bullets meant for Massimo’s chest. That act of supreme sacrifice had earned Dean total control over the Rinaldi family business while Massimo recovered in his wheelchair.
But as Massimo sat there, feeling the faint, undeniable pulse of blood rushing back into his legs, the pieces of a terrifying puzzle began to click together.
If Dr. Hale was secretly giving him a paralytic toxin to keep him in the wheelchair, Dr. Hale wasn't acting alone. The doctor was hired by Camille. And the man who currently controlled all the family’s money and power was Dean.
The ambush wasn't an attack by a rival family. It was an inside job.
Massimo realized that the two bullets Dean took were calculated. Dean had been wearing a hidden Kevlar vest, staging a heroic rescue to gain Massimo’s absolute, unquestioning trust.
May you like
They weren't waiting for him to heal. They were waiting for him to die.
👉 How will Massimo secretly test the poison without his enemies knowing?
