Chapter 5 - A Deal with the Devil
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"How?" Madeline asked, her chest heaving. "How am I supposed to prove anything while locked in a tower?"
Gabriel stood up, straightening his collar. He seemed entirely unfazed by the slap, which only made him more intimidating.
"The Romano family has resurfaced in Chicago," Gabriel explained, pacing toward the window. "Their new boss, Victor, is looking to expand his territory. He’s hosting an underground casino gala tomorrow night. The entire criminal underworld will be there."
"What does that have to do with me?"
Gabriel turned around. His eyes locked onto the emerald ring.
"Victor Romano’s father killed my mother. He knows what that ring looks like. If you walk into that gala wearing it, it will draw Victor out. He won’t be able to resist finding out how a random woman got her hands on the Costello Matriarch’s ring."
Madeline swallowed hard. "You want to use me as bait."
"I am offering you a job," Gabriel corrected. "Help me flush out the Romanos. Let me get close enough to Victor to find out the truth about that night."
"And if I do this?"
"I wipe Nathan’s debt clean. Completely," Gabriel promised. "Three hundred twelve thousand dollars forgiven. You walk away free, and I keep the ring."
Madeline looked down at her hand. The ring had been her only connection to her mother. But it was also a target on her back. And Nathan’s debt would eventually get them both killed.
"And if Victor Romano realizes it's a trap?" she asked quietly. "What happens to the bait?"
Gabriel closed the distance between them, his voice dropping to a low, rough rumble.
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"I won't let anything happen to you. You have my word."
Madeline looked up into his intense gray eyes. "Deal."
