Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 381: Chapter 165 The Phone Con

Gemma’s POV

Each mile the taxi traveled toward the warehouse district deepened the dread in my chest. My hands trembled against my designer handbag as waves of terror consumed me. The elderly driver kept studying me through his rearview mirror, his weathered face creased with concern as he navigated the increasingly dangerous neighborhoods with deliberate caution. His driving was methodical and unhurried, as if he sensed the deadly nature of my destination.

The sudden buzzing of my encrypted phone made me jump. Vincenzo’s name flashed across the screen. I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the answer button. If I ignored the call, it would only raise suspicions within the Thorne organization. By now, Dominic had likely returned from his territory rounds but probably assumed I was handling family business in another sector. He wouldn’t sound the alarm yet. Taking a shaky breath, I answered.

”Gemma? Where the hell are you?” Vincenzo’s voice carried the dangerous edge that made even hardened soldiers tremble.

When he told me he was with my mother at Thorne headquarters, confusion crashed over me like ice water. Then my mother’s voice came through the speaker, and overwhelming relief broke through my composure. Tears streamed down my face as I explained how Nick had called me from her phone, threatening her life if I didn’t comply. The realization hit me like a physical blow—he had somehow obtained my mother’s phone but never had her. That street rat had been running a con all along.

”Miss?” The driver’s gentle voice cut through my emotional breakdown. ”Should we turn around and head back to the business district?” His eyes in the rearview mirror held genuine worry.

”Yes, please,” I managed between shuddering breaths. ”Take me back to Thorne Tower.”

His shoulders visibly relaxed. ”Thank the Lord above! I knew something wasn’t right about this whole situation. That warehouse address you gave me—it’s deep in enemy gang territory. No respectable young lady like yourself should be going there alone, especially not dressed like money.”

”You were protecting me. How did you know something was wrong?” I asked, desperate for conversation to steady my nerves.

”Decades of driving these streets teaches you to read the signs. Been navigating gang territories since before you were born, sweetheart,” he said, executing a careful U-turn while checking for rival family surveillance. ”Will your people be waiting for you when we get back?”

”My mother and my...” I hesitated, unsure how to explain Dominic’s position in my life. ”My family will be there.”

”Then I’ll pick up the pace,” he said with a grandfatherly smile that reminded me of safety.

My phone rang again—Dominic this time, his voice carrying barely controlled fury when I answered.

”Gemma! Where the fuck are you right now? Are you safe?”

”I’m fine, Dominic. I’m in a taxi with a very protective driver, heading back to Thorne Tower,” I assured him, recognizing the lethal concern beneath his anger.

”How long until you arrive?” The barely leashed violence in his voice was palpable, promising brutal retribution for whoever had threatened me.

”Soon,” I estimated, recognizing the familiar skyline of the business district.

”I’ll be waiting in the lobby with a full security detail. Don’t ever do something like this again, Gemma. I couldn’t survive losing you to some street punk’s game.”

His raw admission of vulnerability made my guilt intensify exponentially. ”I’m sorry,” I whispered.

After we disconnected, the driver transformed from cautious elder to determined protector, weaving through traffic with renewed purpose. My phone rang once more—Vincenzo again, his voice brooking no argument.

”Keep this line open until I can see you walking through those doors. I’m not hanging up.”

When we finally pulled up to Thorne Tower’s imposing entrance, Dominic stood flanked by Hunter and several armed security personnel. The driver helped me out and waved away my attempt to pay the fare.

”You keep that money, miss. Just remember—in this city, trust is a luxury that can get you killed,” he advised before disappearing into traffic.

Dominic surged forward, pulling me into an embrace that felt like coming home to safety. I surrendered to his strength, letting the tears flow freely. Inside the marble lobby, my mother waited with Vincenzo and several other family associates. I broke from Dominic’s protective arms and ran to her.

”Sweetheart, thank God you’re alive,” my mother whispered, holding me close.

”Mom, I thought that animal was going to execute you,” I sobbed against her shoulder.

”Gemma, I don’t understand what happened today. I went to meet someone at the mall’s food court, and somehow my phone vanished. I definitely had it when I arrived,” she explained, sounding genuinely confused.

”That woman you met was suspicious as hell, Mrs. Valance. She disappeared without any explanation,” Vincenzo commented, his young face serious beyond his years.

”That was strange, wasn’t it?” I looked at Dominic, whose expression had turned predatory.

”What’s this bitch’s name, Mrs. Valance?” Dominic asked with the quiet intensity that preceded bloodshed.

”Nancy,” my mother answered. ”I met her at the hospital where her father was supposedly receiving treatment. We started talking, and I felt sympathy for her situation. I was helping her find legitimate employment.”

Dominic’s expression turned murderous. ”Her last name?”

”I never learned her surname,” my mother admitted. ”Are you thinking it’s your former associate?” I asked, connecting the dangerous dots.

”It has to be. Your mother’s phone disappears while she’s with a woman named Nancy, and then Nick calls from that same device? That’s not coincidence—that’s coordination,” Dominic said with deadly certainty.

”But Vincenzo would have recognized her,” I countered.

”Actually, no. Vincenzo was just a child when my father dragged that toxic bitch into our lives. Their arrangement lasted barely a year before she moved on to richer targets,” Dominic explained.

Vincenzo grimaced. ”That woman seemed completely artificial. Like her enormous chest—definitely surgical enhancement. Do you have surveillance photos of this Nancy?”

”Fake tits and gold-digging attitude? Definitely sounds like her.” Dominic shook his head. ”I don’t keep photos of past mistakes, but Xavier might have intelligence files.”

Within minutes of Dominic’s call, we were joined by Xavier, Ruby, Caleb, Ivy, and Lila—the full Thorne family council.

Ivy immediately confronted me with sisterly authority. ”Gemma, you need to stop keeping family business secret! You could have confided in any of us before walking into a trap.”

”I was terrified for my mother’s life,” I defended weakly.

”I understand completely. Remember my kidnapping incident? Going alone without backup was my biggest tactical error,” Ivy reminded me with hard-earned wisdom.

”You’re absolutely right. I wasn’t thinking like family. At least Vincenzo was ready to mount another rescue operation,” I smiled at him gratefully.

”What can I say? Protecting beautiful women is apparently my calling,” Vincenzo joked with characteristic charm.

Later, Xavier’s housekeeper delivered a comprehensive file. My mother and Vincenzo examined the photographs carefully.

”That’s definitely the same woman,” Vincenzo confirmed. ”Older and more artificially enhanced, but it’s her. Still dresses like she’s working the high-end escort circuit.” He glanced at Dominic with amusement. ”Good thing your taste in women evolved considerably. What a calculating predator.”

”We all make regrettable choices in our youth,” Dominic defended himself.

”Not me,” Vincenzo boasted. ”Brenda is beautiful, intelligent, and has impeccable judgment. I know how to choose quality.”

”You got extraordinarily lucky, kid,” Xavier laughed, clearly speaking from extensive experience.

Our moment of levity was shattered by Dominic’s encrypted phone. His expression shifted as he listened to the caller with growing intensity.

”Understood. We’ll be there soon, Daniel. Thank you for the advance warning.” He ended the call and turned to me with grim purpose. ”Detective Daniel needs us at the precinct immediately.”