Chapter 153

Aldo

I could tell both Carlo and Ethan were hesitant to say anything. From the amount of anger that was simmering off of me, I was seconds away from a detrimental meltdown. It was a disturbing truth that none of us wanted to openly admit, least of all me.

Agent Danny Carter wanted Layla.

“If these photos are anything to go off of, it’s easy to assume that Carter has a deep obsession with Layla,” Carlo said.

Ethan dragged his hand roughly down his face while flicking through more of the photos.

“No kidding,” he muttered. “Perhaps, it could be why he’s been so hell-bent on trying to destroy the Marcello family.”

My eyebrows pulled together in question. “What do you mean?”

“Anyone with this kind of behavior is clearly not well. Not mentally,” he explained. “By bringing down the Marcellos, Carter may think that he could somehow save Layla from a grizzly fate. And, maybe, in turn, she’ll feel grateful enough to want to return his feelings.”

I practically let out a snarl. “That’s fucking ridiculous!”

Carlo scratched the back of his neck, not willing to look me in the eyes.

“Eh, it kind of makes sense in a way,” he said.

“It’s just a theory, Aldo,” Ethan advised. “But what is obvious is that Carter has it out for Layla. What’s horribly unsettling about this whole issue is that these pictures were recovered from his apartment. He and his car are nowhere to be found in the city. And Layla is currently on a trip out of town.”

I swore my heart stopped beating.

“You’re not insinuating that Carter went after Layla...No.” Oh my God. Just the mere possibility of that happening made me want to jump out of my skin. “That’s impossible. How could he even manage to know that she was planning to go on this trip in the first place?”

It didn’t make sense. None of it.

I shot a glance at Carlo for another potential theory but was met with resignment. He shook his head and tossed his handful of photos back onto the desk.

“I’m sorry, Aldo. Although I can’t believe I’m saying it, I think Ethan may be on to something.”

“You two seriously believe that he drove the eight hours to Maine? To do what?”

“At the very least, he may just want to try and talk to her,” Ethan said.

At the very least?!

“Don’t forget what I told you before, Aldo,” he stated. “Carter likely feels like he’s reached a major dead end with this case, he’s allowed his intuitive thoughts to get the better of him.”

Fuck. He was right. “He’s become so antsy for new information that he’s gone out of his way to do something as desperate as go after her.”

A flare of anger coursed through me. Who the hell did this asshole think he was??

“The guy must be utterly delusional,” Carlo said. “Think about it. He’s already tried to reach out to Layla once before and that ended badly for both of them.”

I grimaced. “True. Layla refused to tell him anything and he took her medical license away.”

“The guy literally has no leverage to use against her now.”

I curled my hands tightly into fists. “What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to just sit here and do nothing? This guy is much more than a federal agent, okay? He’s a fucking stalker!”

“Well, look. The only bright side is that Layla is with the twins,” Carlo pointed out. “Didn’t they promise that they would keep her safe if need be?”

“Yes.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“If it’s true that he followed Layla all the way out to Maine, then I bet that’s part of the reason why he took his chances. She’s currently not under the constant protection of the Marcellos and he isn’t familiar enough with the twins.”

Ethan glanced between Carlo and me. “On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous are these women?”

“According to Dmitrti, they’re each a solid fifteen,” I snorted.

“Agent Carter is in for a rude awakening then once he figures that out,” Carlo remarked.

“By the way, was there anything else of any importance that you stumbled upon in the apartment?” I asked.

“Thankfully, nothing else that was too disturbing,” he said. “However, there was something off about the place that I noticed when I first got in.”

“What?”

“I smelled a woman’s perfume,” he answered.

Ethan shook his head. “I could tell you, right now, the only thing Carter smells of is aftershave and spearmint. I swear he hoards them in his damn desk. And it’s not like the guy is married.”

“Could it have been a one-night stand?”

“For him to be this obsessed with one particular woman, one-night stands don’t occur often enough for a scent like that to linger,” Ethan retorted. “No, someone was there before you, Carlo.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “Oh my God,” he cursed. “Are you kidding me? Those twins got there before me??”

For the first time today, I actually let out a real laugh. May wonders never cease.

If they managed to get a good look around the place then chances are they already know the kind of person Agent Carter really was. Oddly enough, this gave me a slight chance of relief.

“I wasn’t going to do this originally, but I think I’m going to try and call Layla later on to check in,” I said.

Suddenly, I noticed Ethan smiling—and not just any smile. One could easily consider it to be downright devious.

“Ethan?” I questioned.

“Aldo, you actually have usable proof to use against Carter now,” he said. “These pictures display a lot more than just the man’s intense obsession. This will bring his professionalism into question when it comes to how he’s been handling the Marcello case. Once word gets out that he’s been harboring a deep personal interest with one of the main suspects, he’s going to be removed from the case indefinitely.”

I felt my features light up. Well, that certainly brightened up my mood.

“All that would need to happen is for someone to plant the seed of doubt around the office that Carter hasn’t been performing his duties to the best of his abilities lately. It would surely reach the higher ups and they’ll demand either progress or proof that he’s not been slipping.”

A plan was beginning to form in my mind. “If they stumble upon these photos then there goes Carter’s assignment.”

“As well as his reputation for working with the feds,” Ethan slithered. “Perhaps we ought to give him a choice. Either drop the Marcello case and reinstate Layla’s medical license or now he becomes the one to kiss his career goodbye.”

Carlo bristled. His voice was filled with an obscene amount of admiration. “My God, if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn that this was Matteo speaking.”

Ethan rolled his eyes and chuckled.

“Agent Carter is going to be in for a shock of his life when he returns from his little trip,” I said.

“That he is,” Carlo agreed. “Unless, you know, the twins don’t end up killing him themselves.”