Chapter 22

Isabella Pov

The wind howled through the decrepit base, rattling the windows and sending an eerie chill through the room. I stood by the table, my eyes on the laptop screen, but my mind elsewhere. Enzo's earlier suspicion about Tony still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating.

Tony had been quiet since we discovered the listening device, too quiet. His absence from the room now only deepened the knot of tension twisting in my stomach.

"Do you think it's him?" I whispered, turning to Enzo. He stood by the window, staring out into the darkness, his broad shoulders tense.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice low. "But if it is, we're in more danger than we thought."

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Tony had been a pillar of strength in this chaos, someone I thought we could rely on. But now, doubt crept into every corner of my mind.

Unable to sit still, I moved toward the bunkroom where Tony had retreated earlier. The door creaked as I pushed it open, revealing the dimly lit space. His cot was empty, the blanket tossed carelessly to the side.

"Tony?" I called, my voice barely above a whisper.

No response.

I scanned the room, my gaze landing on a duffel bag shoved beneath his cot. My heart pounded as I crouched down, pulling the bag into the light.

"What are you doing?" Vince's voice startled me, and I spun around to find him standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"I'm looking for answers," I said, my voice firmer than I felt.

He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "You think Tony's the mole?"

"I don't know," I admitted, unzipping the bag. "But I need to know the truth."

The contents of the bag were unremarkable at first-spare clothes, a flashlight, a knife. But then I found it. A small, folded piece of paper tucked into a side pocket.

I unfolded it slowly, my breath catching as I recognized the Moretti crest at the top. Beneath it, a list of names-ours.

My stomach dropped.

"Is that-?" Vince began, but I cut him off.

"Yes." My hands trembled as I held the paper. "This proves it. Tony's been feeding them information."

Enzo's reaction was immediate. The moment I handed him the paper, his jaw tightened, and his eyes burned with a fury I'd never seen before.

"Where is he?" he demanded, his voice cold and sharp.

"He's not in the bunkroom," I said. "But he can't have gone far."

We spread out, searching the base for any sign of him. My heart raced as I checked every shadowed corner, every creaking hallway. The thought of confronting Tony-of facing the betrayal-made my chest tighten.

Finally, we found him outside, standing by the edge of the forest. The moonlight cast an eerie glow over his figure, and for a moment, he looked like a stranger.

"Tony," Enzo called, his voice laced with restrained anger.

Tony turned slowly, his expression calm but unreadable. "What is it?"

Enzo didn't waste time. He held up the paper, letting it flutter slightly in the wind. "Care to explain this?"

Tony's eyes flicked to the paper, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something-regret? Resignation?

"Where did you find that?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.

"Does it matter?" Enzo stepped closer, his voice rising. "You've been selling us out, haven't you? Working with the Morettis behind our backs."

Tony's calm demeanor cracked. "You don't understand," he said, his voice tight. "It's not what you think."

"Then explain," I demanded, stepping forward. My voice wavered, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. "Explain how this doesn't mean you've been betraying us."

He hesitated, his eyes darting between us. "I didn't have a choice," he said finally. "They threatened my family. My sister, her kids-they said they'd kill them if I didn't cooperate."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to believe him, to see the man I'd trusted for so long. But the paper in Enzo's hand told a different story.

"You should've told us," Enzo said, his voice cold. "We could've helped you."

"And risked all of you?" Tony shook his head. "I couldn't do that. I thought I could handle it, keep them off our backs without anyone getting hurt."

"Well, you failed," Enzo snapped. "You put us all in danger."

The tension between them was palpable, the air heavy with anger and betrayal. I stepped between them, placing a hand on Enzo's chest to hold him back.

"We need to think this through," I said, my voice firm. "If the Morettis know where we are, we don't have time to fight amongst ourselves."

Enzo's chest heaved as he glared at Tony, but he didn't move.

Tony looked at me, his expression softening. "Isabella, I never meant for any of this to happen. I thought I was protecting everyone."

"By lying to us?" I shot back. "By putting us in danger?"

He flinched, but he didn't argue.

"We can't stay here," Vince said from behind me, his voice breaking the tense silence. "If the Morettis know our location, we need to move now."

Enzo nodded reluctantly. "We'll deal with this later," he said, his eyes still locked on Tony. "For now, we need to focus on surviving."

As we turned to head back inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The mole's identity was no longer a mystery, but the damage had already been done. Trust was a fragile thing, and ours had been shattered.