Page 70 of Malevolent King

“He’s not coming back from AC today?”

Silvio was always emboldened when my father wasn’t in residence, so this was unwelcome news.

Carmella shook her head. “He’s had a heart attack,tesoro. He’s in the hospital.”

* * *

Our Ladyof the Sacred Heart in downtown Trenton was bursting at the seams with De Sanctis men. The VIP floor looked like the waiting room for a mob casting, and my uncle, Franco, was in charge of it all. I waited outside the room with Angelo to see the patient.

A doctor had already briefed us on his condition: stable but weak. He’d collapsed on his way back from Atlantic City and needed emergency surgery. Now he needed to recover. He’d be here for weeks, which meant that half the might of the De Sanctis family needed to be stationed outside in shifts for the duration. Antonio De Sanctis was a powerful man, and he had plenty of enemies. If word got out that he was a sitting duck in the hospital, his life would be in further danger.

“Sofia, come in,” my uncle called from my father’s room.

Franco stepped back when I approached and let me in. Silvio followed, to my annoyance, and Angelo waited outside.

The sight of Antonio lying in a too-big hospital bed, surrounded by machines and cables, did something strange to me.“Papa.” I approached his side and took his slack hand in mine. He looked so small in that state-of-the-art bed. He’d always loomed so large to me, been so powerful, yet he was just a man, and he’d nearly died.

“Figlia, don’t look like you’re attending a funeral.Cazzo, I’m not dead yet,” Antonio chastised. He’d read my mind.

I nodded and let go of his hand. He looked tired, and with the surgery so fresh, he’d probably be asleep again soon.

“I need you to stay home for a while. No school, no outings. Just sit tight at home. We need the dust to settle on all this.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Sofia,Zio,” Silvio said from his position, lounging against the wall.

Gooseflesh of disgust and warning crept over me. My cousin was really becoming a problem.

Antonio blinked his watery eyes. “Va bene. Renato cannot be disturbed by this. He has bigger problems in Italy. No one calls him,” he warned, silencing me with a look when I opened my mouth to protest.

“Franco is in charge here, and Silvio is in charge at the compound. This is my decision.” He coughed with the effort of speaking and grimaced in pain.

My uncle stepped toward me, nodding. “Whatever you decide, brother. Sofia, go home now. Silvio will take you.”

Just like that, I was dismissed. I turned away and stepped quickly to the side when Silvio reached for me.

A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he reached out and grabbed my arm regardless, his fingers pressing hard into my skin.“Don’t make a scene, Sofia. You heard the boss. I’m in charge of your ass at home. If you want me to be gentle with it, don’t piss me off.”

He walked into the corridor and dragged me along. Angelo fell into step beside me, his eyes tight and worried when they caught mine.

Silvio chuckled, holding me close to whisper in my ear, “It looks like the days of hiding behind Daddy are ending. Soon, it’ll just be you and me. My father won’t stop me from taking what I want. Renato isn’t to be disturbed, and he’s a fucking ocean away. Oh, and I also made no kind of deal with Kirill Chernov to return his brother alive. This week is looking up.”

I pushed him away and strode down the corridor as he dogged my heels. “The doctor said my father is already recovering, so I wouldn’t be making any plans you might regret.”

Silvio smirked. “Yeah, well, it’s dangerous in the hospital. Your father has a lot of enemies.”

I stopped and stared at him. “Are you threatening us?”

Silvio shrugged. “I’m not doing anything but pointing out a fact. Don’t worry. My father will make an excellent boss when the need arrives.”

I forced a nonchalant laugh. “When? You meanif. Besides, in that event, Renato will come home. You’ll never be the heir of the De Sanctis family, Silvio, so stop panting after it. It’s embarrassing.”

We reached his car, a penis-shaped red shiny sports car, parked illegally at the curb.

“The only embarrassing thing will be how you beg me to go easy on you when your world falls down. Soon, I might have the power to see you married off to old Vincenzo Moroni. Or maybe I’ll have you first. Take what you’ve been dangling in front of me for years and send you off anyway.”

He laughed, and a chill ran down my spine. If I needed a sign that my father was in real danger, Silvio casually threatening to rape me was it. Things in my family had just gotten a lot more dangerous.

“So, Franco’s planning a coup? Is that where you’re going with this?”

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