Page 41 of Desperate Vows

“I also know what you told Lucas. Her old man was in the bathroom with her.”

“Why did Franklin return to Chicago early and not let Lucas know he was in town? If you had a daughter, would you just let a man take her and keep her?”

“I’m not Franklin Benoit.”

“Something isn’t right,” she said through her teeth.

“Enough! I?—”

The door burst open, and Dimitris and two of his guys were helping Marco Moretti’s twin brother, Gabriele Moretti, into my office. He had been messed up good. He was almost unrecognizable, and he was limping. Blood stains dotted his white dress shirt.

He was supposed to be boss because he had been out in the world a full ten minutes before Marco, but he was stupid and offered his role as head of the Morettis during a card game. When he lost, there wasn’t anything he could do. Marco was in his twenties when their dad suffered a heart attack, and he took over. That was fifty years ago, and there had been more than one rumor that the family’s allegiance was split.

We were all immediately on our feet. Ari was barking orders on where to put him. Thea watched, but that was good. Amid all this chaos, she would see things we missed. I was calling our doctor. If I didn’t like what Gabriele had to say, I’d just cancel the house call.

“What happened?” asked Ari. “And why did you bring him here?”

Dimitris looked at Ari. “I’ll let him tell you.”

Our guys got him on the couch, and he huffed and puffed, grunted and groaned. The guy was obviously in pain, but we needed answers. “Okay, so tell me.”

“Marco’s lost his mind.” Gabriele groaned.

“That’s not new information,” Ari said.

His face twisted. “I caught him with my granddaughter, and the only reason that piece of scum isn’t dead is that his guys got the drop on me. They were letting him do it.” He began muttering in Italian. I didn’t have to know the language to know what he was saying. Marco wasn’t long for this world.

I exchanged looks with my siblings. We were all lost for words.

Grabbing a chair, I pulled it over in front of him and sat. “You’ve got my attention.”

“He’s bringing in little girls. Girls that are my daughter’s age. Morettis ain’t nice people, but we don’t diddle little girls. Our father, God rest his soul, is turning over in his grave.”

“You’re his brother. You didn’t know this was going on?” I asked.

The man gave me a hard look. “He’d already be dead if I’d known. I knew he was getting deeper into stripping and prostitution. My daughter called and said that Marco picked up Annalisa, my granddaughter.” He paused and groaned. “I thought that’s strange. You know? What’s my brother doing picking up my granddaughter from school? There’s nothing special going on.”

He snarled. “I call Rocco, one of his guys who don’t like Marco much, asking him where Marco’s taking Annalisa. Rocco don’t know nothin’. He says, I’ll call around. He calls me back, and that bastard has her at that club that Benoit owns. Rocco and a couple of his guys and I go there. I can hear her, Kalantzis. Screaming. I don’t wait for no invitation.” The man lowered his gaze. “I find her…” To see a grown man shed tears isn’t common, and even less so in my world. “Marco’s laying on top of her. I fly over and kick him in the head. Rocco storms in and sees what’s happening. I tell him to grab Annalisa and get her out of there. I’m gonna beat Marco to death with my own hands.”

A knock came from the door, and Thea answered it. The doctor walked in, and she locked it.

While the doctor was taking care of him, we continued talking. “Is Marco still alive?”

“Yeah, someone must have tipped him off and his guys showed up, but Rocco’s got my back, and my guys arrive. Marco splits. I’m shot.”

I looked at Dimitris. “How do you come into play?”

He shrugged. “How do I always come into play?” He smiled.

The cockiness was going to get him killed.

Gabriele looked at him. “Marco’s sent an army, and they’ve got me. He shows up outta nowhere. Next thing I know, Marco’s army ain’t so many, and your guys are getting me out of there. I hate it, but I’m in your debt.”

He jerked and cursed as the doctor checked his leg. “Take it easy, my guy.”

Ari and I exchanged a look, and I made an on-the-fly call. “You know Marco and Franklin are working together, right?”

His eyes narrowed. “No, but I had my suspicions.”

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