Page 58 of Dark Romeo

He just lied. No doubt, Veronesi was lying too.

Both sides glared at the other, eyes watching twitchy fingers. Two men, two fathers, two sides filled with bitter hate. This was a combustible situation, mistrust leaking into the air like gas. Any minute the spark would ignite the whole damn place. We’d all be consumed along with it.

“What about you, boy?” Alberto turned towards me. “Do you know who killed my man?”

“He’ll tell you the same thing,” my father said.

“I want to hear it from him.”

I felt all eyes turn towards me. I couldn’t let myself flinch. “We didn’t have anything to do with your man’s death,” I lied, keeping my face passive and cold like I’d learned from my father.

“I guess the fleur-de-lis also killed your man,” my father sneered at the boss of the Veronesi family.

“Don’t mock me,” he replied.

My father glared back at him. “I’m not your only enemy, Alberto.”

“And I’m not yours. You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with Vinnie’s death?”

“You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with the death of my son?” retorted my father, anger coloring his voice. He snatched out his gun and pointed it at Alberto.

Fuck! I snatched out my gun and the sound of drawing weapons filled the warehouse. My nerves were wires about to snap. I counted three weapons aimed at my father, the remaining two were on me. If my father fired, he and I would both be dead.

The only one who remained weaponless was Alberto, his face a steely mask, despite the guns trained on him.

“I could kill you right now,” my father snarled.

Alberto stared at my father. “You pull the trigger and you and your son die.”

“But I will take you down with me,” my father said, his words filled with pleasure. “My eldest son deserves justice.”

“You’d lose your life and you’d lose a chance at justice because I didn’t kill your son. Do you really think I’d take out an entire slew of your men and carve a V on their chests? You might not like me, Giovanni, but you know I am not reckless nor am I stupid enough to incite a war like that.”

“I know that I will enjoy killing you.”

“If you kill me, I have four boys ready and waiting in the wings to take over my business. You brought your only remaining heir. Who would carry on your name if you were both to die today?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father flinch. Alberto Veronesi had found his weak spot and had just pushed. I almost felt impressed.

“You son of a bitch,” my father spat out.

Alberto sighed. “This doesn’t have to end in bloodshed. I called this meeting to offer you a truce.”

“What truce?”

“Put down your weapons and let’s talk like men.”

There was a long pause. The air in the room became hot and sticky, sweat beading on my forehead. We would all die here today if my father didn’t back down. Our lives were in his hands, balancing on a blade’s edge. I could feel the hatred rolling off my father. He would have to put away his pride if we were all to live. Lord knows, how hard he’d have to fight himself to set aside his pride.

Don’t be reckless, Father. Back down.

I shifted my weight slowly from one foot to the other. Any sudden movements and everything would erupt in a storm of bullets and blood. This next breath could be my last. Julianna’s face flashed in my mind and my stomach twisted with regret.

“Fine,” my father said. He withdrew his gun.

I let out the breath I’d been holding and lowered my own weapon. My blood pounded in my ears as a rush of relief flowed over me. I would not die today. Not today.

Slowly the men around us withdrew their weapons.

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