Page 35 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

“Marcus,” Matteo pushed.

“Sorry, boss. We lost him, but I have a trace on his plate and his face now. I caught him on a security camera outside of a tech store on the corner of 152nd and Gomez. He went in for about a half hour and then came out of the place holding a bag.”

“What was in the bag?” I asked.

“Not a clue,” Marcus said with a chuckle.

“Then what the fuck is the good news?” I finally asked.

Marcus whistled as he looked at me up and down. “Matteo,” he said, glancing between us, “is your lady friend the new Don? I’ve heard rumors.”

I gaped at the question. “Rumors?”

He shrugged. “I work closely with some of the Genoveses. They’re talking about you taking over. Nobody knows for sure, but most of them assume that you’re going to follow in your father's footsteps.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t tell anyone I would take over.”

“It’s just a rumor. I’m excited to see how many people get angry about a woman being Don,” he said with a loud laugh. “Oh, that will be a sight to see. I’m all for women’s rights and all that shit. But a female Don? We’re not living in the 1950s, and that will be one hell of a reminder to all those self-assured pricks.”

I wanted to laugh at the clear interest in his tone. He meant every word. It was certainly an unpopular opinion to have in his line of work.

“Marcus, get on track,” Matteo finally chimed in.

“Right.” He typed on his keyboard for a moment, and one of the camera angles filled the entire screen. “I decided to go back on the footage of this particular camera. Only ninety days of footage saves at a time, and then they auto-delete, so I can’t go back more than three months. But almost every Tuesday morning like clockwork…”

He hit the space bar, and the video played.

I recognized Vlad on the screen, striding into the tech shop with an empty bag. I glanced down at the timestamp and found it had been taken two weeks ago. Then Marcus hit a few buttons, and I watched the same thing on a different day. Same bag, different outfit.

“Every Tuesday?” I asked.

“Bingo,” Marcus said. “And I have more.”

The next clip he played was a little different. This time, Vlad came into view, a woman at his side. I would recognize the turned-up nose and dark hair anywhere. Aelita. The woman responsible for my brother’s death.

“His daughter was with him. Does she go with him often?”

“It looks like the first two Tuesdays every month,” Marcus remarked. “And you’re in luck. Next Tuesday is the first of the month.”

The news came as a shock as I stared at the paused screen. This was the closest I’d come to my family’s killer, and I took a small step forward, looking at the screen a little more closely. I hadn’t ever felt so much hatred for anyone in my life. I’d never wanted to see someone suffer as much as I did her. Vlad deserved to burn in hell for what he did, but Aelita…

She took everything from me.

She deserved more than to burn in hell. She deserved to live in hell for years before dying and being sent there.

My brother’s final look of betrayal flashed in my mind. The way he’d fully trusted her before falling to his knees.

I would kill her with my bare hands for that alone.

“You’re saying that next Tuesday, we’ll find them there?” I clarified.

“You sound like you’re making some sinister plans, Genovese,” Marcus teased. “You’ve got more Don in you than you think.”

I didn’t reply as I turned and strode out of the house, not bothering to take in the eccentric details. Nothing mattered other than the thought of finally avenging my family. This was the first and only lead we’d had, and I knew it would pan out. I could feel it. We’d finally be able to look them in the eyes and give them what they deserved.

My excitement after learning that information made sense.

It was the only thing that made sense.

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