Page 47 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

“Do not forget that your father was my son,” Vito barked loudly at me, slamming one wrinkled fist on the desk. “You are not the only one in pain.”

“Then why all the fucking secrecy?” I snarled, stalking toward the desk. “You wanted me back in the city so badly that you’ve been withholding information. Did you forget that I’m in charge? It’s my name and my life on the line to protect every single family we care for while you’re up here playing information broker.”

Vito slapped a blue plastic file down onto the desk and shoved it toward me.

“One of the men you apprehended from the funeral was involved in an incident with us a few years ago.” Vito spoke through gritted teeth, and for the most part, I enjoyed the power I had over him. I was still furious he had even thought about taking over as Don, as if it wasn’t my blood right.

“What incident?”

“Dino’s assassination,” Vito said.

“My what now?” Dino stepped up to the desk and peered over my shoulder as I flipped through the file.

“Who gave the order?” I snapped.

“We’re still looking into that,” Vito replied.

I clenched my jaw so hard that pain shot up to my temple.

“A few years ago, through that period of unrest when people were trying to get to you, Rocco, and Dino was a target because he was doing just too good a job at keeping you alive,” Vito explained.

“You don’t need to remind me,” Dino remarked, his chin resting lightly on my shoulder. “But what does it have to do with anything?”

“It would seem that the men who tried to kill you and injured Jian in the process weren’t all taken care of like the Russian Pakhan assured us during peace talks. One of them survived. He was the first Jian killed, but we matched his prints.”

“So…” I skimmed the report detailing the night I nearly lost my best friend and bodyguard. No one had expected Dino to be a target, but it was genius, really. Without him, I would have certainly died a quick death. “The Russians lied to us, and as a result, one of them wanted revenge because we’re still alive?”

“Perhaps,” Vito mused. “His intentions are unimportant. What is more concerning is whose orders he was working under because even back then, the Pakhan claimed they acted without cause or instruction.”

“So either the Russians have trouble keeping their men in line,” Dino mused, “or someone is giving out instructions behind the Pakhan’s back.”

“Or it is the Pakhan himself,” Vito said quietly.

We were gaining more and more pieces of a puzzle that, without the picture, was becoming impossible to solve. As I mulled it over, my eyes drifted further down the report.

“If you think about it,” Dino continued, “I don’t think it is the Pakhan. None of these incidents work in his favor. I mean look at him right now. The Russians are struggling to stay afloat under our assaults. He looks weak and useless, and he won’t be granted any mercy.”

“A power play from someone else?” I suggested quietly. “Someone else is using us to shift Russian power?”

Suddenly, my heart stopped. On the incident report, underneath civilian casualties, was a name.

A name I knew.

“Why?” I said slowly, lifting my gaze to Vito. “Why is Keiran Murphy’s name on here?”

“What?!” Dino snatched the file from my hands, his eyes wide, and he began to read aloud. “Only one civilian casualty was a result of the shooting. Keiran Murphy was shot by the accused when attempting to get into his car. No affiliation to any Family, Keiran was handled by the authorities.”

“What?” My heart plummeted down to my gut. “Since when do the authorities handle any civilian casualties? We handle everything in house and make sure their families are taken care of, but?—”

I cut myself off. Keiran was Mae’s father, and she definitely wasn’t being taken care of by this family. If she was, I would have seen her name the moment I took over.

“Your father chose to cover Dino’s assassination attempt with a carjacking,” Vito replied stiffly, clasping his hands together. “I hardly see why that’s relevant.”

“It’s pretty fucking relevant,” I snapped, taking the file back from Dino. “Why are Rachel and Mae not getting the same care we’ve given to every other civilian family we’ve affected?”

“Her dad died because of… me?” Dino murmured behind me.

“Because it was the best course of action at the time,” Vito said, his eyes narrowed. “The assassination attempt was public and loud. It would have been difficult to pay off the authorities like normal, and with one dead Russian and a dead civilian it was easier, and simple, to let the state take over.”

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