Page 132 of Monster in Disguise

"There's one thing you need to understand, Lina." I turn to her, softly stroking her hair. "Mafiosi always have two faces: one that they show to their family, and one that they show to the outside world. You can't succeed in this cutthroat environment without ruthlessness and a compromise on morality. You might know him as a loving brother, but to everyone else, he's a capo and a made man."

She seems pensive for a moment.

"I know who you are with me," Lina says, poking her finger in my chest. "But what's the face you show to the outside world? The one you used to punish Franco?"

"No. It's much, much worse," I tell her honestly, hoping she won't probe for more.

"What do you mean?"

"I pray that you never find out." I lift her finger to my lips. She looks like she wants to say something more, so I silence her with a kiss. What she'd seen me do to Franco had been tame. If she knew what I'm capable of... I really hope she never finds out.

Before we can take things further, Amelia interrupts to let me know I received a package which she'd left in my office.

"Do you have to go now?" Her hand trails softly down my arm before intertwining our fingers.

"I won't be long," I say, reluctant to leave her side. "After that, I'm all yours."

"I'll wait for you."

Anticipation already building inside of me, I make a run for my office, intent on getting this over with quickly. As Amelia said, there is a big box on top of my desk.

Odd that Amelia didn't mention who it's from. A cursory glance tells me it doesn't have any labels.

I shrug and set about opening it. Grabbing a pair of scissors, I cut through the tape holding the box at the top.

I hadn't felt anything before, but the moment I open the box, the smell of death assaults me.

"Fuck!" I mutter, scrunching my nose in disgust. Is this another bad joke? Carelessly, I tear through the cardboard to see what is inside.

And then I still.

Severed at the neck, Father's head is placed face up inside the box. The skin is a blue-yellowish, a mix of pus and blood lingering at the decapitation line. The bullet wound is infested with maggots, as are his eye sockets—or what's left of them.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I take a step back, staring in shock at Father's rotting head. Who could have sent this?

But that means...

Taking a deep breath, I rummage through the box, looking for some clues as to who could have done this. It doesn't take me long to find a note.

NICE TRY!

My hand clenches around the piece of paper.

I've been played.

Trying to calm myself, I take a seat and replay the recent events in my head. There's only one conclusion to be drawn.

It's someone close to me.

This is all a joke for whoever is doing this. And putting things in perspective makes me think that everything's been a game so far. From me finding the asylum papers when I did – considering I'd gone through all of Tino's files before – to finding Father and killing him, hoping he was the source of my torment.

A manic laugh takes over. I can't even help myself as I bend forward, my belly hurting from laughing this hard.

And then I stop.

They think they won, huh? But now I have one invaluable clue. Whoever it is has unrestricted access to my house. But more than anything, theyknowabout my past, and my work for Father. That narrows the list even more.

It's someone within the famiglia.

---