Page 24 of His Gilded Cage

He had always been a large, strong man, but time had worn him down a bit.

I hated him in that moment.

I also had a clean shot.

With shaking hands, I stepped back and raised the gun. My breath was unsteady and my skin clammy; I aimed at his head and ever so softly put pressure on the trigger.

Here was the man who I had once called father.

Here was the man who had murdered my mother and contributed to the pain and suffering of untold people through his silent partnership in the drug trade.

He was a criminal.

He was a murderer.

Murderer.

The word gave me pause. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. Luis was, no doubt, a killer, but was I?

No.

I couldn’t sink to his level. I couldn’t allow myself to act as judge, jury, and executioner.

I lowered the gun and dropped my hands to my knees, struggling to breathe. I stepped away from the door into the shadows of the hall knowing I was in danger. I might have mercy in my heart, but my father’s security detail would fire without question if they saw me with a gun in hand.

I turned around and found myself face to face with Carmella.

“Hello Marco,” she said, crossing her arms. She wore a thin blue robe. Her dark hair pulled back by a simple headband. The intimacy of her dress confirmed my suspicions yet again. She was more than my father’s employee. She was his lover. She was his spy.

“How long were you standing there?” I asked, not bothering to hide the gun.

She glanced down at my hand. “Long enough to see you change your mind.”

I nodded and slipped the gun into my waistband. “I’m leaving,” I said.

“I’m sorry Marco.” She reached out to touch me but stopped short. “You were right about me. You were right about Cabo. It was almost a relief to be found out. Luis made all the arrangements, but I loved you in those days, I really loved you once. You have to believe me.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Your family had everything, and your father . . .” Her voice trailed off. She inhaled and looked at the ceiling, tears glistened in her eyes. “He represented power and success to me. When a man like that wants you. It’s impossible to say no.”

“Maybe when you were a girl, but you’re a grown woman now,” I said, my heart hammering. “You made a choice.”

“I did,” she said, her voice soft. “And I do love him. I didn’t in the beginning. But I do now. I love you too, Marco.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Carmella,” I said, my stomach turning.

“No, it doesn’t work, but it’s the truth.” She brushed a tear from her cheek. “I saw you come in the house tonight. I disabled the cameras in the foyer, the main staircase and this hall. They won’t come back online for another fifteen minutes. You can leave right now and no one will ever know what you tried to do, not even your father.”

“I had a clean shot,” I said. “What if I had taken it? You were willing to help me.”

“But you didn’t,” she said.

“I’m not a murderer,” I said. “I am not like him.”

“I know,” she said.

I left Carmella standing in the darkened hallway. I walked straight down the main staircase and out the front door.

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