Page 33 of Texting My Mafia Savior

Reluctantly, I let Hugo strap the mechanism to my hand, then he puts some suckers on my chest.

“Really,” I tell Dominic. “These aren’t even admissible in court.”

“Does it look like we’re in court?”

Hugo leans back. My mind fills with ugly thoughts, real murderous shit, memories of killing people, visions of Arria getting hurt. I can’t stay calm, can’t psychopathically cheat the machine. But I can make myself so amped up that none of this is useful.

“Is your name Nico Barberi?” Hugo asks me in a small, reedy voice.

“Yes,” I say. The needles gotsk-tsk, moving up and down.

“What does that mean?” Dominic snaps.

“I’m trying to establish a baseline,” Hugo says. “Did you work as an enforcer for Dominic Caruso?”

“Yes,” I answer, knowing I’ve got no other choice. Dominic might have men waiting outside Arria’s house. Is he going to take this out on her? I imagine her in a genuinely depraved situation, something so sick I can barely acknowledge it. But I have to.

The needle dances even more. Hugo frowns. Maybe it’s working.

“He was an enforcer for me,” Dominic says. “Why is it moving like that?”

“He’s nervous,” Hugo mutters.

Dominic narrows his eyes at me. “Stop the fucking games, Barberi.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I’ve seen you take on three men and remain completely calm.”

“That was before I left the life behind. It’s duh-different now.” I have to make my panic believable.

“Are we sitting in Lupa Osteria?”

I imagine both Arria and Lucia in a sickening pattern of bloodshed. I see them as corpses. It’s horrible. I think of all the pro bono cases I’ve worked on, the kids, in the same way. It’s evil. My heart is hammering now. Sweat slides down my body.

“Yes,” I say, but the needle dances even more.

Dominic slams his hand on the table. “Enough!” he roars. “I want the truth, Nico. Are you in a relationship with your niece? Were youeverin a relationship with Lucia?Did you steal her from me?”

He stands up, slamming his fists on the table, his eyes wild, spit clinging to his lips. He looks insane. Despite his pitiful appearance, I can’t pity him because he might shoot me at any moment.

“She’s my wife,” I say, making my voice tremble, not even having to try very hard anymore. If I thought fighting back was an option, maybe I wouldn’t be so panicked. But I know I can’t do that. It’d only make things worse. “Our relationship is genuine. I can’t force myself to calm down. I’m not the Barbarian anymore.”

“You’re cheating the fucking test,” Dominic growls.

“No, Don Caruso. I’m telling you the truth.”

He reaches into his jacket, takes out a gun, and aims it at my head. “What do you think would happen if I pulled the trigger?”

“I’d die.”

“After,” he hisses. “What do you think the consequences would be?”

“Nothing—nobody would know I was dead. I’d go missing. My body would never be found.”

“So what’s stopping me?” he growls.

“You’re a man of your word. We had a deal.”

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