Page 113 of Bad for You

“Liar! You said you wanted my fighting spirit. That you needed it to succeed. That I was invaluable to you. Remember? Why?”

When Aldo doesn’t speak, Valentina steps forward and presses her gun to the middle of his forehead.

“You know why. You are the key to changing all of it.”

“What does that mean? My mother hid away from you because she was scared of you. Why did you come to the orphanage? To kill me too?”

“Kill you? Your mother is alive. She is—”

“I know where she is! I’ve seen her. She’s tied to a fucking bed, a medicated zombie, thanks to you!”

Confusion, followed by shock, passes over Aldo’s face, and I see that he has no idea what she’s talking about. It angers Valentina, and she cocks the trigger but never shoots because I disarm her.

She is stunned, but that soon turns to anger. “Lenny, get out of the way!”

I stand in front of Aldo, using my body as a human shield. “Stop, please, just for one minute. Tell me what Gianna has said.”

I don’t know who to believe. I need to hear all sides of the story because history has proven Gianna to be nothing but a liar. Aldo has been nothing but a friend. Nothing makes sense.

“You choose him over me?”

Gripping her cheeks, I beg she sees reason. “I always choose you,tesoro mio. But tell me why you want him dead.”

“Gianna told me the truth, that Aldo was in love with my mother, he was obsessed with her. And to protect me, she left me at the orphanage. He would use me to find my mother because he’s been looking for her for years. That is why Gianna trained us!

“To kill Aldo so my mother can be free.”

“And Gianna gets his empire.” I fill in the blanks.

“I saw her in some psych ward, Lenny! I cannot allow him to live! He destroyed her life and mine!”

This doesn’t make any sense.

I turn to Aldo, who has heard every word.

He shakes his head. “How she lies. She will say anything to win. Think back to when I came for you. Did I ever frighten you? Yes, I came with an ulterior motive, but it is not what Gianna said.

“Bellezza, your mother is—”

A gunshot suddenly rings out…but it’s not Valentina who shoots.

Aldo drops to the ground, his white shirt staining red.

Both Valentina and I gasp.

Gianna walks over, smoking gun in hand.

I can’t believe my eyes. Aldo is bleeding and dying. He was about to say something Gianna didn’t want us to hear.

On instinct, I run to his aid, pressing my hands over the wound to his chest. There’s so much blood.

“We must go,piccola. The police will come for you. The sisters have alerted the police to what you have done. I cannot protect you here. Please.”

“Valentina, no!” I scream, pressing harder down on the bloody wound. But it’s in vain because Aldo will be dead in minutes. “She shot him before he could tell you the truth. You’re nothing but a liar, Gianna!”

I can’t believe I ever thought she could be good.

Sirens sound, and it’s apparent the police have swarmed the grounds. Men are dead and wounded, the sight a mass battlefield.

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