Page 135 of Married With Malice

What better way to achieve this than to accept an agreement from an old, powerful friend when it was offered?

As for Richie, no one needs to educate me on his depravity. If he’s capable of using his nephews, his own flesh and blood, the sons of his only sister, as pawn pieces on his personal chessboard, then it’s no stretch to conclude he’s also capable of orchestrating a murder to prod an alliance along.

Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. Makes no difference right now. Albie Barone thinks it’s true.

The bomb was planted in anticipation that anyone of importance within the Amato empire would be inside that building. Then the car was supposed to pick off any survivors who staggered out alive.

Richie was supposed to die today. He might still die.

I was supposed to die too. There’s no other conclusion that can be drawn.

Albie wanted me dead even though I’m married to his daughter.

A crippling new terror cuts straight through me. I tell myself Albie would gain nothing by hurting his own daughter. Annalisa isn’t involved in any way in Richie’s business. He’s a rotten father but he has no reason to take out his fury on Anni.

I need to go get my wife. The rest of this bullshit can wait.

But when I take my phone out of my pocket and head for the door, Gianni stops me with a hand on my chest.

“You were late to the meeting.” He’s not at all subtle with his tone of suspicion. “Why were you late?”

“Fuck you” I fling his hand away. “First I almost got blown to kingdom come and then narrowly missed a final date with a hail of bullets.”

“Not now.” Silvio gets between us and shoots his partner a warning glare. “The kid is Richie’s nephew and has Richie’s trust. That’s all we need to know.”

“Right.” Gianni coughs. “Sorry, Luca.”

I don’t fucking care. Nothing matters to me less right now than the opinion of my uncle’s guard dogs.

“I’m getting my wife,” I say. “Silvio, you have the authority to do what needs to be done until Richie wakes up.”

He puffs up his chest, pleased to have the responsibility. He’s not the best candidate. However, the leadership positions have mostly been vacated today so he’ll have to do.

I have no more time for these clowns. I’m finding my wife. They can fight it out with Barone’s army as he seeks his insane revenge.

Cale.

My stomach flip flops in sickening fashion. I wasn’t even part of Richie’s team when Barone’s brother was killed. But Cale was. He was still Richie’s right hand man at the time.

Barone is cleaning house. There’s no way this same chain of logic wouldn’t occur to him. There might be a killer pulling up to Bright Hearts Ranch right now.

Spots swim in front of my eyes as I call my brother’s phone. It rings and rings.

WHY DOES NO ONE ANSWER THEIR DAMN PHONES TODAY???

Next I call Sadie and miracle of miracles, she answers on the second ring.

“Hey Luca,” she says. “Guess who laughed for the first time today? Margaret, it’s your Uncle Luca!”

“Sadie, where’s Cale?”

She stops cooing at the baby, immediately realizing something is wrong. “He’s working outside.”

“Do you see him?”

“Let me go to the window,” she says while Margaret makes baby noises in her arms. “Yes, I see him. He’s walking toward the barn.”

“Listen to me carefully. Open the door and shout to him the following words:‘Angela says it’s time for dinner.’ Make sure that he hears you. Do it now.”

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