Page 11 of Married to the Mafia

“The Feds are running through my place. Got a tipoff I had two kilos of blow in there. I can’t look at anything until they’re done.”

“Get back to me soon as you have something.”

I hang up and turn to face Santo. “You snitched to the Feds, didn’t you? Kept my IT geek busy while you went to get her and the chip?”

Santo manages a laugh and I want to break his teeth,yank them out with the pliers. I haven’t got time. The chip activated. I need to get to it and to the woman who holds it. She will become my wife whether or not she likes it. The only way to get right to the top is to marry the chip holder. That’s all that matters. Nothing else.

I step back, turning to Corrado as I pull out my gun. He mutters under his breath. “You know what it means to kill a made man?”

I turn around and put one in Santo’s face, firing right through the mouth. His body slumps forward in the seat, blood dripping to the floor.

“I know what it means,” I say.

“Do you want a war?”

“I want them to know I won’t put up with this kind of shit. Don Belucci thinks he can just send his men into my town and snatch up whatever woman has the chip? Thinks I won’t notice?”

“Maybe he thought he could get her before you heard about the chip.”

“He’s a dumb fuck is what he is.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“You really think it’s activated?”

“I doubt Santo would lie. He maybe thought you’d let him go if he told the truth.”

“Made man. Got cocky.”

“You killed him without his Don’s permission. That’s a declaration of war, Dino.”

I shake my head. “Might be. Unless I get the chip, get the girl, and marry her myself. Then I get the Capo dei Capi post when the big guy steps down. I become Don of Dons. I rule over all the families.”

Corrado glances across at the body, still dripping blood. “So you become Capo dei Capi and you expect the Beluccis to suck up the fact a made man just got whacked?”

“More than that. I shut them down. Ricardo’s been up to his old tricks. Two more bodies washed up not long since. And you know they’ve been trafficking kids this last year, right?”

“I know.”

“Babies, some of them. Keeping them off the radar but I got eyes and ears everywhere and I hear things. The Beluccis need putting down for good and getting the chip gets me one step closer to doing that.”

“So what’re you going to do to the girl who activated it?”

“I go get her. I marry her. I take the post of Don of Dons. I go from running the state to running the fucking country, Corrado.”

“There’s something you haven’t thought of, though.”

“And what’s that?”

“What if she doesn’t want to marry you?”

“She will.”

“You going to make her an offer she can’t refuse?”

“You could put it that way,” I say, putting my gun away. “Get that piece of shit back to Don Belucci with my compliments. While he’s frothing at the mouth and putting a crew together, I’ll be going to meet my new bride.

“Get Timmy to give me the co-ordinates where the chip activated as soon as the Feds are gone from his place. Shit, I should have got Santo to tell me her name before I offed him.”

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