Page 51 of Married to the Mafia

“Don Belucci has your father captive,” he says, getting to his feet, draining the last of his drink. “Wants to make a deal.”

“What the fuck?” I say, my appetite vanishing. “Don Belucci as in Ricardo’s father?”

“I will get your dad back, I swear it.” He walks over to the fireplace and touches something on the hearth with hisfoot. The painting above the mantel moves left to reveal a cabinet behind.

He pulls open the cabinet door, and it’s filled with guns. He takes one out and turns to face me. “If we’re going to get him back, I need to be able to trust you. Can I trust you?”

“Why do I need a gun?”

“Have you shot one before?”

“A couple of times when my dad showed me. Why?”

He holds the gun toward me. “Take it.”

I do as he says and turn it so it’s pointing toward him. “This is because of you, isn’t it? My dad’s in danger because of you. What’s stopping me shooting you right now and putting an end to this?”

“Nothing stopping you,” he says, walking toward me so the gun is pointing at his stomach. “Hit here,” he says, raising the barrel to his chest. “That way I won’t come after you.”

I look down at the gun, my finger on the trigger. I could squeeze it and end this right now. “I’ll do it,” I say. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t shoot you and call the police to get my dad back.”

“I’ll give you two reasons. One, by the time the police get to Don Belucci’s place, your dad will be long dead. Two, your dad will die anyway if we don’t both show up together for this meeting.”

“What?”

“Those are Belucci’s conditions. We both come and we don’t bring any soldiers with us. Just us two or he’s dead before we walk in the door. I need you on my side for this, Rose.”

“You’re lying,” I say, my finger still on the trigger.

“Have I lied to you about anything before now?”

I think, and I want to say yes, but I know the truth atonce. He’s many things, but he’s not a liar. “No,” I say at last.

“I will get him back to you,” he says, moving the gun away from his chest. “Oh, and one last tip. Make sure the safety’s off when you’re going to shoot someone.”

20

Dino

Dino

She talks nonstop on the drive over there. I’m guessing it’s her way of keeping her nerves under control. I say little. I’m busy thinking.

Don Belucci is a fucking moron to think he can take the Capo dei Capi hostage. It’s the last act of a dying man. He won’t survive this. There’s no chance. He clearly thinks more of himself than he should, to think he can play a hand like this.

He’s got nothing. If I was sitting opposite him at a card table, I could tell at once he’s got nothing. He doesn’t want Rose’s father dead. If he did, the poor guy would be dead already.

He wants to negotiate and I can already guess what for. He wants the chip, and he wants her. He wants to marry her off to Ricardo and cement their family’s place at the top of the tree.

Not fucking happening.

I tune back into what Rose is saying. She’s talking aboutthe shelter, about why she doesn’t want it to be demolished. It’s a bit late for that.

How long can I keep hidden from her the fact that the place is already gone? The more she talks, the worse I feel about keeping quiet. I never realized how much sentimental value the place had for her.

I’ve never been that attached to places. Any minute, someone could come along and burn them or blow them up. I get attached to nothing, just in case. Until she came along.

“When my mom died, it did me good to be around the dogs,” she’s saying. “They never minded me crying about it or talking to them while I fed them.”

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