Page 54 of Married to the Mafia

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Rose

Rose

Dad takes my hand and squeezes it. “I love you, Rose,” he says and I can’t even answer. There’s so much blood coming out of his stomach, I don’t know what to do.

Is there anything I can do? I wish Amelia was here. She saved Leo’s dog from a gunshot wound. She’d fix him just as well.

“Apply pressure,” Dino says from the front seat. “I’ll get us to a hospital as fast as I can.”

I press my hand into dad’s stomach and he winces. “It’s too late,” he says. “I’m not going to make it.”

“Yes, you are,” I snap back at him. “Don’t you talk like that.”

“You’re a good man, Dino,” he says, shifting in his seat and letting out a grunt of pain.

“Never been called that before,” Dino replies. “I’m sorry I got you into this shit.”

“You didn’t get me into anything. I got myself into it.”

I’m still pressing into his stomach and I’m trying mybest not to panic, but waves of fear are washing over me. Is my dad dying?

“I’d have used a car bomb too,” Dad says, still talking to Dino. “Good call.”

Dino glances behind him and his expression changes. A car horn honks, and he turns his attention back to the road.

“Listen to me,” Dad says, squeezing my hands. “I’ve not got much time left so I need you to listen.”

“I’m listening, Dad, I promise.”

“I should have told you who I really was,” he says. “I just wanted to protect you from this life, but once you’re in, there’s no way out except going underground.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m the Capo dei Capi, Rose. I put the chip in your safe deposit box.”

“You...you did?”

“I let Don Belucci take me. I wanted to see for myself how Dino would react.” He grunts as we take a turn sharply to the left. “I wanted to see what kind of man he was and now I know.”

“Now you know what?” Dino asks.

“Now I know you love her.” Dad turns to look at me and he manages a smile. “I wanted you to have a good life, Rose, and a safe life. I was getting too old to take care of you. I set all this up. I killed Don Belucci.

“I don’t want Dino to take the blame for that. I want peace, not war, and he’s the man to bring peace. He’s the man who can take my role. The only man to stand up for what’s right, to be honest with me, even when the questions are tough. He can protect you, Rose.”

“Nearly there,” Dino yells back. “Just hold on.”

Dad grips my wrists tighter as I keep pressure on the wound. Blood is filling the footwell of the car, so muchblood. “I knew one day you’d find out and when you did, the rats would all come out of the woodwork to look for you, to take you in.

“I wanted a powerful man to take you, a good man. Dino is a good man. He’ll take care of you. He’s the only one strong enough to get rid of those bastard Beluccis. Not only that, but he loves you.”

I look up at Dino as he takes another bend, weaving through the traffic. “You love me?” I ask out loud.

He glances back. “Now is not the time,” he snaps. “We’re here.”

We swing into the hospital entrance and he slams on the brakes, stopping right outside the door. He jumps out and runs inside, leaving me with my dad.

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