Page 10 of Married to the Mafia

I go back inside, heading upstairs. I take a shower and then get something to eat. The kitchen has excelled itself this evening. Lobster that’s so fresh I’m surprised it doesn’tpinch me when I eat it. The wine goes down crisp and light, not too heavy.

By the time I’ve finished my meal, it’s time. Corrado is standing in the doorway of the dining room, coughing politely. I turn to face him. “Is he here?”

“Downstairs.”

“What kind of shape is he in?”

“Messed up, but he can still talk.”

“Good.”

I follow him to the bookcase in the study. Yanking out the copy of The Godfather, I step back and wait. The bookcase rolls along its silent runners to expose the door behind. I open the door and walk down the wooden steps into the basement.

It’s on the same floor plan as my house. Divided into rooms. I’ve kept people down here for different reasons, sometimes for a while. There’s a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom. That’s over to the left. To the right, through another door, is the interview room. It’s where I find out the truth. Every single time.

They all crack eventually. It’s just a matter of hitting the right buttons. Everyone’s got a breaking point.

In the chair in the middle of the interview room is Santo Belucci. He’s moaning through his gag. His nose is bloody and his left eye’s swollen. On either side of him are two of my men. I nod and they walk away, heading through the far door that leads, eventually, to the parking garage.

It’s just me and Corrado. Santo looks from me to him and back again. He looks pissed off, more than afraid. That’ll change soon enough.

“You know the deal,” I say, cracking my knuckles, flexing my fingers as I stand in front of him. “We’ve been good to you since the war. You’ve stayed out of our territoryand we’ve let you all live. I’m going to take the gag off you in a minute, and you’re going to tell me what the fuck you thought you were doing in Gordon’s Cove. But before you do, I want you to think. Each lie you tell me will cost you a break. Fingers first. Then legs. So think carefully if you want to get out of here alive.”

I nod to Corrado. He pulls the gag from Santo’s mouth.

“Talk,” I say, taking the chair opposite him. “Make it fast.”

“You think you can do this to me?” Santo says, tugging at the bonds holding him in place. They tied his wrists and ankles the right way. He’s going nowhere until I release him. He’s still snarling at me, even as he fights to free himself. “I’m a fucking made man, you son of a bitch. You won’t get away with this.”

I tap my foot on the floor a few times, trying to keep from snapping his fucking neck. “You broke the rules,” I say. “You went to Gordon’s Cove, and that’s out of fucking bounds. I’m giving you one chance to tell me the truth. What were you doing there?”

“Fuck you, Dino.” He goes to spit at me. I turn my head, but it still lands on my cheek. I’ll make him pay for that, but not yet. First, I need answers.

I take a silk handkerchief from my pocket and mop my face. “You don’t want to answer,” I say, getting to my feet and crossing to the toolbox. “That’s fine.” I reach inside and bring out a pair of pliers. “He left or right-handed?”

“Left,” Corrado replies.

I grab hold of his left hand and wrap the pliers around his little finger. One quick tug, a snap, and then he screams. “Still got nine left,” I say. “And I can spend all fucking night getting answers from you, if that’s what it takes. You want to walk out of here alive, talk. What were you doing there?”

He’s turning pale. For the first time he seems to realize his made status won’t save him, not down here where his screams can’t travel beyond the solid walls around us. My reputation isn’t bullshit. He might have thought it was smoke and mirrors, but I’m not afraid of anything or anyone.

He’s grasping how close he is to death. No one’s coming to save him. He’s only leaving if I let him go, and there’s only a slim chance of that happening.

I wrap the pliers around his ring finger, and he stutters. “All right, all right,” he says when he gets himself together. “The chip activated. I went to go get the girl.”

I let go of his hand and step back. “Did it now? You know I’ll be checking, right?”

“Let me go, Dino, please. I swear I won’t go back there.”

“Your Don swore none of your famiglia would ever go there again after what happened. What was the plan? Snatch her and marry her off? Who to?”

Santo nods, groaning as he does so. The pain’s getting to him, his eyes are going. I’ve not got long before he’s useless. I slap him back to life. He blinks and focuses on me. “Marry her off?” I ask again.

“Yeah,” he replies.

I take out my phone and call Timmy. He answers at once. “Yes, boss?”

“Has the chip activated?”

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