Page 49 of Redeem
Madden holds a knife to Tony’s throat, another one embedded deep in his gut. It's a gruesome tactic, but it serves as a stark reminder that we aren't playing by rules anymore. The truth is more important than anything at this moment.
I have give it to Tony—he hasn't made a sound, considering he has a six-inch knife sticking out of his body.
"It's time to start talking," Arrow hisses, his voice laced with anger. We’re not playing around here, and I think Madden has made that message clear to Salvatore as he watches his brother struggle.
My fingers tighten on the trigger, understanding the time of the situation.
"Why did you kill my parents, and what did they do to the Romano family? The truth, or this room will become your final resting place," Arrow states.
Tony’s face contorts in pain, both from the knife at his throat and the wound in his gut. The gravity of the moment weighs heavily on him, and he can't keep his secrets forever. If he wants to live, that is...not that he will. But false hope has always helped in the past.
The air in the room seems to grow thicker with every passing second.
Salvatore's eyes dart around, searching for a way out, but he won’t find any. Tony groans out in pain, and for the first time, I see fear in Salvatore's eyes. He walked into our trap, and now he knows it. The pain in Tony’s gut intensifies, and the knife at his throat serves as a constant reminder of his place here. That Madden is only keeping him alive because Arrow deserves to know how his parents wronged them so much.
Madden's gaze remains on the blood flowing from a nick in Tony’s throat. He's not one to be trifled with, and I can see the fear across Tony’s face. This is it for him. This is where he’ll meet his maker.
"Why did you kill my parents?" Arrow presses again. "What did they do to the Romano family that warranted their deaths? You can't escape this, Uncle. The truth is your only way out."
Tony coughs, a gurgled sound escaping his lips as he struggles to speak. I look again, and Madden doesn't hold either of his knives. The other must be in Tony’s lungs. The fucker loves to watch them drown in their own blood.
"They were a threat to the family, Enzo," Tony finally rasps, his voice weak and strained. "Your parents, they knew too much, and they were planning to betray us. We had no choice."
Arrow is shaking now. And I wish so bad for Izzy to be here for him, to hold him and comfort him as she does for us time and time again. But she can't watch this. She can't watch us kill her father.
“They were executed,” Salvatore says. The truth is more horrifying than I could have ever imagined. “They were planning on selling secrets to Maximo. We had to do what was best for the family. You understand, Arrow. This is our lives. They knew what would happen.”
I don’t believe it.
Arrow releases a deep growl that silences the room. “No, there's no way they were selling secrets. Why would you then go and sell your own daughter to him? She has secrets too,” I state just as Izzy runs out of the bathroom.
Her eyes are red and her face is blotchy from crying. Keegan's standing only a few feet from me, his gun by his side.
Salvatore chuckles. “You’re going to let your little thugs kill me?” he asks her.
I growl. “Look at me, fucker. That's not the truth and you know it. You didn't kill them because they were going to sell secrets. You killed them because you're a weak man. We don't kill women. I saw the reports...I saw what you did to Arrow’s mother. That's not our way.”
I wait for him to deny it again as his brother finally runs out of breath and keels over. I see Madden itching to get his knives into Salvatore, but this one is all for Arrow. He gets the final blow when it comes to Salvatore.
He chuckles like this is a game. I hate him so much.
“Ah...you always were the smarter of the Santoros. Arrow here never even picked up on that.”
Arrow doesn't let him finish. He slams the butt of his gun across Salvatore’s face. Ah, fuck. He can't kill him until he gets all the answers.
“Why?” Izzy asks her father.
And he grins. It's scary to watch as he tilts his head. “Because she refused me. I offered to set her up in a nice place and give her lots of nice things, but she kept choosinghim,” he spat out.
And I shake my head. “Wait up. You killed them because she turned you down?”
I can see Arrow is spiraling. He needs more than revenge right now, and I wish I knew how to help him.
“The bitch thought she was above me. Said she loved her husband. So, I slit her throat. Only Lorenzo came home early from a job I’d sent him out to do, and I had to kill him. When Arrow here–Enzo Junior—appeared with his little toy bow and arrow, I knew he would make a good capo. At such a young age, he was fearless.”
He looks over at Arrow, who raises his gun to Salvatore’s head.
Salvatore smiles. “Was worth it,” are his last words before Arrow pulls the trigger. The silencer does its job as the body of the biggest mafia boss in New York drops to the floor, alongside his brother.
