Page 38 of Mafia Heiress
“No you wouldn’t,” Marcello says, from behind me. “I’d make sure of it.”
My father’s gaze is finally lifted to the men behind me. “You told her. You stupid son-of-a-bitches. You fucking rats.”
He’s screaming, the ashes of the cigar flying all over. My men don’t flinch though. They stand at my back waiting for him to make a move. My father has no chance between them all.
“They didn’t. You did. It’s how we found you. The cameras in the house.”
His anger drains out of him and he puts the cigar in his dish before circling around to his desk. He opens up the giant safe behind him and pulls out a duffle bag.
“Here,” he slams it on the table. “It’s some of it, not the whole thing though. You’ll get it all after the wedding.”
“Are you trying to bribe me?” I scoff. “I don’t want your fucking money. I have enough of my own. I want blood. You get it, Dad? Blood.”
My hands are clenched at my sides so tightly I feel the pain prick before a wetness coats my palms. Blood drips onto the floor, but I pay it no attention, all my focus is on my father.
“It’s my revenge. You’re a girl. You aren’t involved in Family business.”
“From now on, I am. Everything that happens from here on out, I’m a part of. It’s my birthright as the eldest. And I don’t care if you think my vagina is a hindrance. I’ve more than proven myself to you.”
“Fuck, Giacomina. Don’t say vagina. It’s disgusting.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“You’ll have to do as everyone else has to become one of us. Messing with the rules will get you killed.”
“I have plenty of backup.” I point to the guys behind me. “And I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.
“Fine, come with me. But if you chicken out, I don’t want to hear you mention this again, got it?”
“Sure. And thanks for asking how I feel.”
He kisses my cheek before he marches out the door. It takes everything in me to not wipe it off considering where his mouth was when we arrived. On second thoughts, I wipe it on my sleeve when he’s not looking. Gross.
The basement is a maze of rooms. All built during prohibition when alcohol was illegal and they needed a place to hide it. I can imagine all the palms that were greased to create this.
A small door looms before us, and my father takes out a key opening up the ancient looking lock. Inside Victor Vitucci sits in a chair, hands tied behind his back, legs fastened together.
When he sees us, his eyes go wide, but he can’t speak due to the gag that’s secure in his mouth.
“Go ahead. I’ll call Luca down here to witness. They won’t take my word for it.”
My father pulls out his cell phone and barks orders before flipping it shut. Yes, flipping. The old man is holding on to his Razor phone until he dies.
“Take the gag off him,” I say, motioning to Vito. As soon as he does there’s no shutting the guy up.
“I didn’t...We didn’t...Listen you have to believe me.”
I hold up my hand before he can continue on. He shuts up instantly and takes in the room around him. He finds my father, but when he sees Ciro he turns white as a ghost. All thoughts of freedom, of surviving this, are taken away in that moment.
“You did this because you were jealous?” I ask, walking further into the room.
“Not me, my brother. He’s obsessed. I told him it was a stupid plan. When he couldn’t raise enough money to win a place, he went nuts. I’ve never seen him this out of control. He’s been stalking you. You gotta believe me, I didn’t want anything to do with this.”
“What about the properties in A.C.? You had to know we’d find out.”
He swallows, hesitating to answer. This is the real information we need. The other stuff is secondary. It’s eerie thinking I had a stalker, but now that we know who, it’ll end. I’ll make sure of that.
“I can’t. I’m not a rat.”
