Page 80 of Mafia King: Matteo
“It would give your family enough time to get there,” I reply.
“What about you? Friends or family to invite?”
“I don’t want to see my father. I wish he hadn’t broken my trust. Could he be setting you up for a bad deal with Alexsei?” She pulls her feet under her as she sits on the sofa, and I pull her toward me as I sit at the end.
I stare into the fire. What is the long con that her father is working toward? “I’m not sure, but we can’t trust him. Someone will have to give you away.” I look at her face, and I realize she’s not surprised. “Has your father broken your trust before? You don’t look surprised.”
“I was surprised the night of our engagement dinner—which was an ambush,” she adds. Her words are sharp. I shouldn’t have surprised her like that. I let my childish needs prove to her that I knew more about our fragile beginning overrule my better judgment.
“Again, I’m sorry.”
“Dad hasn’t seemed right in some time. I thought I would have been engaged after college, but my parents said they were waiting for Dmitry to take over to see how the dust settled first. I never had a reason to be concerned about what my father was doing until I met you.”
“Why is that?” I turn my eyes to the methodical flicker of the flames in the fireplace.
“I’m not sure. He was working and didn’t eat dinner with us. He seemed angry. He was off. I’m afraid he might be planning to take over the bratva.”
“I had the same thought. Who could be working with your father?” I ask with intrigue. She has an imaginative mind. Perhaps she’s picked up on how my world works after growing up in a mafia family.
“I’m not sure. You know how it is growing up with everyone being a relative. Kirill, the man from the bar, and I are best friends, and he’s tight with Dmitry. If he knew what my father was doing, he hid it well. We need to warn Izzy and Dmitry.”
“I agree. Are you comfortable doing that?”
“I have to do it,” she whispers as the fire’s flames dance in front of me. I wish there were more information. “Besides, if Kirill knew more about my dad, he would have known your name, and he didn’t. So that means I haven’t been watched closely. Perhaps he has his men on others. It doesn’t make sense.” She slips her arms through mine and lays her cheek on my shoulder as we contemplate the situation.
“I’m new to the situation. I can’t risk my neck on an assumption. However, you can throw a red flag in front of Izzy, and she’ll take the warning. What do you know about the Moretti family?”
She shudders against me. “They are wicked. The don, Santino, is Izzy’s grandfather. He forbade his daughter from marrying Alexsei when they were young and in love. He even faked her death when she left town so no one would look for her. She ended up dying in New York City in a car accident when Izzy was young.”
“That’s tragic.”
“It was. I mean, Dmitry and Kirill had to discover all this through tiny snippets of information. We wonder if it was a hit, or if it was her grandfather who knew where her mother was all along? I guess we’ll never know,” she concludes with a pause. “Dmitry is quite the hacker—without him, I doubt anyone would have been able to piece it all together. We all added something to the mix. We worked together to unravel the truth as we know it, but when Alexsei met Izzy, he said he knew she was his.”
“Interesting. So, Dmitry is a good hacker, you say?” My mind naturally goes to my new messenger app. I wonder if it’s something I can share with him. “So, what happened to Izzy?”
“Yes, he is, and Izzy’s Aunt, who was her mother’s friend, raised her. Izzy has nothing to do with the Moretti family. Alexsei’s wife disappeared after Izzy’s wedding. I’ll never know what happened to her after the bomb went off in the fountain.”
“You’re kidding me. I remember reading about that,” I reply, trying to recall the article I read. “I bet we both know what happened to Alexsei’s wife,” I say, knowing Alena has come to the same conclusion. “A woman who sells her husband out has got to be swiftly dealt with, and I’m not talking about a one-way ticket to Siberia. No wonder Alexsei has a soft spot for you and Izzy. Vultures have surrounded the man.”
“True. I know better than to lie. My father knows the consequences of his actions. I won’t betray Izzy or Alexsei.”
“You are right. I would expect my family to come forward if there were a traitor among us.” My phone beeps, and when I pull it out of the pocket of my jeans, which cost thousands of dollars, I see it’s Gio.
“I have to call Gio,” I say. Alena moves so I can stand. I excuse myself before I walk to my study and close the door behind me.
“What’s up, Gio?”
“It appears Finn is the body they found from an overdose this morning, and the Irish are sniffing around. The O’Donnells in London were inquiring as to his whereabouts.”
“Fuck!” I yell. “I told you to make sure this wouldn’t come back to us. What the hell is wrong with Antonio?”
“He’s blinded by love,” he grumbles. “How the hell should I know?”
“Get on him and make sure no evidence leads to us. We’re in an alliance with the Russians. We can’t be kicking up shit with the Irish. I don’t want to piss Alexsei off. He has enough on his plate,” I state without a filter. I trust Gio, but I prefer to think things through before speaking.
“I know, I know,” he moans. “I’ll visit Antonio. Do you still think he can be trusted?”
“Unfortunately, I believe Antonio is in love. Men are capable of doing stupid shit when they are in love,” I mutter.
