Page 64 of The Killer Cupcake
Matteo frowned, studying his brother's agitated state. "Let me ask around."
Reluctant but without options, Carmelo stepped back toward the bar.
"Get a drink. Cool your heels. I'll be back in a few," Matteo said, slipping through the crowd like smoke.
Carmelo accepted a whiskey from the bartender, his thoughts racing. He hadn't been concerned when he'd arrived—he'd had a whole agenda planned for his visit to Tennessee. Hell, he'd even jumped the gun by mentioning Vegas to Kathy. And the truth he shared was far more complicated than desert dreams.
Matteo wanted to finish what Carmelo couldn't bring himself to do. Had sworn on their mother's grave he would kill their father. To accomplish such a lofty goal would require careful arrangement through anyone but Sicilians or Italians. Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano's alliance presented the perfect opportunity. Bugsy Siegel and Lansky were both Jewish, and their internal conflict had put Vegas on the map, bringing the Mafia in for a slice of the pie. Carmine and Marcello could help them get to the table and arrange the hit on Don Cosimo that would free them all.
Something in Carmelo's gut said everything was now at risk, and he had to ensure nothing stood in the way of the life he'd promised Kathy.
"Drinking alone?"
He turned to find Janey standing behind him, elegant as always in a burgundy dress that hugged her curves. Thereweren't many women in the company of these gangsters, but Janey wasn't like any woman he'd ever known.
"No, let me get you something. What would you like?" he asked with a forced smile.
"Answers," Janey said, stepping closer until he could smell her expensive perfume. "What is upsetting my husband?"
Carmelo's brows lowered. "What do you mean?—"
"He's been in a foul mood since New York, and now that we're here, he's even worse. I know Carmine better than anyone. Something's gnawing at him, and my guess is it's you."
"Me? I didn't even see him in New York, Janey. I was looking for him. We need to discuss the match arrangements."
"Found him!" Matteo announced, walking ahead of Carmine Boanno through the smoky crowd.
Carmelo looked into Carmine's pale eyes and knew instantly. It hit him in the gut harder than his father's hammer ever had. Maria. The twins. Carmine knew everything.
"There he is!" Janey moved toward her husband, attempting to kiss his cheek, but Carmine was in no mood and pushed her aside with barely contained annoyance.
"You looking for me, kid?" Carmine asked, his voice carrying the quiet menace of a man who'd discovered betrayal.
Confused, Janey's gaze swiveled from her husband to Carmelo, sensing the dangerous undercurrents she couldn't quite understand.
Carmelo had to neutralize the situation fast. "Yes, can we meet privately? Got some things my father wanted me to discuss with you."
Without waiting for an answer, he walked quickly away from the bar, not looking back. He feared meeting Carmine's eyes again. If this was going to explode, it would have to be now, away from witnesses and innocent bystanders.
The time for reckoning had come.
The best hecould find was a poker room where players were engrossed in their high-stakes game. He walked to the furthest corner and spotted a door marked "STORAGE." Beyond it lay a small room filled with crates of liquor and linens—private enough for what was coming.
Carmelo went straight inside, leaving the door open for Carmine, then began pacing as panic rose inside him like molten lava.
Carmine entered at his leisure, his silver-topped cane clicking against the wooden floor. The door closed behind him with ominous finality.
"It's not what you think!" Carmelo shouted, pacing frantically. "I would never betray Kathy. Ever!”
"Yet you are married to another woman."
"It was Mama! It was all because of Mama!" Carmelo spun around, his face flushed with desperation. He was losing his breath, crumbling under Carmine's lethal scrutiny. "My mother died—her suicide, her final letter—she said there was a hit on Kathy's father. That I had to make peace. I had no choice! Matteo was missing. Debbie pregnant. Kathy trapped in Mississippi, and I had just broken the sacrament for shooting my father. I had to." His words tumbled out in hyperventilated bursts. "I only did it because it's not real.” Carmelo laughed as madness took control over him. “It’s all a lie. It’s all fake. A lie! I'm already married—I married Kathy first! Before a real judge! So this wedding to Maria isn't real in God's eyes!"
Carmine remained stone silent, his pale gaze bore into Carmelo's soul.
Carmelo closed his eyes, his voice dropped to a whisper. "The twins... they were… a mistake. An accident. I don't even know how they... how it happened."
"You don't know how babies are made?" Carmine asked with deadly calm.
