Page 69 of Deadly Target
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Alfonso had gotten her good. Olivia wrestled with total disgust at herself for allowing him to get the jump on her. She’d known not to trust him, and yet, all this talk about family and protecting her had been a smokescreen.
Her head pounded, her guts twisted. If she wasn’t tied to a chair in Victor’s dining room, she would fall over. Her eyes didn’t want to focus, probably due to smacking the countertop earlier.
If I could just stop the pounding and think.
Mary Margaret was upstairs in bed with Taz. The poor girl seemed slightly shell-shocked by her father’s behavior. Apparently, he didn’t Taser too many people, tie them up, and kidnap them in front of her eyes.
Dad. Was he okay? Had Alfie shot him? She could still hear the sound of the gun right before she lost consciousness.
Being inside Victor’s house gave her some hope. He was no doubt on his way already, but he was walking into a trap. He would know it was, but that didn’t make it any less safe. Somehow, someway, she had to shake off the side effects and concussion and find a way to get free before Victor arrived.
The man sitting across from her seemed to read her mind—not that she hadn’t made it obvious she was going to kill him as soon as she got loose.
Alfie pointed at the pictures he’d laid out on the table in front of her. The box of reports and evidence about Victor’s father sat to one side, pushed there by her captor. “Are you seriously telling me you don’t believe me?”
Evidence was a funny thing. Like the photos she had of Tracee meeting Alfie in the alley that night, the truth was there, but surrounded by an absence of details. Very important details.
One photo showed a man that looked like Victor meeting with Gino DeStefano at an undisclosed location, the picture taken from a distance, as if the subjects didn’t know the photographer was there.
A second was of Victor with Frankie Molina outside a warehouse by the docks.
The third photo was the one that really blew her away: Victor, Tracee, and an unknown suspect in an alley, with Frankie in the background, appearing to be overseeing the meeting.
“Once you are part of the family, doll, you can never leave. He’s been playing you this whole time.”
It couldn’t be true. Alfie was taking circumstantial evidence and spinning it to create a story. “Those pictures mean nothing out of context.”
“I gave you the context.” He banged a finger on the center photograph. I took every one of these, because I was there. I was a witness. He’s in deep with Gino and Frankie, and you deserve to know the truth. Out of all of these guys, I’m the only one you can trust.”
Right! Like that was ever gonna happen. “You lied to me,” Olivia said, ignoring the churning in her stomach and heart. “You betrayed me. You tasered me, tied me up, and kidnapped me. You shot my dad! Gee, whatever would make you think I don’t trust you, Alfie?” she seethed.
“Calm down. Your dad’s fine. Just listen to me. Gino supported Victor’s mom after his father was killed. How do you think ol’ Vic put his family back together after his dad died? How did he take care of his disabled mother? He was nothing but a kid, Olivia. You really think he could do all that on his own?”
This was completely crazy. “Even if he took help as a child from Gino, there’s no way he’s part of the family.”
Alfie sat back, totally frustrated. “Victor owed Gino. He’s always been under Gino’s protection, and in return he’s been an insider for him. As he sailed up the ranks of the FBI, he helped Gino rise to power in Southern California, avoiding arrest and prosecution for his crimes. Dupé is the reason the Fifty-seven Gang has been untouchable. Until you came along, anyway.”
The pounding in her head went sonic. “Oh, you’re good. Totally psychotic, but good. Trying to get that little voice inside my head to doubt Victor instead of you.”
But it was working in the tiniest of ways, like a grain of sand between her toes, scratching her skin. The nagging inside her head insisted it made sense. Victor had dodged her questions when it came to how he’d put his family back together as a kid, taking care of his sisters and mother. Doubts crept in like more grains, and she tried to mentally shake them off.Has to be the conk I took on the head.Victor would never work with the mafia and betray the FBI.
Yet, wasn’t that what the Justice Department suspected? That had to be why they’d wanted her to buddy up to him. Olivia Fiorelli, the rock star of organized crime. If anyone could sniff out a traitor working with the mob, it was her.
Was it possible Alfie wasn’t the only one who’d duped her?
No. There was no way Victor was in cahoots with a criminal syndicate of any kind.
“You can’t brainwash me,” she insisted. “It’s sad, you know. For a while, I believed that you honestly wanted to change and get out of the Fifty-seven Gang. I thought you were different, Alfie, but you’re not. You’re cut from the same cloth as Gino and Frankie. No different than my dad. You used and manipulated me, claiming to care about me, about my family. In reality, the only thing you care about is yourself.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m nothing like Gino or Frankie, but maybe I am a little bit like your dad. I do care for you, Olivia, more than you know, and I believe you care for me as well. We have a connection that goes beyond the family. I know we do.”
A part of her wanted to sneer in his face, to yell at him for being an idiot. She was an idiot too, believing even for an instant that he could be human, someone she could rely on to help her wipe out the California mob.
But she wasn’t about to lose her head. If there was any chance of manipulating him the way he had her, this was it. This wasn’t about justice. This was revenge.Sorry for the lecture, Danny.“If you really cared about me, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You wanted something more than a relationship, and I decided to do my best to make it happen. You wanted to wipe out the syndicate, and together we still can. I’ll testify against Gino and Frankie, because I love you and want to make you happy, but I want you to know the truth about Victor Dupé. He does not love you.”
