Page 84 of Christmas with the Mafia
He addresses his question to his father as he holds out his arms, and I fall into them sobbing in shock.
“She saved my life.”
I’m surprised when Giovanni’s hand rests on my backand before I know it he pulls me from his son into the biggest hug I have ever experienced.
“I don’t understand.”
Nico is shocked, and as Vito rushes to the scene, Giovanni snarls, “Your daughter attempted to murder me, Vito. You know what the penalty is.”
I sense the tension in the room as Vito roars, “Desiree. What the fuck have you done?”
She screams, “Can somebody get me a fucking doctor? That bitch tried to kill me and your father. She’s the one and is not the heroine here. She set me up.”
Thankfully, her attempt to pass the buck buys her little reprieve, and as I stare past Giovanni, my legs shake when I notice the blood dripping onto the polished floor. She is screaming in agony as one of the guards presses a cloth to the wound, and her eyes flash furiously as she hisses, “She won’t get away with this.”
“Enough!”
Vito heads across to his daughter and strikes her hard across the face, causing her to cry out, her nose shattering as he punches it hard. I’m frozen to the spot as he grasps her hair, yanking her head back and snarling, “Give me the gun, Giovanni.”
Silence falls as her terrified eyes implore him for forgiveness, and as Giovanni hands Vito the gun she attempted to kill him with, he presses the barrel directly between her eyes and roars, “You traitorous bitch. You’ve been sleeping with the enemy and don’t bother to deny it.”
“The enemy?” I’m astounded when she laughs, her eyes flashing as she faces her father.
“Flavio isn’t the enemy, he’s the future, and you’re thedinosaur who is so prehistoric in his ways it’s embarrassing.”
He pulls back the catch and I yell, “Stop, oh my God, please don’t do this.”
There’s an eerie silence as everyone watches father and daughter, and I really believe I’m about to see Desiree Bendetti murdered by him before my disbelieving eyes.
Then Giovanni’s voice cuts through the tension.
“Call the cops.”
Nico stares at his father in shock as Vito lowers his gun, Desiree more shocked by Giovanni’s words than the fact her father nearly murdered her.
“Cops!”
Nobody moves, and Vito turns to Giovanni in astonishment as he says in a low growl, “I will not be responsible for a man executing his daughter on Christmas Day. Desiree will face prison and all the humiliation that will bring with it.”
“You fucking pussies, all of you.” Desiree’s words are faltering as the pain edges out the adrenaline, and she huffs, “Since when do we involve the cops in family business?”
“We don’t.”
I don’t know who is more surprised when Sophia’s soft voice steals the attention and as she moves beside her husband, she places a comforting hand on his shoulder and stares at Desiree with derision.
“No cops.”
A triumphant smile passes across Desiree’s face which is wiped cleanly away as Sophia says with steel edging her words, “Take her to the warehouse.”
Nobody says a word as she hisses, “She is holding a lotof information that could be useful to us. Torture it out of her if you must. If she dies, it’s no loss, and Vito can cover it up.”
Her voice is like steel as she sweeps the space with a hard gaze and says angrily, “Now clean this mess up. Take Desiree to her new home for the holidays, and no more will be said about this. Drinks and canapés are waiting in the library, the guards can clean up, so please follow me.”
I’m staggered when Nico’s hand finds mine and as we follow Giovanni and Sophia down the corridor, the guards close in on Desiree, who screams after us in rage.
As her cries fade into the background, Nico whispers, “Welcome to the family, Regina.”
He winks, and for some reason it drags a smile from me that really isn’t appropriate now because despite the outcome, I could have murdered Desiree Bendetti back there and on the holiest day of the year.
