Page 54 of Princess's Revenge

“What?” Christopher steps up to me…looming like a hulk.

“That the kids you grew up playing with, Mikey and Daniel, my brothers, weren’t ever coming back…because the man you called your uncle, my father, had to go. Andyourfather and Don Cassaduchi couldn’t risk my brothers seeking revenge.” I step up to the Don. “Why? Because Vincenzo Bertinelli told Joshua de Soto—Do what you gotta do.”

“Jesus,” Anthony runs his fingers through his hair in disbelief.

I look at him and say, “Why don’t we all put our cards on the table? When Christopher and I came in here just now, your father was shitting all over you because de Soto called him. Am I right?”

“Yeah?” Anthony says.

“What your father didn’t tell you, is that de Soto was shitting on him for not having already taken care of me,” I gesture to all of them like these are facts, “or given him a heads up that I was still alive.”

Everyone is quiet. They look to each other like they’re considering the facts and the evidence.

I go on, “He was wondering why Christopher Bertinelli, capo of the Bertinelli crime family, was showing off Andrea—the last Lupertazzi—like the lost treasure of Atlantis, instead of standing over her dead body six feet underground.”

The brother’s all look shocked.

“He was wondering why Christopher Bertinelli presented me as though he didn’t know his own father was complicit in my supposed death!”

“Enough!” The Don hurls his glass into the fireplace and the flames roar!

“You didn’t retaliate sixteen years ago because you didn’t have to! You gave your blessing! Didn’t you?”

The Don shouts, “YES, I FUCKING DID IT!” He begins pouring another drink with shaky hands, “I did it.”

“Dad,” Anthony puts his hand out to touch his father, then pulls it back, “why?”

Vincenzo takes a massive gulp of the amber fluid, sets the glass down and speaks, looking directly at me. “Not a day goes by when I don’t regret what I did. I loved your father, but I love my sons more.”

I feel hollow. Up until right now, I was just speculating because I was angry, I didn’t really think he’d admit it.

“The families were stagnating financially and your father wouldn’t budge on the matter. Don Cassaduchi told me himself that if we couldn’t reach an accommodation, he would have to take drastic steps. It’s always about money in the end…and your father was holding them back. He was holding back everybody!”

“For good reason, dad,” Anthony shakes his head.

“I know that, son,” he puts his hand on Anthony’s shoulder, speaking softly, “I know that. I counselled Don Lupertazzi for weeks. I warned him over and over what would happen if he wouldn’t see reason.”

Christopher asks, “Did you tell him what Don Cassaduchi told you?”

“Of course, I did. He wouldn’t listen. He insisted that Don Cassaduchi wouldn’t dare make a move on us, but Iknewthey were serious. It’s always about the bottom line…the money…and the fact of the matter is—No man has the right to tell another how to earn a living.That’s what Don Lupertazzi was doing to them. He was putting his foot down for everybody, not justthisfamily.”

“I bet they’re giving you a piece of the drug money for looking the other way about my family, aren’t they?”

Vincenzo looks away.

“You’re getting rich from letting them kill my family, you son of a bitch!” The only reason I’m not crying is because I’m furious. He deserves to die for what he did!

“Andrea,” he puts his arms out pleadingly…and for the first time he looks exactly like what he is—An old man filled with regret.“You have to understand, it was either your family or mine. How could I have made any other choice?”

“I thought there was onlyonefamily. I thought there were rules and honor. I thought—”

“Andrea,” he stops me, “if I hadn’t chosen peace, it would have been all out war. I saved this family from extinction. I did what I did to save my sons.”

“Maybe that’s true, but now they know I’m alive and staying here. You only have two choices, kill me or—”

Christopher puts his hand on my shoulder, “That’s not going to happen.”

Anthony nods, “It’s going to be war and we’ll be ready.”

---