Page 79 of Sins of the Son

I kept silent.

“It’s not my fault! I was just there to get a fucking blow job. Then the bitch freaked out. Acted like she was some innocent virgin or something. Like we all didn’t know what a fucking whore her mother was. Listen, we didn’t hurt her! It’s her fault she hit the stupid wall. And it was just a stupid bloody nose. It’s not like we cut off her tits or something.”

In a flash, I rose and wrapped my hand around the back of his head and slammed his face against the surface of the desk, breaking his nose. Blood gushed, spilling over his files and down his front. Romolo cried out and tried to stand.

I retook my seat and growled, “Stay right fucking there.” After he obeyed, I asked calmly, “So how does it feel, Romolo? After all, it’s just a stupid bloody nose.”

Romolo took off his T-shirt and held it up to his bleeding nose. “You've got to listen to me. I thought I was doing a favor for you! A favor for the Cavalieris! This isn’t my fault!”

“So you thought I wanted you to viciously attack a close female friend of mine as a fucking favor to me? What kind of motherfucking moron are you?”

“Listen. Listen. I know! All right? I know that now. It was stupid. I didn’t know who I was really dealing with.”

“I’m going to need the name of the other male and the female who were with you that day, as well as who the other female target was.”

His eyes widened over the bunched-up, bloodied shirt. “No. I can’t. You don’t understand. I can’t. Listen. That was years ago. Why do you care? It’s ancient history. It’s in the past. Let it go.”

Fuck, that was precisely what I had been guilty of telling Milana. It was in the past. Just let it go.

A lifetime would not be enough time to make up for my sins against her, but I sure as hell was going to try.

“It’s not ancient history for Milana. You kept her caged up in that room, injured and alone, for over twenty-four hours.”

He flew from his chair and ran over to the bookshelves. He pulled back a false row of books, exposing a wall safe, and punched in a four-digit code. “Does she want money? How much to keep her quiet? It probably won’t take much. I’ll pay.” He opened the safe and exposed a handgun and several stacks of euro.

Bile rose in the back of my throat. I had to restrain myself from rising from my seat and just snapping this man’s neck. I needed information first.

“She doesn’t need or want your money. The names, Romolo.”

He stopped, keeping his back turned to me. He lowered his head. “I can’t. Please, just let me pay her off.”

“No.”

He turned. “You’re right. Her kind will always want more. If we pay her off once, she’ll just keep coming back for more. Thank you for coming to me with this, Cesare. You’re a true friend. The other man involved will have a more permanent solution. That is the better way.”

I watched him carefully. His eyes were unfocused. He had dropped the shirt and was just letting the blood flow freely down over his mouth and front. He was becoming desperate, unhinged.

I stood and spoke slowly, as if to a child. “I don’t think you understand, Romolo. Milana is under my protection. She’s mine. Always has been. You hurt someone who belongs to me. I’m not your friend in this situation…. I’m your executioner… unless you give me the names of the other male and female involved.”

Romolo’s body shook. “He’ll kill me.”

I fired back, “So will I.”

“Yeah, but he’ll take sick pleasure in it. You don’t know him, Cesare. You don’t know what he’s capable of. And she’s just as bad. I’m warning you. Leave this alone. You do not know how close to home this is going to strike.”

I raised my leather-covered fists. “The names, Romolo.”

His shoulders sagged. He nodded. Lifting his arm to the side, he reached inside his safe and pulled out his gun. Before I could react, he put it to his temple and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Enzo joined me in the study after hearing the gunshot.

We stared down at the dead body.

“Did you get the names?”

“No.”

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