Page 138 of Mafia Kings: Dario

“The daughter and her now-husband had a child, a little girl. They raised her near a small village in the middle of nowhere. They were poor, but they were happy. It seemed like things would be fine forever – except the mother died at an early age. Nothing sinister, mind you. No poison, no bullet, no bomb… just an aneurysm. One of those things that could happen to anyone at any time.”

I stared at the Turk in shock.

He was describing how my mother had died.

“The former servant continued raising his daughter near the tiny village in Tuscany. He kept her existence secret… and he never let her know that she was actually the granddaughter of one of the most powerful crime families in all of Italy.”

“No,” I whispered in horror.

I stared at my father, but he would not meet my gaze.

“Yes, my dear,” the Turk said with a smile. “You are not Alessandra Calvano. Well, youare,since that is the last name your parents chose when they fled Genoa. But you are also Alessandra Oldani, heir to the crime family that has controlled Genoa for generations.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered to my father.

“To keep you safe, my dear,” the Turk said. “And to keephimselfsafe. After all, if the family had ever found out where he was, they would have killed him for taking away their daughter…andtheir unborn granddaughter.

“That is whereIcome in.

“As I sought to expand my business dealings outside Turkey, I met with a dozen mafia families throughout Italy. And as I made new allies, I gatheredmanylittle tidbits of information.

“Iwas the one who heard about a mystery man who sold off rare gold coins every few years in Florence…

“Iwas the one who made the connection between him and the Oldani’s mafia princess… who had fled with the servant after stealing a hundred gold coins from her father’s safe…

“Iwas the one who sent Umberto Fumagalli here two weeks ago. Umberto had been a young foot soldier in the Oldani household 20 years ago and would know your father by sight.

“What Ididn’tknow was the extent of the rivalry between the Oldanis and the Rosolinis. The Rosolinis were one of the few families in Italy I hadn’t contacted. I heard the head of their family had died unexpectedly, and his oldest son and heir was still in jail. They were beneath my notice… or so I thought, until they proved themselves both ruthless and efficient. As soon as they found out Umberto was in their territory, they killed him immediately.

“Even worse: they tookyouback to their house, out of my reach. Everything that has transpired since then has been part of my plan to get you back.”

“Why?” I asked, horrified. “You plan to give me to the Oldani family – for what? To gain their favor?”

“That was the initial plan, yes,” the Turk said. “But anotherfarmore interesting possibility has arisen.”

“And what’s that?” I asked angrily.

“When you escaped from the family estate and fled to the church, you did it right under the Rosolinis’ noses. How?”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I couldn’t tell him the truth – Icouldn’t.

“They let me,” I said. “They knew I was going – ”

“That’s a lie,” the Turk snarled. “While my associate had you pinned down in the alleyway, the priest called my men and repeated everything you’d told him. Don’t lie to me again. There is a secret passageway into the Rosolinis’ mansion, isn’t there?”

“No – ”

The Turk slapped me in the face, and I cried out in pain.

My father shouted and tried to stand –

But one of the thugs forced him back down.

“I told you not to lie to me,” the Turk said. “The next time you do, I’ll leave more than a red mark on your pretty little face. Now – there is a secret passage, yes?”

“Yes… but you’ll have to kill me before I’ll tell you where it is,” I hissed.

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