Page 149 of Mafia Kings: Dario

My father thanked them all profusely. Everyone was kind to him, which I appreciated more than I could say –

Especially since Papa and I were the reason their house had been invaded by murderers in the middle of the night.

After my father thanked them, Niccolo asked, “What were you saying earlier? About what you should have told her?”

“Oh,” I said. “About that…”

I repeated everything the Turk had told me: how my father and mother had escaped 20 years earlier…

And how the Turk had planned to use me as a pawn to get the Oldanis as his allies.

My father confirmed the parts that involved him, including his and my mother’s escape from Genoa.

Everyone was astonished –

Although Dario seemed the least shocked.

“So you’re a mafia princess?” he asked in amusement.

“I wouldn’t call myselfthat,”I said distastefully.

“I think your grandparents might.”

Grandparents…

I had never met them. Papa had told me both hisparents and my mother’s parents had died before I was born.

The idea that some of them were still alive, but were in theCosa Nostra…

I didn’t know how I felt about that.

“Wait… so the Genoans were never out to get us?” Valentino asked in astonishment.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Niccolo cautioned. “We have no idea how much the Turk said was true. His discovery about Alessandra’s heritage might have conveniently overlapped with the Oldanis’ desire to wipe us out.”

“Please, sir,” my father begged Dario, “you have to protect me – the Oldanis willkillme for what I did!”

Dario put his arm around me. “Your daughter is under my protection, and thusyouare under my protection. No harm will come to you, I promise.”

I snuggled up under Dario’s arm. To me, it was the safest place in the world.

My father didn’t seemquiteas happy to see us so close.

Probably because of what Dario had said in the café.

You know…

The part about not taking my virginity until I begged him to do it.

But then Dario surprised us both.

“I have something to ask you,” he said to my father, who turned white as a sheet.

He probably thought Dario would demand some sort of mafia favor, like burying bodies on his property.

To be truthful, I thought the exact same thing.

Then Dario told my father, “I would like your blessing to marry Alessandra.”

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