Page 40 of Labria

“Yes, I thought I would be safe from everyone. I didn’t know about his plan. If I knew he was trying to kill someone for fucking Fredo, I would’ve tried to stop him. I hated Fredo.”

Nicco chuckled. “You want me to believe you hated your father?”

“He was no real father. He was some American piece of shit that knocked my mother up and left her poor with two kids while he had another family in the U.S.” Either she was a good actress or her words were true. “My brother looked like Fredo and he idolized him.”

“And you didn’t?”

“No, he treated my mother like trash. When he came to the Philippines, he molested me for years when I was a girl. He told me that he wouldn’t send any money to my mother if I told anyone. So I had to be quiet so we could eat. I hated that man. He was disgusting. I would’ve killed him myself, but I stayed away from him. As soon as I was old enough, I left.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“He was a monster. I stayed away to protect my kids from him. I didn’t know Tom was involved with him when he came to America.”

“Involved with him? How was he involved with Fredo?”

“I don’t know everything. Tom told me that he owed a lot of money to someone.”

“Who?”

“Someone, he said, some dangerous people. I didn’t believe him. Tom was always a pathological liar ever since we were kids. He told me Fredo paid his debt for him. I didn’t believe it. Fredo never did much of anything for us. I didn’t think there was an actual debt. I thought my brother was just trying to scam money from Fredo, just like when he was little and he would steal from our mother. Tom looked up to Fredo, but he felt he owed us for all the years we were poor back in the Philippines.”

“Did Tom get the money from Fredo?”

“Yes, that’s what he told me. Now I think he was telling the truth.”

“Do you know where that money came from?”

“No, he didn’t tell me.”

“It was stolen from me. Fredo stole from my organization.”

“I didn’t know that. I hadn’t talked to Fredo or laid eyes on him in years.”

“Maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s not.”

“I swear it’s true.” Marie pleaded.

“You can’t prove it.”

“Your brother killed my father.”

“I don’t know nothing about that.”

I don’t know why, but I thought she was lying.

“Someone has to pay for Tom’s crime, and that means I have to kill you.”

“Why? I’m not a part of this. I won’t say anything to anyone. I just want to go home and be with my kids and act like this never happened.”

“Now that, I believe. You can’t go home. I can bring your kids here.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you want to see them?”

“I want you to leave them out of this. They are innocent children.”

“I think you would be more willing to cooperate if I had them here with me and my brothers.” Nicco looked back at us.

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