Page 78 of Mafia Virgin (The Kings of Italy)

“And find out who this Federico boy is. I want to know everything about him before the day is over.” I pointed a finger in his face. “Fair warning. If I don’t get answers by tonight, I’m coming back to beat the shit out of you. Capisce?”

I stomped toward the front of the facility, fury boiling in my veins. This was all Virga’s fault.

CHAPTERTWENTY

Emma

Ifinished washing my face then patted it dry with a towel. I was exhausted. For three days I’d lodged argument after argument with my professors and my advisor, but they wouldn’t budge on their decision: I was not allowed to complete my required lab work remotely. Apparently such exclusions were fine during a pandemic, but not for one student who’d been forced to marry a mafia don and live in Sicily.

Not that I told them any of that.

If I couldn’t complete my lab work, I failed my classes. Failed. I’d never received any grade lower than a B+ before. What was I going to do?

I could quit school, then resume whenever this mess with Giacomo was finished.Ifthis mess was ever finished.

That would push me back years before I could practice medicine. It wasn’t fair. What was I going to do?

My phone buzzed, so I glanced down to see who was calling me. Unknown caller. That was weird.

I tapped the glass and lifted the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Ciao, Emma.”

The deep male voice froze every muscle in my body. “Who is this?”

“You don’t recognize my voice, Signora Buscetta? I am hurt.”

Virga! Why in the world was he calling me? “What do you want, Signore Virga?”

“I want to know why you are not doing as I have instructed.”

“Because it takes time,” I lied. “We’re trying.”

His voice went scary soft. “Do you think I am a fool? Do you think I am not aware of what you and Giacomo are trying to do?”

“And what are we trying to do?”

“Donotlie to me, ragazza. You both think you are smarter than me, but you are wrong. If you don’t believe me, turn on the video feed in your father’s room.”

Dread coiled like snakes in my belly. “What have you done?”

“Nothing yet, but I want you to see what will happen if you don’t follow directions.” Then he hung up.

Oh, shit. I fumbled with my phone, hastily opening the video app. When it loaded my heart squeezed painfully. Virga’s man, the one who’d watched me pack in Toronto, was sitting in my father’s room, right next to Papà’s bed. Gloria was nowhere to be seen and the man was laughing with my father over something on the TV.

Virga’s man tilted his face to the camera and it was like he was looking right at me. He winked.

God, no. This couldn’t be happening. I didn’t want Virga’s men anywhere near my father. A lump settled in my throat. It would be so easy for that man to kill my father. I couldn’t allow that to happen.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Papà seemed happy to have a stranger in his room. How had Uncle Reggie allowed this? Where was Gloria?

Screw a burner phone. I didn’t have time for that. I pulled up Gloria’s contact and hit the button. Then I switched back to the video feed.

My heart was pounding, slamming against my ribs as I waited for her to pick up.

“Emma?” She spoke quietly.

“Gloria! Oh, my god. What is happening over there? Who is that man?”

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