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“Apparently, not. Look, the house is only a ten-minute drive from here, I’ll take the car and I’ll be back before you and Serena have even judged the color the bridesmaids arewearing.” I kiss her cheek and get out of the car so I can help her out.
“Dario, you're acting kind of crazy.” She still looks worried as I steady her on her feet.
“Vito, make sure you hold her arm while she walks up those steps, those heels are too high,” I order as I kiss her cheek, then jumping behind the wheel I speed off to see what my father needs to tell me so urgently.
I find him in his office dressed in his best suit and drinking a healthy measure of scotch.
“Do you want to tell me what the fuck this is all about?” I storm toward him when I see how calm he looks, but as I get closer I realize it’s not calm in his eyes, it’s fear.
“There's something I have to tell you and I know you're not going like it. It’s the reason I’ve kept it from you.”
“Speak.” I stare back at him, waiting for him to reveal what's got me here.
“Someone out there wants to destroy me. I’m being blackmailed and I refuse to give in to such disrespect. They are threatening to tell you today, and I won’t have this day ruined.” He knocks his drink back and places his glass down on his desk.
“Speak,” I repeat myself, losing more and more patience with the man.
“I arranged the hit on Alfeo Conte,” he tells me, refusing to look me in the eye.
“You killed my wife's father?” I clench my fists. “You broke her heart at such a fragile time and–”
“I had to… because of you,” he interrupts me. “You were so focused on that girl, and having her, that you weren’t considering the repercussions of our actions. You expected me to take a district from a man who had been loyal to me for years and then offer it to Alfeo Conte. Dario, the man was a joke, hehad no control over his faction let alone his district. I gave you what you needed, you got that girl, but then I had to fix it.”
“You cunt.” I shake my head at him as I take in what he says and then suddenly it hits me.
“Did you organize the hit on the car too?”
“No!” He points his finger at me as I step into his space and overpower him. “I had nothing to do with that, I swear to you. I may not approve of the girl, but she still carries my blood. I would never want harm to come to her.” Something about the way he looks at me has me believing him and instead of wringing his neck like I intended to, I take his expensive scotch and knock it back straight from the bottle.
“If not you, then who? I’m guessing it wasn’t that Fabriano boy I killed with Cassio?”
“Don’t you think I’ve been trying to find out since it happened? Do you think I’ve been sleeping at night, knowing that there is someone out there who wants my family dead?”
“You gave us that lead, you said your investigator matched the tracks on those wheels.” I shake my head trying to make this make sense.
“I eliminated a problem, Silvano Fabriano was the one who carried out the hit for me. I was worried he’d squeal. Which is why I wanted you to put a hit on him. You weren’t supposed to torture him.” I can see the old man’s frustration.
“He still didn’t squeal, not even with his life depending on it.” Now I’m even more confused.
“That’s becausehe’sloyal, and he knew I would have reigned Holy terror on his entire family if he did.”
“All this time, I thought I’d killed the man who tried to hurt Madalina and he’s still been out there. Do you know how dangerous that could have been for her?” I can’t see anything past my fury.
My father shakes his head and although he looks guilty, it’s not nearly enough.
“I get that, son, and I apologize but we have to put that behind us and work together on this. Someone out there is blackmailing me,” he reminds me as if that’s the problem.
“Dad, someone out there tried to kill my wife and right now, I’m not with her.” I go to walk out the door.
“I know who did it, now,” he calls after me and when I stop and spin around I see the shame on his face.
“I have my men instructed to watch him and take him down as soon as the ceremony is over.”
“Wait, you're telling me that, whoever he is, is there with her,now?” My blood is boiling under my skin.
“Son, he’s been living in your house for a week.” His words turn all that heat into ice.
“Nicolas? No.” I shake my head back at him because he’s got this all wrong. I may not trust Nicolas with much, but he loves his sister.
