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“I’m not done speaking. You’ve done enough talking, and I kept my mouth shut. Now it’s my turn to speak and your turn to listen. Are you capable of that?” I pause, waiting forhis answer, which he gives with a defeated sigh and a slight nod.
“Maybe we should take a seat,” Matteo chimes in from behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see he’s gesturing to the sitting area by the fireplace.
Enzo leads the way and takes a seat on the ivory sofa while I take a seat in the armchair. Angelo sits across from me in the loveseat while Matteo shares the sofa with his brother. A matching ivory ottoman in the middle of the space separates us all.
“So, you had one of your friends scare my mom into leaving New York City. Then after all these years she comes back here for work, and now she’s missing because of you?”
“Maybe I haven’t done the best job at explaining this,” Angelo states.
No shit, Sherlock.
“Your mom wasn’t here for work. She was here to meet with a realtor about selling her condo. The one I bought for her all those years ago. I believe Mauricio found out that I met up with her and informed Giuseppe.”
I eye Matteo who nods to Angelo as if this is all starting to make sense to him.
“I’m clearly missing something here,” I say. “I don’t know who these people are you’re talking about, but I’m having a hard time understanding why anyone would care if you met up with your ex.”
Enzo frowns as if to silently tell me I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear next, while Matteo stares at me with a blank expression before speaking. “Your father is the don of an Italian crime syndicate. Giuseppe Silvestri runs another Italian crime syndicate. The two of them formed an alliance when your father married Giuseppe’s sister. Your mother is a problem for him because without the marriage of his sister andyour father, they wouldn’t have access to your father’s port. A port Giuseppe uses to traffic drugs, weapons, pretty much anything you can think of. A port that make him a lot of fucking money.”
My mouth falls open as Matteo continues. “Your father rekindling a relationship with your mother threatens their alliance, which threatens their income, andthatis not something they can allow to happen.”
My brain is reeling, and my breathing picks up as I begin to spiral, trying to wrap my mind around all of this information.
Italian crime syndicate.
Trafficking.
Don?
I take a few deep breaths and shake myself out of it, trying to focus so I can get some answers, knowing my mom’s life depends on how I handle this. “Italian crime syndicate. What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Matteo. . .” Angelo warns.
“Remember whose house you’re in, Mancini.” The threat is low, but it comes across loud and clear, which sends a shudder through me as Angelo concedes.
Turning back toward me, Matteo answers my question as if I asked him something simple and not life changing at all. “Mafia. Your father is a Mafia boss.”
Sighing, Angelo waits for my reaction, which I’m sure isn’t one he’d expect as I bring my gaze back to him and break out into a fit of laughter.
Keeled over, I try to rein it in, but this is just too damn ridiculous. I wrap my arms around my stomach as my abs contract repeatedly from the motion. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I laugh, waving my hands in front of me. “This is just absolutely ridiculous. Did my mom set you guys up to this?”
Shaking my head, I continue to laugh. “Okay, I get it. Thisis some big elaborate joke on me. C’mon, where is she? I can’t believe she got you guys to do this. I wouldn’t have stabbed someone had I known this was all a joke.”
Angelo tilts his head, studying me. “You stabbed someone?”
Ignoring him, I bring my attention back to Matteo. “Did you tell her I stabbed you? She’s going to die when she hears that.”
Matteo watches me in bewilderment as I continue to cackle. Once I’ve finally gotten control, he questions me. “Are you done now?”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “Yes, but seriously. Where’s my mom? Is she watching through some hidden camera?”
Standing up, I walk over to the bookshelf next to the fireplace and inspect the books to see if I can find a blinking red light hidden somewhere. This is the only explanation for this scenario because I refuse to believe this bullshit is real.
“She stabbed you?” Angelo says from behind me. He doesn’t sound upset, though. He sounds. . . proud? “She really is my daughter, huh, Matteo?”
When I whip around, Angelo’s wearing a beaming smile. “Wipe that smirk off your face. The only reason I know how to sink a knife into someone is because my mom taught me how to defend myself.Notbecause of you.”
“She stabbed me in the back while I was walking away from her,” Matteo mumbles while Enzo covers his mouth with his fist, stifling a laugh.
