Page 103 of Mafia Kingdom

"Lucas follows orders," Patrick says. "He understands hierarchy, respects tradition. He's not perfect, but he's malleable. But I know you killed him."

He shrugs like it’s a minor issue. Not the death of his eldest son.

I shake my head in disbelief. "So that's what this comes down to? Not love, not loyalty, not even capability—just blind obedience?"

My father’s expression hardens. "Don't lecture me about loyalty, Marco. Not when you've been putting civilians over your duties.

I know he is talking about Sasha. I keep my face impassive, giving nothing away.

"Did you think I wouldn't know?" Patrick continues. "How you have moved them around, protecting them like they are above our family."

My father smiles. “It doesn’t matter, Sasha has been very helpful to me.”

“What do you mean?”

"How do you think I knew you'd be here tonight? Who do you think activated that emergency alert? She's been playing you, son. And you fell for it because she's pretty and made you feel understood."

My mind races, replaying every conversation with Sasha, searching for inconsistencies, for signs I might have missed. But my father is a master manipulator—this could easily be another lie designed to isolate me further.

"Even if that were true," I say carefully, "it doesn't change what you've done. To your own sons."

"Everything I've done has been for this family," Patrick insists, a hint of genuine conviction in his voice. "For its survival after I'm gone. The cancer is spreading faster than the doctors anticipated. I need to ensure the Walsh legacy continues."

"By killing half your heirs?" I challenge.

"By eliminating threats," Patrick corrects. "You and Danny represented different dangers, but dangers nonetheless."

I laugh bitterly. "And now what? You'll kill me, too?”

For the first time, my father’s composure falters, a flash of something like regret crossing his features. "I never wanted it to come to this, Marco. Despite what you may think, I raised you to be strong. In another life, you might have led this family well."

"Then why—"

"Because you lack discipline," Patrick cuts me off. "You question when you should obey. You hesitate when you should act. And most dangerously, you've developed a conscience at an age when most men have learned to bury theirs."

Gerald, who has been silent during this exchange, suddenly speaks up. "Tell him the rest, Patrick. About the O'Reillys."

Patrick's gaze snaps to Gerald, his expression darkening. "Shut your mouth."

But Gerald, with the fearlessness of a dying man, continues. "He's making a deal with them, Marco. Selling out our territory, our operations—everything we have built."

"Is that true?" I demand, the final piece of the puzzle clicking into place. My father isn't preserving the family legacy; he's dismantling it.

"Consolidation is necessary for survival," Patrick says coldly. "The landscape is changing. The old ways are dying. The O'Reillys have federal connections, political protection we lack."

"So you're not just killing your sons," I say, comprehension dawning. "You're killing the Walsh name itself."

Patrick's eyes flash with anger. "I'm ensuring something survives! Lucas will marry Fiona O'Reilly after I'm gone. Their children will carry both bloodlines. It's the only way."

I look at my father—truly look at him—perhaps for the first time. The man who has loomed so large throughout my life suddenly appears small, diminished not just by disease but by fear. Patrick Walsh, who built his reputation on ruthless strength, is terrified of being forgotten.

His words are scrambled; only moments ago, he recognized that Lucas was dead, now he’s saying he will marry into the O’Reilly family. The cancer must be bad.

"You could have told us," I say quietly. "About the cancer. We could have faced it as a family."

Something flickers in my father’s eyes—regret, perhaps, or simply annoyance at my persistent sentimentality. "There's no place for weakness in our world, Marco. You know that."

"There's a difference between weakness and humanity," I counter. "Danny deserved better. I deserved better."

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