Page 101 of Redemption

“You know, in all these years, you never asked what happened to your parents.” He sits on the front edge of his desk, his legs crossed over each other, a smug grin on his face.

“Stop changing the subject,” I spit. “I want to know—”

“This has everything to do with the man you love.”

I fold my arms over my chest as I face off with my uncle. “What are you talking about?”

“Your parents’ death was planned.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was an accident.” A lie I tell him. I never believed it was an accident. But I keep my words quiet, scared of whatever truth my uncle may tell me. Because now I fear he was behind it all.

“Please, child. You know the world we live in. There are no accidents.”

I shake with a quiet rage as I read between the lines. “What did you do, Giancarlo?”

“I only did what I thought was right. I was trying to grow our business. Your father was holding us back. The Partners weren’t happy when Benito pulled out of the deal. The deal I orchestrated, the one where they thought I was Benito. They lost millions. So they ended his life. Such a shame your mother was in the car too.”

“You’re lying,” I mutter.

“Why don’t you ask your little lover boy or should I say former lover since he chose money over you? Not that he will ever admit the truth to you.”

I shake my head. “You threatened his daughter’s life, he would always choose her over anything. He did what he thought he had to do.”

“I must say he is a good man if he would choose to never see you again to save you.” He rounds the desk and sits back in his chair. “Such a pity you won’t ever get to see him again.”

“You killed my parents.” My voice filled with accusation.

He laughs. “Don’t be silly. Francesco would have killed me if I killed his golden boy. No, Alistair Bancroft arranged for the death of your parents. And Kilian was the one that took the order. He has known about it since the first time he stuck his dick in you.”

Fury fills every ounce of me, I swear flames are going to come out of my skin. “You’re a liar, Giancarlo. He didn’t even know who I was when we met.”

“That’s what you think. But that man is one of the best liars in the business.”

The rage is threatening to explode. I pull the other gun I brought with me on Giancarlo. “I don’t believe a word that is coming out of your mouth. You are the liar. You always have been. And a coward. Pretending to be my father to save your own ass if something went wrong.”

“I did what I had to do to have this chair. To be the Don of this family. Something your father never would have done. He was too emotional, too soft skinned for this job.”

“He would have been a much better Don than you’ve ever been. He was calculated. Not ruthless.”

Giancarlo swallows the rest of his drink. “Such a naive little girl. You always have been. You never wanted to see the truth that was sitting right in front of you. And now you are pointing a gun at me, thinking you can run off and escape this life. You should be a mafia princess, not a waitress in a tourist town. And now you are fucking the enemy.”

“Just tell me where Aria is,” I scream as I step closer to the desk, the gun in my hand steady.

“Hmm. Maybe we could work something out. How about you get those weapons back I let your boyfriend have and you kill him.”

“You know I will never do that.”

“Because you were brought up soft just like your father. At least Ezio had some balls on him, was willing to risk his life for this family.”

I release the safety on the gun. “You are not my family.”

“No, I guess we are not. You are just as weak as your father and mother. And that is not the person I want in this family.”

Dante bursts through the door. “Mirabella, what are you doing?” he shouts.

“Giving him what he deserves,” I say, a calmness to my words as everything settles into place. My rage simmering to a slight heat. My mind focused on what I need to do.

I pull the trigger. Giancarlo moves just as I do it but not quick enough. The bullet hits the side of his neck as his head falls against the back of the chair.

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