Page 23 of Redemption

The prosecutor goes for the bait, he saunters over to his desk, puts in a pair of gloves and picks up my journal. “Mr. Salvatore have you see thus before.”

“Of course. I’d recognize that anywhere.”

“And it is?”

“My notebook.”

“Your notebook?”

“Yes.”

His eyes light with excitement thinking I’m going to fall into his trap all the while he’s diving headfirst into mine. “May I read a passage to the court?”

“Certainly,” I nod.

He clears his throat. “I THRUST MY BALLED FISTS into the pocket of my trousers. I’m only fifteen but I already dress likeil sovrano… the ruler of the family. My shoes are handmade from the finest Italian leather and they silently tread on the marble floor as I eavesdropped on my Uncle Franco, eating dinner with the heads of three different crime families.

He pretends otherwise, but I knew my uncle yearned to rule. But I’m my father’s eldest living son and it was my turn to reign next. That is if my Zio Franco doesn’t off me to take his shot. He and the rest of the made men held council as they drank red wine and boasted about our latest victory. It took a while for all the men to gather while the police and the government condemned the latest blood bath. We even caught the consternation of the Vatican in Rome, so the celebration that we won the war had to wait. But tonight, The Fiorelli’s are no more. We drove them out of Palermo and extinguished their flame. Only I knew one tiny candle still burned.

“It’s Roque’s crown to wear.”

“The boy is not ready. His hand not bloodied enough, his dick’s never been wet.”

“He took care of the Fiorelli girl. He snuffed her out without blinking once. His father would be proud.”

Zio Franco’s large hand smacked the table. The dishes jumped with a clatter. “I rule until he comes of age. He’s not ready. He’s full of teenage hormones. He’d make rash decisions that would jeopardize all our businesses.”

“Like a mass murder at a funeral gathering? Even our own women and children were hit in the crossfire. It was foolish, the order you gave. We could have held him, his, and his brat while escorting our own out the backdoor. Instead it was mayhem.” The head of the Castellione outfit shook his head and puffed on a cigar.

Through the crack in the door, I watched my uncle shrug. “Collateral damage. Fiorelli killed my wife and my baby on Christmas Eve. If my mistake was passion, so be it. Vengeance was ours.”

“You’ll groom Roque as your brother wanted. I promised your brother his son would wear the crown. I make good on my word.”

“His shoulders aren’t strong enough to support his head. The crown can be heavy, full of thorns and soaked with blood.”

“If you hurt him there will be payback, Franco. Murdering the next-in-line is against our code.”

My uncle laughed. “Hurt him? Roque? The boy is all I’ve got since Fiorelli murderedmi familigia.”

But I saw it in the glaze in his eyes. The way he balled his fist next to his wine glass. Uncle Franco was no longer family. His lust for power was stronger than blood. He wanted me dead and gone, buried like all the rest. I knew he had a mistress. With me out of the way—he’d start over as the DON with a new wife and baby. I could feel it just as strong as the little Fiorelli’s girl’s heartbeat against the flat of my hand where I held it on her neck before I squeezed…” shall I go on?”

I shrug. ‘It is riveting fiction.”

“Fiction?”

“What did you think it was? Romina and I have been working on it for years. Since we met as children at a garden party. We wanted to capture a Romeo and Juliet type love story and be rich and famous someday. But we wanted ours to be edgier, more Pulp Fiction…did you like it? We already have multiple offers for the book rights.”

“Using your real names?”

“Like I said we were kids and wanted to be famous. Using our real names accomplishes that.”

His face turns the color of my woman’s hair. “Preposterous!”

“Really? I thought it was quite good. My daughter Chloe even thinks so.”

“You let her read this…this crap?”

“Hey! That’s a work of art! He’s brilliant and talented!” Chloe yells out.

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