Page 95 of Quasim III: King Inferno

She destroyed countless women’s lives, and a little boy. Elijah was the only one we knew about. According to files, there had been countless child porn images on his personal computer hidden in a false corrupted file. It took Corleon breaking intoit to uncover everything and forward it to the FBI from an untraceable email.

I wished I could sit here and pretend that Lucia’s only crime was wanting to be loved. She sat back and watched these men wreak havoc on these women and said nothing. Covered it up because they greased her palms, and it put her husband into a higher position.

“It’s easy to sit here and judge me when you haven’t walked a mile in my shoes.”

“Love, I don’t even want to take a step. What do you need me for? Mercer is telling everything, and he has already named you. If you thought calling me in here was going to be some woman’s circle where I convince you to put the gun down and walk out with me, you’re wrong.”

“Are you a mother?”

“I am.”

“Didn’t take you as being a mother.” She snorted.

I leaned back again. “Yeah, well, instead of eating lunch or planning my baby’s first birthday, I am here with you. I am here listening to your regrets and things you wished you had done… you a mother?”

“Rich didn’t want children.”

“But got a junkie pregnant.”

“She wasn’t always that way.” she defended Thea.

I shrugged. “What do you want from me, Lucia? Do you want me to cut a deal that helps you out of this? This is federal, Beloved… I can’t help you. Not that I would.”

“Mercer lies.”

“And you do, too. I’m here to dare you to put that gun to your head and pull the trigger. Do you think they’re going to give you a pat on the back? Elijah has papers, legal papers, since Thea abandoned him. Do you really want to put him on a stand in front of the jury as he tells you everything that happened to him?How his mother forced alcohol down his throat whenever you lined up meetings with Mercer? His mother would hold his hand through the entire thing, knowing we would put you away.”

“Thea is selfish, she would never?—”

“His real mother. Elijah Inferno has a real mother, and not one that sold him up the river because she was just as weak as you. By the way, she’s about to sell you up the river, too. I heard she’s been handing over evidence and wanting to speak… she came out of hiding to put you under the jail.”

Her jaw dropped.

“No.”

“Got wind of it outside.” I leaned forward and rested my arms on my legs. “You can walk out of here with me where they will take you downtown Brooklyn to the federal holding, and you’ll sit and wait to be denied bail. Mercer is the surgeon general, and they kept his ass in there. What you think will happen to you?”

“My other option?”

“Put that gun to your head and pull the trigger. Go be with your husband in hell, Lucia… it’s clear that you’re not happy here and won’t ever be happy. This won’t end the way you want it to. I can promise you that.”

“That little boy isn’t your family. You don’t even know him… why is he so important?”

“Delgatos and Infernos stick together, always. Elijah came to us broken and unprotected, and we’re all going to make sure he never feels that way again. He’ll always be protected as the future King Inferno. You tried to break him, and didn’t succeed. You hated a baby, a child, someone that didn’t ask to be here. Like I said, you can walk out here with me, District Attorney Fern, but I can promise, Capri Inferno is who will revisit you… The reach I have is beyond yours, Lucia.”

The phone rang in her hand, and she looked at me, her eyes red and hands shaking as she answered the house phone. “Ye..yeah?”

I watched as she pressed the button to put the call on speaker. “Detective Parker, you’re making me nervous. You have a district attorney in there… let us know something. DA Fern, are you alright?”

“Splendid, Rick.”

He took a deep breath. “How is it looking for me, Rick? Don’t give me the bullshit spiel to get me out there… from officer to officer, tell me how this looks.”

The line grew quiet as he heaved a sigh. “Lucia, none of this looks good. A murder, child pornography, and an illegal egg farming ring. None of this looks good for you or Mercer right now.”

“How many hostage situations have we been in together, Rick?”

“Too many, Lucia.”

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