Page 56 of The Mafia's Captive

“He’s doing all of this to protect you, remember that,” Nico says.

“From himself? That makes sense, I guess.”

“No, from your father.” He swears under his breath.

“What did Saccone do now?”

“I’ve already said too much.”

“You might as well say it all, then.”

He takes a deep breath and I almost think he’s not going to tell me until he says, “We got intel that Saccone knows who you are and is coming after you.”

I don’t know what to do about that, especially knowing what I know now. “So he’s trying to protect me from my father? Funny that.”

“Saccone is a bad person.”

“And you’re not? And Dante is not?”

“Dante doesn’t run a sex trafficking ring.” That gives me pause. He continues. “I know what my family does. We color outside the lines, but we do not kidnap and sell women. Saccone does and even though you’re his daughter, we don’t know what he wants to do with you.”

“Maybe he just wants to get to know me, father to daughter.”

“Maybe. But you’re not the first progeny of his that he’s looked for and found.”

“What do you mean?”

Nico takes a deep breath. “He has other children. Well, we know at least one. We grew up with her. She was in the same class as my sister. And then one day she told us, my sister at least, that she her father was looking for a match for her. She didn’t want to marry the guy, of course, but he forced her into the marriage.”

“Oh, kinda like how the bride of the marriage we just attended was forced into the marriage.”

“That’s different. Vannucci’s daughter could have said no and we would have respected it. That girl wasn’t given a choice. The man she married was old and abusive. She was young. Very young. Barely eighteen. A few months later, she died.” There’s anger in his words that’s hard to miss. I don’t need him to tell me he cared for this girl, whoever she was. “Saccone doesn’t respect women,” he adds.

“Nico.”

“He’s a bad man. You may hate us, you may hate Dante, but you must know that when it comes to Saccone, he has his reasons.”

“And you. You must hate him, too.”

“I loathe the man.” His voice shakes with anger. He grips the seat so tight, I’m sure the leather will break. Now I understand why Dante wants revenge so badly. If I were in his shoes, I would be just as driven to anger and hatred as well.

“You must hate me too.”

He shakes his head. “You and him are very different people. I could never hate you. Dante doesn’t. We all don’t hate you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Dante doesn’t show his emotions, but from what I can see, all I see is a man who cares deeply for you.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“We’re going to make sure Saccone doesn’t lay a finger on you.”

♠

I was alone with Rob back at the penthouse, feeling like I was in perpetual limbo. Nico stayed for a few hours, got a call, and then left. But not before reassuring me that I would be safe with Rob. “The casino is practically a fortification. Dante made sure of that.”

“Do you know when he’s coming back?” I ask.

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