Page 61 of The Mafia's Captive

“Well, we, uhm, incapacitated her and Sal took her to Saccone.”

“So she’s alive?”

“Yes. Or at least I think she is. It doesn’t seem like he wants to kill her.”

Relief washes over me. I could think about nothing but the worst and hearing she might still be alive calms me down a bit. But only a bit. She could still be alive because he had other, much more horrible plans for her. Then there’s Sal. His betrayal, which I had only suspected, was now confirmed. The man pretending to look for the spy is actually the spy. How could he do something like this? My vision goes red as my blood boils. Sal is one of the few people in the entire Family I trusted. His betrayal hurts more than it angers me. And for what? More money from Saccone? He had to be the spy. That was the only way it made sense. He was the only person capable of leaking the kind of information that had gone to Saccone and, at the same time, cover his tracks successfully.

There’s a knock on the door, alerting everyone in the room, including Jesse, who sits up straight and stares at it. Colin looks at me for what to do next. I nod. I know who it is and when Colin opens the door, it's the person I expect. Sal walks in holding a white bottle which he places on the table and says, “I got them.” His demeanor is casual. He must think he’s still ahead of the game. He plunges his hands in his pockets and asks, “Has she said anything yet?”

“You should tell us. She says you know.”

With his hands still in his pocket, he shrugs. I scoff. If Sal thinks he can bluff his way through this, he’s lying to himself. He’s one of the most easy-to-read people I know. “Who is she?”

“We know you two are fucking, so you can drop the act.”

There’s shock on his face that flashes only slightly. He looks down at Jesse, then back at me. “Fucked. Not fucking. I had forgotten about her. If this is about fraternizing with the employees, then I’m sorry about that. It’ll never happen again.”

“I don’t care which hole you stick your dick in, so long it’s consensual. What I do care about is what you do with that hole. The little schemes you get up to.” He glances at Jesse. I turn to her. Her gaze is pinned on Sal ever since he came back and she is looking increasingly betrayed the longer he talks. Good. It’s better if they turn on each other than stick together. “Is that all I am to you?” she says to Sal.

Sal turns to me. “Listen. I don’t know what she told you, but whatever it is, it’s a lie.”

“Who said anything about her talking?”

“Isn’t that why we’re here?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

His cool demeanor is slipping. I can tell he's getting nervous as he shits from one foot to the other. “I would never lie to you, man. Whatever she said is bullshit. She’s just some bitch I’ve been having a fling with. And let me tell you, she can be a little cuckoo, if you know what I mean. Coming up with all sorts of things to get attention.”

Interesting. All this is like knife jabs to Jesse, who screams, “Fuck you, Sal! You stupid piece of shit!”

“You see, she’s crazy. You know I’ve never touched any of your women.” As soon as he says the words, he cringes. He wants to take them back. Too late.

“Funny you should say that.”

Sal jumps and makes for the door but Colin is faster than him. He grabs hold of the back of his collar and pulls him back. Sal shrieks like a child as he’s dragged down to the chair. He struggles, but Colin presses all his weight on Sal’s shoulders. I move over to the other side of the desk where Jesse was sitting.

“I’m going to ask you once. Answer correctly and I might forgive you. Answer incorrectly and you won’t want to know what’s going to happen next.” Sal struggles again in his chair and Colin presses him down again. “Where is Corina?”

“Fuck you and your whore.”

“That’s the road you chose? Fine.” I take out my phone and swipe open to an app and show him the screen. His shoulders drop when he realizes what he’s looking at. “This is a live feed of your mother’s house. Tiny is on the lookout. She rarely leaves the house and always stays indoors, he says. One call and your mother is dead.” Sal’s face falls. Tiny is a ruthless hitman well known for doing depraved things to his targets. Sal knows this. He’s hired him from time to time to do hits on behalf of the family.

“You’ve been stalking my mother!” It’s a file video taken two years ago, but he doesn’t need to know that. There was no live feed and I have no idea where Tiny is. The bluff is working though, because he doesn’t seem to realize it too.

“And so much more.”

“You fucker.”

“All I have to do is say the word.”

“She’s at Saccone’s place,” he blurts out. I almost want to smile, but I keep my poker face.

“Which place? His Casino? His five homes? Where?”

“The casino is where I dropped her.”

“What does he want to do with her?”

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