Page 37 of Pregnant By the Mafia Boss

Antonio turns to face her. “Kathy. I thought the whole commission were going to be here?”

“They will be, in an hour or so. I need to talk to you four first.”

She sits at the head of the table, pointing at me. “You’ve killed a lot of people recently, Salvatore. Care to explain why?”

“Christian sent them to kidnap Keira.”

“Did he indeed? You got proof?”

I lift my shirt, showing her the still-healing wounds. “That proof enough for you?”

“Your injuries don’t interest me, nor will they interest the rest of the commission. I want irrefutable evidence. Otherwise, all I have is your word against the high council.”

“Fuck the high council.”

Antonio coughs. “What my brother means is that the high council has been bent to the whim of Christian Garibaldi. They are nothing more than a mouthpiece for him.”

“Some say the same about the commission and me,” she replies with a smile. “What are you saying exactly?”

“Christian thought Keira’s father would cede the high council leadership to him when he retired. He found out about Keira’s existence around the same time I got to Rome.

“His spies had told him about my encounter with her, so he tortured me. He wanted her in Rome, and figured I was his way to make that happen.”

“Surely he’d want her dead, not in Rome?”

“He knew if he killed her, people would ask questions. But by forcing her to marry him, he’d have a legitimate claim to being head of the high council.

“He’d be able to prevent a proper investigation into Keira’s dad’s death, and people would believe the old man simply passed away.”

Anger moves me, and I slam my hand on the table. “Christian is a murderous, usurping traitor, and not fit to lead a fucking high school band, much less our illustrious High Council.”

Kathy sighs. “Enough with the hyperbole.” She turns to Antonio. “You believe him?”

“My brother never lies to me.”

“If he is lying, he’s inhumanely good at it.” She runs a hand through her hair, letting out a groan. “God help me—I believe him too.”

She looks my way. “My hands are tied on this one. Youwillbe ex-communicated unless you hand Keira over to go to Rome. The commission believes she’s a snitch.”

“Lies!” I yell, slamming my hand onto the table again.

“So you say, but it’s Christian’s word against yours, and he has the commission’s collective ear. I can’t help you.”

Luca speaks up for the first time. “Ah. So if we get a confession from Christian, this whole problem goes away, correct?”

Kathy gives him a nod. “You rarely speak, but when you do, it’s always to the point. Why can’t you be in charge of this family?”

Luca smiles back. “I’m content where I am.”

Kathy glances at her watch. “Here’s what I’m going to tell the commission when they turn up. You four have disappeared. It’s a scandal. I’ve no idea where you are or what you’re up to.

“I can push back the ex-communication deadline, and say we’re trying to track you down. I’ll give you twenty-four hours to get a confession from Christian. After that, you’re on your own.”

“More than enough time,” Dante says. “He’ll talk. Unless he wants to pick up his own teeth with broken fingers.”

Antonio looks around at us all. “We know what we need to do?”

We all nod, and Kathy gives me a smile. “Congratulations on the baby, by the way.”

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