Page 95 of Brutal Obsession
When Tommaso doesn’t attempt to refute his claims, bile rises in my throat. I shouldn’t be surprised by his cowardice. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Tommaso turned out the same as his father—violent, manipulative, and rotten to the core.
As my father’s anger eclipses the leadership that brought ourfamily great power, his tone lowers. “He changed his name when he found out at his father’s funeral that the Guiffridas had ties with several influential families. The most notable…”
“The Carusos,” I say with him, the haze fully lifted.
My father nods. “That was a monthafterConcetta fled the country.” When his anger gets the better of him, his boot lands in Tomasso’s stomach for the second time tonight.
Tomasso only smirks.
Valentina’s pregnancy makes him believe he has the world at his feet. He thinks it ties him to the Cosa Nostra for life.
I’ve yet to reach the same conclusion.
He didn’t lie when he said there are rules that protect him, but those same rules will cause his demise.
“You poisoned her,” I say, eyes locked on Tommaso. “You tried to kill your own daughter, and the woman I love, to punish me.”
Fools who think they have immunity are always the fastest to catch.
The loose skin under Tomasso’s jaw wobbles when he jerks up his chin. “I didn’t know she was my daughter at the time, but since your father can’t keep his nose out of where it doesn’t belong, I was gifted a lifeline not even you can take away.”
Idiot.
He just showed his hand, and he’s holding nothing but jokers.
“You got that, right?” I ask, stalking closer to Tomasso, my steps deathly quiet.
“From every fucking angle,” Nico replies on behalf of the family.
With comms down to keep this in-house, my brothers had to record Tomasso’s confession on their phones. Their footage is all the evidence I need to receive a full pardon for killing him.
When I pinch Tommaso’s forehead with the barrel of my gun, his breathing spikes. He still tries to play it cool, though. “You can’t kill me. I have immunity.”
“Had,” I correct. “If you’d done your research before trying toweasel your way into the Cosa Nostra, you’d know that term became null and void the instant you went after the spouse and child of a sanctioned member.” I whack my chest with my fist to highlight who I’m referencing. “It doesn’t matter how high up the chain you are, all spouses and children are protected under mafia law, which means I can use any force necessary to ensure the threat is neutralized. Including death.”
Tommaso’s throat works hard to swallow as he stares at my father, seeking the truth.
I know the exact moment it dawns on him that I’m not lying. His pupils widen and the fascinating scent of fear seeps from his pores.
“She’ll never forgive you if you kill me. I’m her fath?—”
I pull the trigger, splattering the sparkling marble tiles of the foyer with his brain matter.
Then I turn the gun on his eldest daughter.
37
VALENTINA
Iwake with a groan. My body feels like it’s been stitched to the mattress, and it takes effort to peel my eyes open. When I do, the fluorescent light above my head is too white and bright, and the godawful scent of scrubbed-clean stainless steel filters into my nose.
Even disoriented, I know where I’m waking up. I’ve spent the equivalent of months in rooms just like this. It’s different this time, though. I’m not on the pull-out bed. Mom is. She’s curled up on the narrow mattress. Her expression is peaceful, and her chest is rising and falling in a slow rhythm that announces she’s asleep.
An array of emotions smacks into me. I’m glad Mom is here and that she’s safe, but where is Giovanni? Did he leave? Did he?—
“Scoot over,” interrupts a deep timbre that makes every muscle I own clench at once.
Giovanni.
