Page 138 of Righteous Enforcer
What if I got it all wrong?
Yes, I heard her with Ivan.
Heard him telling her he wanted her to betray us.
But I didn't stick around to hear everything.
My mind goes back to that last night we were together.
She’d talked about how her father pulled her into this life.
That once he was a part of the Mafia, she never had a choice.
What if Ivan is using her the same way?
The truth is that women have very little agency in our world.
Valentina was indulged by us, but for a time, Alessandro was committed to making her marry a monster.
It was Cristian who saved her from that fate.
The possibility that I've abandoned Eva to torture and death when she might have been just another victim in this bloody game makes me sick.
Alessandro would say I'm making excuses for a traitor because I still love her.
Maybe he's right.
Or maybe the real betrayal was mine, turning my back on the mother of my child without giving her a chance to explain.
I return to my scotch, but it does nothing to dull the burn of guilt.
What have I done?
“Sir? Don Dante requests you in his office. He’s having a meeting with Don Vitale.”
“I’ll be right there. Can you have Sophia come up in case Mirabella gets up again?”
“Yes, sir.”
I go to my bathroom and splash water on my face. I use the trip to Alessandro’s office to shake the fog of guilt and grief so I can focus on the job.
Don Marco Vitale rises from his chair when I enter, extending his hand with a wide smile. "Adriano! It's been too long."
"Don Vitale." I shake his hand, wondering why he’s being so jovial when not that long ago, he was trying to crowd into our territory.
“You remember my son, Enrico,” he says.
I shake Enrico’s hand.
Alessandro gestures for us to sit. "Don Vitale has brought us an interesting proposal."
The old Don leans forward, hands clasped. "The Russians have become quite bold lately, no? I thought Maksim was bad, but this Ivan… " He makes a gesture that in Italy would be considered obscene.
“What’s the proposal?” I ask, not having any interest in ice-breaking bonding conversation.
“Straight to the point, I like that about the Dantes.” His gaze slides to me. "The Bratva has been a thorn in our sides for too long. They’re like weeds, slowly encroaching on what’s ours like we won’t notice.”
The same could be said about the Vitales, but I keep my mouth shut. If we’re having this conversation, it means Alessandro is considering whatever Marco is proposing.
