Page 120 of The Mafia King's Reign
"He was hiding in a safe house outside the city," Matteo says. "One of our informants tipped us off. Raffaele's men picked him up a few hours ago."
"Where is he now?"
"The warehouse on Pier 12." Raffaele's voice is flat, clinical. "He's secure, for now."
Elio stops pacing. "The men are asking questions, Sal. They want to know what we're going to do with him. Everyone knows he's been a thorn in our side for years. First he ran with Giovanni's bride, now his daughter is marrying you after he betrayed us again. The optics aren't great."
"The optics," I repeat slowly.
"You know what I mean." Elio runs a hand through his hair.
"The other families are watching. The Morettis, the Calabrese, and the Volkovs are all waiting to see how you handle this. If you let Marco live after everything he's done, they'll see it as weakness," Raffaele adds.
"He's right," Matteo says quietly. "Father would have killed him the moment we found him. Everyone expects the same from you."
I move to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. They're not wrong. We all know that mercy is a luxury and forgiveness is a death sentence.
But Valentina...
I think about the way she looked at me in the car. The way her mother told me to love her properly.
How can I love her properly if I kill the man who raised her? A man she loves.
"What does she know?" I ask without turning around.
"Nothing yet," Raffaele says. "But it won't take long for word to get out. You know how these things work."
I do. Secrets don't stay buried. They claw their way back to the surface, bloody and vengeful.
"Give me time.”
"How much time?" Raffaele asks.
"Enough."
Matteo pushes off from the fireplace. "Sal, I understand this is complicated. But you can't let your feelings for her cloud your judgment. Marco betrayed our family. He stole Father's bride. Taking our money while feeding information to our enemies. He needs to be dealt with."
"I know what he did."
"Then you know what needs to happen."
I turn to face them. "I said, give me time. That's not a request."
The room falls silent. Nico and my brothers exchange looks, but no one argues. They know better.
"The wedding is approaching fast," Matteo says finally. "Whatever you're going to do, do it before then. We can't have this hanging over everything."
I nod once. "Now leave. All of you."
They file out without another word.
I find myself walking to a room in the house I’ve only just begun to re-visit.
I stand alone in the library, surrounded by the ghosts of my ancestors, and wonder how the hell I'm going to make things right.
I'm still standing there when the door opens.
Valentina. I'd know her presence anywhere.
