Page 111 of Urgent Vows
"Yes. I hated my brother-in-law for stealing my life, first my bride and then my role as capo. The one good thing about coming here was you. You are the daughter I never had. The daughter I was meant to have with Sara."
Tears clog my throat and burn at the back of my eyes. He loves me and I am going to lose him as sure as I lost Mamma.
"When Eduardo approached me about the plans he had for Detroit, I had just found out about Candilora's infertility. I was raging." He shakes his head. "It was too easy to tell him what he needed to know to orchestrate the takeover through the bratva and the Irish."
"Betrayal was easy?" I ask, every word like ground glass coming out of my throat.
"They betrayed me first,tesorina. My don. My father-in-law. Francesco."
"But now?"
"A year ago, Eduardo contacted me again. He wants territory in New York. He'd orchestrated campaigns in two other cities successfully. This time, I was desperate to get you out of here. Timing…" He shakes his head.
"What do you mean?"
"Your father had broken your arm again. You walked around this house like a ghost and I could not stand it. I considered going to Don Severu, but what good would it have done? He would have fired Francesco."
"But that would have only made him want to take the humiliation out on me."
"Yes. I wanted to take you and run away, but I needed a way to keep you safe. Eduardo offered it. He was going to make me a captain with the cartel. I already have a house in Colombia where I was going to take you and your aunt."
"But how many ofla famigliawould have died if war was declared with the Irish?"
"I did not care. I still don't, unless you were one of them. When you married Severu De Luca, I knew my plans didn't matter. Even if Eduardo managed to incite war between the mafia and the mob, you would be impossible to get out of New York. It was all for nothing. My daughter was lost to me."
I'm crying now, hot tears running down my cheeks and I do not care.
The father of my heart is lost to me too.
"Will you tell me what you know about the cartel and their plans here in New York?" I force myself to ask and then listen as he does, silent sobs wracking my body.
He names the conspirators that are here in the US. He tells me how they contacted each other, who they got to work with them. He names the leak in the Irish mob.
Finally, he stops talking and just stares at me like he's memorizing my face.
I want to hug him, but if I do, I'll lose the courage I need to save him. I'm running out of time. Whether it is Aldo or Severu, someone will come looking for me soon and I have to save my uncle the only way I know how.
Because he did it for me.
He was trying to save me.
"I can't let them torture you, Zio. You're the only real Papà I ever had." I lift the gun and screw the silencer onto it.
Tears wash into his eyes along with understanding. Even gratitude.
We both know he's going to die.That his dream of becoming a captain in the cartel and living in South America will never happen. Even if he ran now, Severu would find him. The only thing I can do is prevent Zio from experiencing the living hell of torture before his death. He doesn't just have information the mafia wants; he's a traitor.
The pain of loss splinters inside me.
"I love youtesorina."
"I know." I lift the gun with the silencer attached and aim, but he's a blur through my tears. "I love you too, Papà."
My hand is shaking so hard, I have to wrap my other hand around it to steady the Glock.
He nods, giving me permission.
I sob, my finger squeezing the trigger.
