Chapter 56
Alessandro
18 Weeks Pregnant
G iuseppe and I sit in my office as he berates me about how I’m fucking up the family business. He’s shredded important paperwork, fired my ‘unworthy’ men, which reminds me to call them when he’s gone, and tried to kill Marco during a fight last week. If I hadn’t called Geno during that, Giuseppe would probably be dead.
“You let Geno’s empire go to shit and I’m terrified of what would have happened if I didn’t come to save it.” Save it? He’s fucked everything up.
The other week both Giuseppe and Geno called me a child and I’m starting to believe it. The words I’m tempted to say and the words that escape my mouth couldn’t be more different. “Will you let me sit in my chair?” Yeah, definitely acting like a child.
“When you show you can be the boss Geno thinks you can be, I’ll give you this desk back. Until then, this is my desk.”
Don’t kill Giuseppe. Don’t kill Giuseppe. Don’t. Kill. Giuseppe. Those are the three words that help me stay calm because Lord knows if I kill Giuseppe, Geno will kill me.
Right before I snap the door bursts open, reverberating against the wall as Marco rushes in my office to save the day.
“Get the fuck out munchkin man.” I fake a cough to cover my laughing at Marco’s nickname for Giuseppe while Marco grabs him, shoving him out of my office, and locking the door. Giuseppe curses in Italian as he pounds on the door in retaliation.
“That man is going to end up in a ditch Alessandro. Seriously, man, he may be Geno’s right-hand man and you have to respect him but I don’t have to do shit. I’ve kept him alive out of the kindness of my heart.” Kindness? He’s kept Giuseppe alive because he’s terrified of what Geno would do.
I’ve made my way around my desk to sit in my chair and Marco’s made his way to his spot when I answer. “I appreciate it, but you and I both know you didn’t burst into my office just to piss off Giuseppe. What’s going on?”
Marco leans forward, forearms on his knees and the tablet in between his legs as he smirks at me. “I did enjoy kicking out Giuseppe. You’re right, that’s not the only reason I came in here. Let me tell you, Alessandro, you’re going to want to suck my dick at what I’ve done.”
“Doubtful but continue.”
“I’ve encrypted the emails between mystery man and Aldo.” Maybe he is right. I’ve never sucked a dick, but his words have me tempted.
“Are you going to keep me waiting?”
“I was waiting for the dick-sucking. I guess I’ll continue. Did Luci ever mention a man named Elio Amato?” Fucking Elio. “I’m guessing that’s a yes by how your eye is twitching. Well, he went to the same high school as Luci and was in the same class. He moved out of state after graduation to a property his great-aunt left him and hasn’t been back since then, even to see family.”
“He has family here. How convenient.” I sit at my desk, processing that Elio may be with Luci right now. My Luci. “When are we going to see his family?”
“His parents died when he was young, leaving him and his sister in the custody of his uncle Antonio Amato, who by random chance is in our basement. I have no idea how he got down there.” A wink finishes the last bit of his words. I bolt to the basement, knowing that the knowledge of Luci’s location is only moments away.
When the door to the basement slams, rebounding off the wall it closes behind me and in return on Marco’s face. Antonio jumps, or at least the best he can considering he’s tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth.
“Fuck, dude! If you break anything you’re in charge of fixing it.” Marco grabs another chair from the corner and straddles it as he rubs his sore nose. He doesn’t need to be here and probably only is to see the entertainment of what I may or may not do to Antonio.
“Antonio Amato. Do you know why you’re here?” Silence fills the room and I realize it’ll probably be helpful if he could speak.
He screams when the tape is ripped from his mouth. “Ah!”
I stay hunched over, my hands on my knees. If he’s going to lie, he’ll have to do it while staring directly at me. “Okay, let’s try this again. Do. You. Know. Why. You’re. Here?”
“I don’t owe your family anything. I don’t even gamble.”
“Good. You at least know my family’s name. No, this has nothing to do with gambling. Unless you’d like to gamble your life, I suggest telling me the truth. Since you don’t know let me fill you in. Do you know Luciana Bonacci?”
“Well, yeah, I mean, yeah.”
“Are you going to keep rambling or answer my fucking question?”
“She’s the reason my family got torn apart.” He tries to hide the anger in his face, hidden under the fear that was previously there, but I can see it clear as day. He yells again when my right fist connects with his face.
“You talk negatively about my fiancé and you won’t walk out of here. Tell me everything.”
He must see the murder in my eyes because he sings like a fucking bird. “Luciana was my nephew’s high school girlfriend. Sweet girl until my nephew was forced to break up with her. Something about Luciana’s nonno threatening him, which is a whole separate issue. After that, he withdrew from everything, only focusing on school so he could, in his words ‘get out of here as soon as graduation ended.’ He kept true to his words and the day after graduation moved out to a mysterious piece of property left to him by my mamma no one knew about. I’ve tried reaching out. He will only talk to his sister who’s never been in the States long enough to see me or even talk to me. The only reason I know what she’s doing with her life is because of her social media.”
Interesting. “Where is she now?”
“No. That’s all I’m telling you.” So he does care enough to protect his family. I respect that.
“You can tell me or you can start losing fingernails. I’ll ask again, where is she now?” Morally he’s a good man, torn about what decision to make. Does he trade his family for his own selfish needs?
“No. I can’t. I won’t.” He clenches his fists, a hopeless attempt to keep me from living up to my threat.
“That’s unfortunate, Antonio. Marco, unclench his fists.” He screams as Marco rips open his fist, giving me the perfect chance to grab my tools and rip out his index finger’s nail.
“Do you want to tell me now?” Antonio shakes his head ferociously, still trying to work his hands away from Marco. He screams again, the strong scent of urine filling the room when I’ve taken two more nails off and the tip of one of his fingers.
“Fine! Fine! I’ll tell you! Last I knew she was in Tokyo. I’m not sure where she is now.”
“You’re missing a name here, Antonio. Or do you need more inspiration?” He screams when I reach for a different finger, going down to the base pressing hard enough to create a cut in the skin when he speaks.
“Francesca. Frannie. Please let me go home,” he sobs as I let go of my tool, the echo of it clattering to the ground bouncing off the walls.
A light pat on the cheek shakes him before I turn around, walking out of the room. “Marco, untie our guest and send him home with a pair of unpissed pants.” The noise he lets out makes it obvious that he assumed I didn’t notice. I always notice.
A quick search pulls up her profile and I message her from a burner account, letting her know she has a fantastic business opportunity if she’d take it.
Me:
Hello Frannie, Your pictures are wonderful. I have a fantastic opportunity we both would highly benefit from. I’d love to talk about it more next time you’re in the States.
She’s not very smart if that’s all it takes for her to accept, no questions asked.
Frannie:
I’ll be back in Pennsylvania in ten days and will be available anytime! Tell me when and where.
Bingo.
We set up a day and time to meet up for when she’s back. So close, so incredibly close to knowing where Luci has been hiding from me for so many months.