Chapter 7 Massimo
Massimo
The minute those words come out of the prick’s mouth, I’d like to rip his head from his neck, but being known for my cool composure comes in handy now.
The only things keeping this man alive are Sophia and my family.
I can take care of them better here than from behind bars, and that’s the only fucking reason.
I won’t give the fucker the satisfaction of rising to his obvious bait.
“I assume since we’re past the questioning aspect of your visit and straight into wild accusations I should call our attorney? ”
Detective Brice’s face turns red. It’s clear he saw me losing my temper and coming to defend Sophia’s honor and maybe even taking a vicious swing at him so he and his partner could make valid claims. Better than these two assholes have tried to take the Roselli boys down in the day. Not fucking likely, the lousy pricks.
His partner steps in, and now we’ve got the classic bad cop and then good cop.
I’m tired of it already but forced to play this fucking game until I learn exactly who’s pulling the strings at the local PD and pushing to get us questioned.
Not one bit of evidence, or anything of the like, should be able to put Sophia or us at the scene, but they were asking her directly.
Which leads my mind down a whole another path of alternative reasons they’re here.
The detective shifts under my direct scrutiny, clearing his throat before speaking. “We just need to ask some questions, that’s all.”
Leandro’s eyebrows raise in challenge. “Let’s call a spade a spade detective. Questions are fine, but Brice has already stepped over the line and everyone in the room knows it. If you want to fire accusations at us, you’re going to deal with our attorney. End of story, capisce?”
Brice flips his notebook, as though any scribbling in that page could get him out of this mess, and of course it can’t because he doesn’t have a damn bit of evidence or we’d be downtown in the hot room instead of sitting here having coffee while they try to get us to tell them any bit of information they can.
I glance down at the reply text from our attorney. “Gentlemen, given the nature of the questions, our attorney is asking that you leave. If you have any further questions, you can ask them downtown, in his presence.”
Brice’s face turns deep red as his not-so-subtle partner glares at him with a moment of undisguised frustration.
They both know that shit’s going to roll downhill now, because they both know that while the Amortes may have some pull, we have more.
Now they can worry about their jobs. Lousy fuckers.
“Good day men. You can see yourselves out.”
They leave the room with haste, not bothering with an apology that wouldn’t be heartfelt at all. The minute the door closes, Gino walks out of the great room, speaks in a hushed voice with Elsie, and then closes the door as he comes back through. “We have a plan?”
I nod. “We have men with their ears to the ground. We should hear something soon. Clearly the Amortes have someone pushing for an investigation into the death of their family members and knowing they sent them to kill us, the logical conclusion would be that we had something to do with it. They clearly can’t tell the police that or give them any real information that would put their boys at the scene. ”
I meet my younger brother’s eyes knowing he’s not going to agree, a warning.
“The plan is to stop worrying about things that do not need our concern. The bigger question is finding out who they have on the inside, in what position, and what they know about us. That’s what we need to focus on, that and nothing else.
I need every capo in our family to get the word out to our soldiers, and we need it fucking now.
” I don’t tell Gino about the traitors and our inside men because spreading word on the street makes it appear to our enemies as though we don’t have anyone on the inside which is exactly what I want them to think. At least for now.
There’s no point in hashing it all out here, especially in front of Sophia who will just feel bad about her family’s part in this when I’m beginning to think that her father didn’t have one thing to do with it at all, with the exception of letting his future son-in-law have more control than he should and turning a blind eye on the business before his name was off it for good.
I just need the proof to actually confirm it, concrete stuff, not the circumstantial stuff I’ve been getting up until now.
If all the intel our men are gathering is correct, Sophia’s father was right.
He didn’t have a clue that Barcelo Gallini was going to give the Cassone soldiers the order to hit our trucks, but yet her father is the one that paid.
Not with his life, but with the knowledge that his baby girl was taken away as a result of his ill-placed trust. Still, the dumbfuck could have said or done something to help convince me that he was innocent.
Unless he suspected it was his son-in-law and kept his mouth shut for that reason.
That’s what I fucking want to know. How involved was he really?
All of us were duped by those fuckers. The Gallinis played their hands well, but now they’re not going to have any hands to play.
Not after the Rosellis put them in their place, but first, we’re going to have solid proof, not just the say so of soldiers who may or may not have been compromised and would have done anything to get into the good graces of a family on top and who would spare their lives.
It’s far too soon to worry my kitten with the details of our war.
Far better that she does not worry about her sister, who right now she thinks is safe and protected.
And she is, but by my men, not her lousy fucking fiancé.
We’re in a war with two families who used to be allies, protecting the rivals and their entire family. I can’t blame my father for going a little fucking berserk. Even Leandro and my other
brothers were skeptical at first, but they know I’ve never steered this family wrong.
It took a heated argument and some convincing on my part, especially to bring my father over to my side, but when all is said and done, he’s always going to stand by his blood.
The Roselli boys are all in when it’s their family, and this is no different, even if it’s messier than fuck.
Tomorrow, we’ll go over what the soldiers learned and decide what needs to be done, but I can guaran-fucking-tee that we’re not going to take this lying down.
Whoever sent those fucks to our house are no better than rats.
I don’t care who did what. It’s as though my younger brother reads my mind.
“You know what happens to rats.” Gino says.
But looking at Sophia, at the amber light still burning bright in those beautiful dark eyes, I will do whatever it takes to find out the truth, make this right, and protect her and her most loved family member from the monster I’m learning Barcelo Gallini to be.
Sophia’s eyes meet mine and she gives me a small tilt of her lips.
No matter the reality of our war, we’re in this together, for better or for worse.
Destiny has brought us together and I dare any fucking man to try to take what’s mine.
She may think she’s going to be with me for a year, at least that’s what the contract says.
But I already know at the end of this year there’s no fucking way I’m giving my kitten back. Deal or no deal, she’s mine for good.