Episode Five
“ W here the fuck is she?” I yell out while shoving through the emergency room doors. Only to stop short when my older brother presses a hand to my chest.
“She’s in surgery,” Theo says.
“What the fuck happened? Where is he? I’m going to fucking kill him.” I pull my piece from behind my back. I don’t know why my daughter is in a surgery room with a gunshot wound.
How the fuck did this happen? She was supposed to be protected. He was supposed to be fucking protecting her.
“He’s in there.” Theo gestures over his shoulder, using the moment of distraction as a means to snatch the gun out of my hand. “You’re not shooting up a fucking hospital. And this isn’t on him, Romeo.”
“What do you mean it’s not his fucking fault? Matilda was fucking shot!” I push at my brother’s chest. If it’s not her no-good boyfriend’s fault, then who the fuck is responsible for my daughter getting shot?
“You need to calm down,” Theo tells me.
“ You . Who the fuck did you piss off?” Antonio comes charging towards us.
“Me?” I direct a hand to myself and laugh. “You have a lot of fucking nerve, kid,” I hiss at him.
“This was a direct attack on you, asshole. Tilly is laid up in that bed because of you . Now, like I asked the first time, who the fuck did you piss off?” he repeats.
“What the fuck do you mean because of me? She’s in there because you couldn’t protect her. I knew better than to let my daughter get mixed up with a fucking Gambino.” I shove past Theo, my fist making direct contact with Antonio’s jaw. I don’t need a gun to end this fucker.
“That was your one fucking shot, asshole,” Antonio grunts.
“Pops, stop. You need to see this.” Dante yanks back on my shoulder. I glance his way and he hands me a tablet. “It’s the security footage of the store Tilly and Aurora were at today,” he says.
“Aurora was there? Where is she?” I look around and spot my niece pacing up and down the waiting room, her arms crossed and her jaw set tight.
I return my attention to the tablet, pressing play on the video, and watch the girls walk into the store. Fast-forward a few seconds and the feed shows them browsing the various clothing racks. Tilly goes off to one side and Aurora makes her way towards the back. A minute later, the doors open again and a man in a ski mask rushes inside with the barrel of a gun aimed at my daughter. I can see his mouth moving but there’s no sound on the footage.
“What’s he saying?” I ask Dante. And then I see it, my daughter taking a fucking bullet to the chest.
My blood boils. I can feel my rage reaching its tipping point as it surges through my veins. My hands shake while my eyes remain locked on the screen. And then, out of nowhere, the guy is falling to the ground. Aurora standing over him with a knife in her hand, its razor-sharp edge now covered in blood.
“Aurora mentioned that the guy said something to Tilly before he pulled the trigger. He said tell your father not to run ,” Dante explains.
“This shit’s over fucking politics?” My arm launches back and the tablet flies across the room, bouncing off the wall and shattering when it hits the ground.
“Yeah, didn’t need that anyway,” Dante mumbles. When he looks up again, his eyes go wide as he stares behind me. “Ma, she’s okay.”
I quickly spin around and Livvy throws herself against my chest. The look on her face tears me apart as she peers up at me with tear-stained cheeks. “Tell me she’s okay, Romeo,” she pleads.
I want to. I really fucking want to tell my wife that our daughter is okay. That I’m not the fucking reason we might lose her. I can’t tell her that, though. Because I refuse to lie to this woman, and I honestly don’t fucking know.
“I’m so sorry.” I squeeze Livvy tighter. Afraid that if I let her go, I’ll lose her too.
“Romeo, no. Where is she? Tell me where she is. Tell them they have to save her.” Livvy’s balled fists slam against my chest over and over again.
“Ma, she’s going to be okay,” Dante says, glancing from his mother back to me. I know he’s looking for guidance, trying to figure out what to do. I can’t give that to him either.
“No!” Livvy screams before her knees give out and her body goes limp.
“Fuck. It’s going to be okay,” I tell her.
“You’re lying,” she sobs out as I hold her up.
“I don’t fucking care who the fuck you are. Go back there and find out what the fuck’s happening with my fiancée.” Antonio’s voice rumbles down the hall before it lands on my ears.
“I’ll deal with him,” Theo says.
“Ma, come on. Come sit down. I’m sure the doctors are going to be out soon to tell us that she’s fine,” Dante adds.
Livvy pushes herself out of my arms and pins Dante with a glare. “Break into the hospital database. Find out what they’re doing. They record these things.”
My son looks at me. I nod my head, giving him the okay. His mother has never asked him to hack into anything. But right now, she’s desperate for information. We all fucking are.
I walk Livvy into the waiting room. “Zia Livvy, she’s going to be okay. I know she is,” Aurora says as soon as she sees us.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” I ask my niece.
She nods her head but won’t make eye contact. I know everyone thinks the girl is tougher than nails, but she’s still fucking human and she just killed someone. That’s gotta be playing on her mind.
“You did what you had to do,” I whisper into her ear. “And I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Thanks, Zio Romeo. My parents are on their way. Can we not tell them yet? Let them focus on Tilly,” she says.
“They’re going to find out,” I remind her, then look to my son again. “Dante, stay with your mother. I’m going to go find out what’s taking them so long.”
“Romeo?” Livvy calls out from the little metal hospital chair.
“Yeah?”
“Whoever did this… make sure they suffer,” she tells me.
I don’t have it in me to tell her this isn’t family related. It’s fucking politics and I know exactly who’s responsible. Someone who’s going to wish they were never fucking put on my radar.
“I’m going to find them and erase their whole fucking bloodline. Once I’m done with them, the devil will look like they’re savior.”
I’ve kept Livvy out of the family business as much as possible over the years. I’ve also kept a clean fucking image. I’m the goddamn mayor of New York City. This shit isn’t supposed to happen.
Walking out of the waiting room, I find Theo and Antonio down the opposite side of the hall. Both of their heads turn my way when they hear me approach.
“What have they said?” I ask my brother, choosing to ignore Antonio’s existence entirely.
“She’s okay. The doctor will be out soon,” Theo replies.
Pulling out my phone, I type the name Doley onto the memo pad before turning the screen towards my brother. “Have him brought in and put on ice.”
Theo nods and stalks off, leaving me alone with Antonio. I should apologize for hitting the kid, but fuck that. I want to smash the fucker’s face every time I see him.
“You know who did this.” He’s not asking. He’s telling me.
“I do.”
“Great, then you won’t mind telling me who it was.”
“I’m handling it,” I grind out.
“Yeah? You should have fucking handled it before my fiancée ended up with a goddamn bullet in her chest.”
“ My daughter ,” I growl. I don’t care what label Gambino wants to put on their relationship. Matilda is my daughter. She will always be my daughter.
I underestimated Doley. My opponent in the next election. That’s on me. But it’s also on me to show these fuckers what happens when they target my fucking family.
The double doors in front of us open, and Antonio and I look up as a doctor walks out. “The family of Matilda Valentino?” He glances at Antonio and then at me. His face blank of all emotion.
My heart beats out of my chest. My stomach drops. And everything sounds like it’s underwater. I can’t hear what he says next, my eyes blurring as I strain to focus on the words leaving the doctor’s mouth. All I can think about is how much blood I’m going to spill in defense of my daughter. In her name.
Because mark my words, this city is mine. And if I want to burn it to the fucking ground, I will.