28. Noah #2
“He’s your son,” I sob.
“He killed my wife... his mother.”
“It wasn’t his fault!”
“You’re right,” Percy says. “It was your father’s fault.”
He fires the gun, and it pierces my shoulder, sending a stinging, burning pain throughout that part of my body.
“Bring him over here,” Percy says, and the two men drop Del at his feet.
He bends down and waves smelling salts underneath his nose and Del starts coughing. It takes him a few seconds to reorient himself. When he spots me, his eyes widen, then his vision focuses, and he finally sees his father.
He reacts by throwing up.
“Seeing ghosts, son?”
He wipes his mouth before standing, wavering slightly.
“How?”
“Simple. I lied. I was never sick.”
Del’s confusion lingers so Percy sighs.
“I received a folder a few months after you killed your mother. It provided me with everything I needed to know, including photos, names, and addresses of the men who forced you to murder Imogen. There was a note with the name of the man who hired them. Gio Lenetti.”
“We never saw a note with Lenetti’s name. It took me years to figure that out,” Del says and locks eyes with me. He mouths ‘are you okay?’ and I nod, despite the blood pouring out of my shoulder.
“Right. Well, I couldn’t have you killing Lenetti.
That was my job. I left the folder for you and Elias to find and seek out your vengeance while I planned mine.
I had all the evidence I needed to prove Gio ordered Imogen’s death, thanks to those files Matthew delivered to me.
Lenetti needed to pay for what he did. But in order for Gio to grieve as I did, I had to aim for someone he truly loved, now that his wife was dead. ”
“Me,” I whisper.
“You, princess. The heir to the Empire. I kill you and Lenetti has no blood relative to leave his organization to.”
Both of my parents were only children. I never had aunts, uncles, or cousins.
“The Lenetti line dies out and the QBM can finally take claim as New York City’s most powerful mafia.”
“Elias would never allow this,” Del growls.
“Perhaps not, but now that I’m back, he will have no choice but to hand over the QBM.
” He chuckles. “So, what happened to the little girl who saw her mother killed all those years ago? Lenetti let everyone believe she died, but I knew better. I had spies embedded in the Empire that told me you lived. I spent years trying to find you with no luck.”
He turns to Del.
“Until my son, who led me right to you.”
My heart stops working. I can no longer breathe.
“What?” I ask, my tears returning.
Del shakes his head. “I didn’t. I would never. You have to believe me, Noe.”
“Lance was stalking you. And I was stalking my son. Now, what was it about this woman that had him so fascinated?”
I’m shivering, and I’m not sure if it’s the shock, the blood loss, or because it’s cold as fuck down here.
“Lance couldn’t watch over you all the time, but I did. Imagine my surprise when you led me right to Lenetti’s restaurant. My spies were right. His daughter was alive and well and back in New York City. A miracle.”
I’m going to die here.
“Then I was furious. My son was infatuated with the enemy's daughter. After killing my wife, he needed to die. I had eyes on him, on the both of you, and ordered my men to douse your apartment with gasoline and blow it up the moment you two returned home.”
Del stands frozen, his fists balled at his side. He's processing everything. He's planning his move. But he’s waiting until his father finishes his villain monologue. He wants to hear the rest just as much as I do.
“You had someone following us the night Cillian died, didn’t you?” I ask, urging him to keep spilling.
“The night you killed Cillian? Yes, I had someone following you and taking pictures. Then I sent Finn the photos after that stunt at the Christmas party. He needed to know the contract killers he hired to kill his loose cannon of a son were also his rivals.”
“And then what was your plan? Kill me and poof, your revenge is done?”
He scoffs. “Of course not.”
He holds out his hand and Matthew sets a phone in his palm. Percy puts it to his ear.
“Gio Lenetti. I have your daughter.”
He hangs up, then types out a text message.
“Your father is on his way. I kill you, then him, then reclaim the QBM and become the most powerful man in this city.”
That’s when Del makes his move. He lunges for his father, but Matt kicks him, knocking him to the ground.
Del is obviously still woozy from whatever they injected into him.
How did he not feel being poked? I suppose the adrenaline of the chase could have masked it.
It must have happened when Matt had his hand on his shoulder.
I found it weird at the time, but I never thought he’d drug Del.
Matt stands over him, a gun pointed at his head.
“It’s a shame we have to end things like this,” Matt says. “I would have taken Noah up on her offer.”
An explosion rocks the home above us, and the blast knocks me onto the ground, still tied to the chair.
The pain, the blood loss. It’s too much.
I pass out.