Chapter MARCELLO #2
Come to think of it, he might have the guts to pull it off, but he wouldn't have the balls to fend off the consequences of his actions.
His boss and lover, however, would: Margarita Giordano.
Only, for the life of me, I can't figure out why she would want me dead.
She is, however, Edoardo's mother-in-law.
Also, her name came up a few times in recent weeks.
Someone planted Enrico's sister at the Giordano mansion a month or so back, causing Enrico to retaliate.
I just can't imagine why a mother would want her son dead.
I'll have to give this some serious thought later.
Right now, I have to deal with this pathetic excuse for a lifeform rolling on the ground in front of me.
"You should've come to me," I reiterate loud enough for every man to hear. "You think I won't protect my own? You think I can't handle one outsider with a scar and a fucking eye patch?"
Benny's lips tremble, like I'm still talking to him, but I'm addressing the other men now—the ones who will live to remember.
"I'm sorry—"
"You're sorry you got caught." I sneer, grabbing his hair to tilt his head back. My hip screams under the strain, but I don't let it show.
"Let's see if your blood has more answers than your mouth," I say while I drag the blade across his gut, just deep enough to make him scream. He folds forward, sobbing and clutching his stomach. I straighten and stare in distaste at the blood on my hands.
"Traitors don't get mercy," I yell. I plant my foot on Benny's chest, shove him back, then slice his throat and let him drop.
The blood spurts out like a fucking geyser, hitting my suit and shoes.
It's not the first set of clothes and shoes I've ruined, and it won't be the last. But damn, I liked those shoes.
"Clean it up," I mutter, flicking blood from my fingers. Then I turn to the rest of them, "This is what happens when you betray your own. I'll protect you from outsiders. But I won't save you from yourselves."
Luciano is already ahead of me, opening the gate first and then the car door.
When we're both seated, I order, "Get to Benny's wife.
Quiet her down. Give her a couple hundred grand to disappear, but keep it quiet.
" The last thing I need is for the other idiots to figure out that I'll pay off their widows.
I want them to think I took Benny's wife and kid out, too. They need to fear me.
"You got it, boss."
I climb into the car, keeping my back straight. I blink a few times to restore my swimming vision. Every inch of me aches.
Violet was right. I should've stayed in bed.
"So, we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Luciano asks, buckling.
"Fabio Becattini," I push his name out like a curse.
"He's Donna Margarita's lap dog," Luciano remarks.
I chuckle. That's the aptest description there is for that scum. He has been her lover for years. Rumors have it that he was her lover even before her late husband passed. Uglier rumors suggest he had something to do with his passing.
I might have been exiled in Sicily, but that doesn't mean I haven't been informed about what was going on at home. Largely by Sophia, but other friends as well.
"So, what'd you do to piss her off?" Luciano wants to know.
I shrug. I don't have a clue. "We haven't crossed paths in years. Not since I was fifteen or so."
"Three attempts on your life within a few weeks is more than someone simply wanting you dead, Marcello," Luciano warns.
"I'm aware of that," I snarl. Very aware. Whoever is after me, it's personal. Luciano is right. Three attempts are not nothing. Plus, whoever it is went as far as to infiltrate my inner circle. My bodyguards.
"Did you bang one of her daughters?" Luciano keeps prodding.
This time, I laugh out loud. "If she has a grudge against everyone who's banged her daughters, she will have to kill half the city's male population."
Luciano grins. It's well known that neither Margarita nor her daughters are the chaste type.
Margarita began whoring them out the moment they turned legal.
Even marrying one of them, Isabella, to Edoardo.
As the mother-in-law to our Capo dei Capi, she wields a lot of power.
She's also been rumored to be running the Giordano branch of our family since her husband's death.
Turning Giovanni—her own son—into a puppet?
I don't know how much of it is true, but he's dead now, and from what I've seen, it was a setup.
Which makes me doubt she'd be behind it.
Why orchestrate the death of her own blood?
Then again, this is Margarita we're talking about. Underestimating her would be a mistake. Margarita is a foe not to be underestimated.
"We'll smoke her out of her den and find out," I say thoughtfully. It's time to get serious about finding out who wants me dead, and why. "Get Fabio. Alive."
"You got it, boss." Luciano opens his phone, already typing. My day just got infinitely better.