Chapter 51
Camillo Vicari
Castello dell’Fiero, Calabria, Italy
Cissio Accorinti.
That son of a bitch had posed as one of my own, convincing my Piccola Furetta that I was the one who’d ordered her execution.
I buried my hands in my hair and gripped tight.
Dio, I didn’t know whether to sob, scream, or blow my own brains out.
I would never hurt Daisy. Never. The second my finger faltered on the trigger back in Mississippi, a part of me knew I’d never be capable of hurting that woman.
But pride, fear, and duty had tried to convince me otherwise.
Worse. They’d convinced her.
“Camillo…” Luca choked out, formalities and rank forgotten. Neither of us had the stomach for protocol, not now. “We will rescue her. Trust in Dio.”
I laughed bitterly, tears blurring my vision. “Dio washed His hands of me a long time ago, Luca. You know that as well as I do.”
“Forgiveness is guaranteed to those who truly repent.”
My breath hitched, and I swiped at my eyes to dry them.
Maybe Luca was right, but it didn’t change a damn thing.
My Piccola Furetta was alone in that room with those figli di puttana, believing I’d ordered her death, while I sat here in Castello dell’Fiero watching it all on a screen. Helpless. Unable to protect her.
“Tell me they’ve tracked the signal…” I groaned, adjusting the earpiece. Accorinti’s words were tearing through my insides. If he decided to kill Daisy right then and there, I’d be unable to stop him.
Luca sighed, his hands squeezing my shoulders with grim resolve. “Our ragazzi are trying to follow the trail, but there are too many leads… It’s going to take time.”
“And Don Zaccaria? Filippo Barone? Don Finisterra and the other families? The rest of the Cosa Nostra?”
I had called in every favor, reached out to every ally I had. Dio, I would move heaven and earth just to get her back.
“They’re already mobilizing. Don Zaccaria has locked down Gioia Tauro; his men are tearing through every container and ship.
No one gets in, no one gets out. Don Barone has his men intercepting Rinaldi vehicles and has given the order to open fire on sight.
The entire Cosa Nostra is putting boots on the ground, and Don Finisterra has already sent over coordinates for Accorinti’s known warehouses.
” Luca reported, and for the first time, I allowed myself a glimmer of hope.
And in the very next instant, it shattered right before my eyes.
“What the hell is this figlio di puttana doing?” The words died in my throat, the blood draining from my face the second Accorinti turned on the screen in front of Daisy. I recognized those images. “It can’t be…”
Luca leaned over me. With trembling hands, he unplugged my headset and cranked up the volume on the speakers. “Impossible,” he breathed.
Helpless, I watched as Daisy’s face went completely slack, her gaze turning to ice as the images scrolled across the screen. She was watching the moment I killed my own son and my ex-wife.
I felt something snap inside me.
How do you even put something like that into words?
How could I tell her that I’d let hatred consume me?
That I’d allowed revenge to be my only compass, and that was why, even now, I couldn't sleep through the night? That the reason she’d found me screaming the other night was the crushing weight on my conscience?
I regretted every second of my existence for killing my bambino.
How could she ever look at me again after seeing the monster beneath the skin?
I hadn't been able to keep anything down since last night, and thank goodness, because the only thing I wanted to do at that moment was to vomit my guts out.
“It’s all my fault…” I moaned, my vision nothing but a blur of tears. “I’ve lost her forever, Luca.”
“No, Camillo. Have faith in Signorina Parker.”
I shook my head. “I’m a monster, and now she’s seen it.
” Tears streamed down my face. “She’s sweet, she's kind, and I’ve ruined her life.
I should have finished it in Mississippi, or let her go…
I should never have dragged her into my world.
I should never have touched her. I don’t deserve her, Luca. ”
Luca grabbed my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace that felt like my Papà’s.
“There was a time when Gaetano told me the exact same thing about your mamma,” he murmured against my hair.
I could only choke back sobs like the pathetic piece of shit I’d become.
Like what I truly was. “When Natalia arrived in Italy, your Nonno’s enemies held her captive in a warehouse and demanded a ransom.
Your Papà, who had always sworn their marriage was just an obligation, that he would never, under any circumstances, fall for the girl he’d married…
he broke down. He sobbed into my shoulder, telling me how much he regretted bringing her into our world and that he would give his life to save her. ”
He told me this while I looked past his embrace, watching Daisy still in that room, the worst of my crimes replaying before her distant gaze, giving shape to my darkest nightmares.
“Days later, Gaetano delivered the ransom and brought her out of there safe and sound.”
“The problem is that Accorinti doesn’t want to negotiate, Luca. This isn't about money. This is pure revenge.”
“Sì,” he admitted, pulling back to give me a firm pat on the cheek. “But we’re going to find Signorina Daisy. And Accorinti is going to pay for this.” He promised me. “Do you know what Gaetano told me the moment we saved your mamma?”
“What, Luca?”
“That there are women we choose to love. And others we love without knowing why, whether we want to or not. And that what Dio puts in a man’s destiny, the devil cannot take away.”
Accorinti’s voice crackled through the speakers, and both Luca and I went still, listening.
Daisy was talking to him, asking to send me a message.
When she stood up and stopped right in front of the camera, just long enough for me to see her face harden into a mask of steel, it stole the breath from my lungs.
“Make sure you’re the first to pull the trigger, sugar.”
Time began to rewind. I went back a decade in mere seconds. ‘But will she be able to be terrible when necessary?’ My Mamusia’s question flashed like a bolt of lightning in the darkness of my mind.
Accorinti lunged at Daisy, delivering two blows that sent her sprawling across the floor. I gasped, my world going white, as I watched the hooded soldati drag her out of the room.
Cissio Accorinti stepped into the very spot where Daisy had stood.
“It seems your American doll is tough, Don Vicari. Let’s see how long it takes me to break her.”
The transmission cut to black. Luca let out a string of curses, already barking orders into his phone. I heard him yelling at our men, demanding they track the signal immediately or he’d castrate them himself. I, on the other hand, rose from my chair, my movements slow and deliberate.
Luca hung up and turned to me, his breath coming hard. “Are you okay?”
“Luca.” My voice cut through the room like steel. “Do you remember what Don Barone told us?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luca hesitate. “About the FBI hunting Antonio Palumbo?”
I nodded, my gaze fixed on the empty screen.
We’d discovered that Palumbo had been trafficking young women to American elites long before Accorinti ever crawled onto the scene.
He’d established brothels across several U.S.
cities, and the FBI was practically salivating at the chance to bring him down.
“What are you planning?” Luca asked, his voice laced with caution.
“Our sources said District Attorney Olivia Goodwin has ties to the FBI, didn’t they?”
“Don Camillo, no.” Luca snapped, stepping closer and grabbing my arm. “It’s too risky, for you and for the Signorina. It might just lead to a dead end.”
“If the FBI is hunting Palumbo, they already know where his wife and children are hiding. Right?” Luca paled, and a dark smile pulled at my lips. “Let’s see just how deep Daisy’s friendship with the District Attorney really goes.”
“And if she won’t help us?”
“Prepare our American partners for that eventuality. Speak to Lombardi. If Olivia Goodwin refuses to cooperate, I want her erased.”
Luca obeyed, dashing off with his phone already pressed to his ear. When he was gone, I pulled the address book from my desk drawer. I liked keeping this kind of information on paper; digital trails were for men who wanted to be caught.
As the phone rang, Daisy was the only thing on my mind. Hang in there, Piccola Furetta. I’m coming for you.
“Olivia Goodwin. How can I help you?”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Signorina Goodwin, my name is Camillo Vicari. I’m the man who took your friend Daisy Parker to Italy. I trust my name precedes me. Or does the word ‘Ndrangheta ring a bell?”
I heard her sharp gasp on the other end. Then, the frantic click of high heels and the sudden fading of background noise told me she was ducking into a private room.
“What kind of sick joke is this?!” she hissed. “My friend is with—”
“Some Pasquale Filiberto whatever-the-hell. Sì. That’s the story she fed you when I dragged her to Italy.
” A soft groan of horror escaped her. “Listen to me carefully, Signorina Goodwin, because we don’t have time.
One of my enemies has captured Daisy. I’m going to need your help to get vital information within the next twelve hours. ”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Her voice was a ragged whisper. “How do I know you didn’t kill her yourself?”
“Signorina Goodwin, you can either doubt me, or you can save her. But if you waste more time, she dies. Capisci?”
A moment of silence, then a choked sound. “What do you need?”
The relief that washed over me nearly made my knees give way. “The FBI is hunting a man named Antonio Palumbo. I need the exact location of his wife and children. I know you have the clearance to get it.”
“Was that the man who took her?”
“No. But he’s the one who will lead us to her. I’ll send you the contact where you’re to deliver the files. Don’t make me wait.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up.” Her voice cracked. “Did you hurt her?”
I took a long, steady breath. If I were being honest, the answer would be yes. I’d tell her how I’d shattered her friend’s heart only days ago. But I knew that wasn’t what she meant. “No, I did not. I care deeply for Daisy, Signorina Goodwin.”
I heard a shaky breath on the other end. “I hope you’re telling me the truth, Mr. Vicari. Because I’m not like my predecessor. I can promise you this: I am an enemy you cannot afford to have. If anything happens to Daisy, rest assured: you, your family, and everyone you love will pay the price.”
“Now is not the time for threats, Signorina Goodwin. If I meant her any harm, I wouldn’t be making this call.”
“Let’s hope you’re speaking the truth.”
She hung up, leaving me to stew in her words. I didn’t take kindly to being threatened, but I respected her loyalty to Daisy.
Less than thirty minutes later, Olivia Goodwin sent over a folder. It contained everything. The FBI’s entire investigation into Antonio Palumbo, his dealings, and a specific file labeled in all caps: PALUMBO FAMILY – LOCATION.
This was personal. I put on my gloves.