Chapter 13
Liliana
Ibolt upright, seizing my gun from the nightstand. The abrupt slamming of the front door shatters my deep slumber, leaving me confused as to whom the unexpected visitor could be. Positioned at the top of the staircase, my bedroom gives me the advantage of hearing anyone coming or going through the door. Quietly descending the stairs, I round the corner and slowly head down the hallway, my attention drawn to the slightly ajar door of my father”s office. The frenzied shuffling of drawers echoes through the room, prompting me to question the identity of the individual looking through my father’s desk. Squeezing through the narrow opening, I cautiously extract my weapon, directing it towards the intruder.
“Turn around slowly, and show me your hands,” I command in a calm voice, willing the trespasser to comply without any sudden movements. Though I’m prepared to shoot first and ask questions later, I pause, needing to identify the tall figure attempting to breach my father”s safe. His body tenses at the sound of my voice, and as he pivots towards me, we’re both equally shocked.
“Antonio!”
“Liliana!”
We call out each other”s names, unable to comprehend the scene laid out before us. I had believed him to be dead, but there he stood in front of me, alive and well.
“How is this possible?” He asks, his face drained of color and his expression one of pure shock. He seemed to be seeing a ghost, in a way, and I couldn”t blame him.
“You first. How did you manage to survive?” I demand, my senses going on high alert as a feeling of unease settles in. “You were there, and the only ones left standing were Carlo and his men,” I point out, watching Antonio carefully as he moves slowly from behind the desk and takes a seat.
“When I excused myself to give you and Paolo some privacy, I was walking around to the side of the house to smoke when the shooting started,” he starts, disbelief evident in his gaze. I keep my weapon trained on him, uncertain of whether I can fully trust his account. “I returned fire, but was hit, so I fled,” he continues, yet I remain wary of the direction of his narrative. “We were outnumbered, and I panicked. I must’ve blacked out because when I came to, I was down by the front gate with paramedics surrounding me,” he concludes, his eyes pleading for me to believe him.
I suppose that’s plausible, considering the gate”s location at the foot of a hill, making it difficult to spot anyone from the front of the house. “Why were you searching through my father’s desk?” I question, setting that topic aside for the time being. His allegiance will be tested tonight when I kill Tomas. Antonio will either support me or meet the same fate.
“I’ve been keeping a low-profile planning to bring down Carlo over the past month. I didn’t know who I could trust, so I came back here to see if Paolo had anything I could use to ruin him.”
“If my father has anything on Carlo, he wouldn’t keep it in his desk,” I remark, still feeling like something’s off. I need to shake this because I wanted to spend my day in the basement, training, not interrogating Antonio.
“Could you please lower your gun?” He pleads, visibly uncomfortable. Gradually, I lower my weapon, choosing to trust him for now. “Your turn, tell me how you got away and where you’ve been all this time?”
“Maybe another time,” I respond, not fully trusting that he’s on my side. Given the circumstances, it”s every man for himself. Despite Antonio being my father”s Consigliere, his loyalty lay with him, not me.
“This is a miracle, Lili!” he exclaims!” You”re here, you”re alive! And don’t worry, you can confide in me,” he says, looking somewhat disheartened, however, I’m still not convinced he will keep my secret. “Listen, I understand you were with Nico, but when your father proposed our marriage to strengthen our alliance against Carlo, I was all for it.”
“If you think I would agree to marry you simply because my father commanded it, you”re just as mistaken as he was,” I retort, irritated by the idea of marrying him.
He winces at my words, clearly offended, but even if my father were still alive, I would have chosen Nico.
“I doubt you would have had a say in the matter, Lili.”
“Sadly, we’ll never know now that my father is dead. Now, if you don”t mind, I”d like to discuss tonight”s plans and your role in helping me. After all, you are now my Consigliere,” I declare, making my way around the desk and taking a seat. Antonio gazes at me, his eyes filled with bewilderment as he nods in acknowledgment. “Shall we begin?” I ask, placing my gun on the desk to assert my authority in our working relationship.
“Yes, Miss. Rinaldi,” he responds, uncertainty evident in his expression.
Miss. Rinaldi... Don Rinaldi... a female Don is unconventional in our organization, but it”s a reality the other families will need to accept. I’m coming for the Beneventis, and nothing will stand in the way of avenging my family.