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“Yeah, I got that part. But why? And how are your uncle and cousin mixed up in it?”
“Remember back at the university when you accused my family of killing the Agrellas in Florence?”
“Of course.”
“My brothers and I didn’t do it. But we think my uncle and cousin did – in partnership with a man from Sicily.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with my grandmother?”
“We think Fausto and Aurelio wanted to turn the Five Families against us. Rome, Venice, Sicily, Naples, and Milan. And we suspect that my cousin was the one who hired the mercenaries in Venice to go after your grandmother.”
“But why?”
“If Fausto gets the okay from the Five Families to wipe us out, he could take over our territory without being shunned by the rest of the Cosa Nostra. If the Five Families think he turned on his own flesh and blood for nothing other than money, they’d ostracize him at best – and probably wipe him out at worst. Fausto doesn’t want that, so the best option is to make us look like a bunch of backstabbing savages so he’s justified in slitting our throats.”
“This is all fascinating,” I said sarcastically, “but you still haven’t told me why a bunch of mercenaries tried to kill my grandmother and kidnap me.”
Massimo grew quiet.
I continued. “I mean, if your uncle got Nona to think you and your brothers are a bunch of psychos because of what happened in Florence, what possible reason was there to send a bunch of assassins to kill her? And why now? Besides the fact that – ”
Suddenly it clicked.
I stopped in my tracks.
He turned to look at me, and I saw the guilty look on his face.
“You,” I said, shocked. “It was because you came to visit her… and that’s why they tried to kill her.”
“We actually think they were trying to take her captive – ”
“OH, that’s SO much better,” I said angrily. “We were doing just fine until YOU waltzed through the front door!”
“If they were willing to go after your grandmother yesterday, they would have eventually gone after her no matter what – ”
“You don’t know that!” I shouted. “They might’ve just been happy with your shitty little piece of Tuscany and left the rest of us alone!”
Now Massimo started to get angry. “But they didn’t leave you alone. They attacked your grandmother – they came after you – ”
“Because YOU were there! No other fucking reason! Did Rome get attacked? Did Naples or Sicily?!”
“…not that we know of, no,” he admitted.
“You fucking asshole,” I seethed. “Acting like you’re doing me such a big favor… keeping me safe… bossing me around and acting like a DICK… and it’s ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT I’M IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE!”
“Your grandmother doesn’t blame us for this,” he snapped.
“Well, I’m not my grandmother,” I snarled. “And maybe the only reason she’s SAID she doesn’t blame you is because you’re the only thing standing between me and a bunch of assholes. Assholes who came after me BECAUSE of you.”
“Lucia – ”
“Go FUCK yourself. And do me a favor: don’t fucking talk to me anymore.”
I turned around and started stomping through the woods.
He followed behind me in silence.
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