AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ma dai, this man—this assassin—means that much to you? A man who tried to kill me, who was hired to kill you, and lied to you?”
“You have hired assassins before. You know it isn’t personal. D’Agostino is to blame for both of those contracts, not Alessio.” I let out a breath. “And yes, he means that much to me. I love him.”
Fausto made a dismissive sound in his throat, one I knew well. I had to tell him the rest. “Do you know who bought out Buscetta’s contract on my life?”
My father said nothing, so I continued. “Alessio found the German assassin and paid him off not to kill me. This was before he went to Sicily to kill Don Gero for me.”
“Which you managed to do by yourself.”
“Not quite by myself. I needed Alessio’s help to find Don Gero.” I clasped his shoulder, stopping him. “Do you know what he did after that?”
My father’s expression was bland. “What?”
“He gave me all of his money. His houses and investments. Everything. He said his career had cost him the one thing he’d ever cared about—me. And so he couldn’t keep the profits from that career any longer.”
“So he bought your forgiveness.”
Annoyed, I ground my back teeth together and struggled for calm. “And you giving Frankie your credit card in Rome was, what? Or when you let her work at the company before Rafe was born? Or when you paid for her to get her MBA? Or—”
“Basta,” he snapped. “She didn’t try to kill me or my father.”
“You need to let it go. I am going to marry him, Papà. He will be my husband, my family. Whether we stay part of this family is up to you.”
“This is blackmail.” I started to argue, but he held up a hand. “But I can see that he cares about you. And I have heard the tales of Málaga.”
Benito. That rat. “Yes, he does. Since we’ve met, he’s saved my life countless times, and he’s instrumental in helping to establish our ’ndrina there.”
“Countless times?”
Of course my father latched onto this. He was worried about my safety so far away from Italy and the castello. “A few times,” I amended.
He stared out at the vast estate, his eyes unseeing. “I will be watching, figlio mio. Keeping track of what he’s doing. And if I need him, he will work for me at a moment’s notice, no questions asked.”
“Having Europe’s best assassin as a son-in-law could have its perks.”
“Believe me, I am aware.”
“He’s a good man, Papà.”
“He had better be, Giulio. Because I will skin him alive if he ever hurts you again.”
“After the beating in the dungeon, I am certain he knows it.”
My father inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. “All of my children are so stubborn. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. “That’s because we take after you.”
We chatted a bit more about Málaga. I updated him on my progress there and the aftermath of Golubev’s death. Then we headed back toward the castello.
I nearly stumbled when we came upon the patio. Noemi was curled up on Alessio’s lap, along with the puppy. They were quietly talking and petting the small dog. My heart flipped over in my chest. Cristo santo, I loved this man.
Fausto walked over to Alessio’s chair. He lifted Noemi into his arms. “Do you like your puppy, polpetta?”
“We named her Bolla.” Bubble. “Do you like that name?”
“I love it.” He kissed her neck, tickling her, and she giggled. “Almost as much as I love you.”
He set her on the ground and she ran back over to the puppy. Grabbing Alessio’s arm, she tried to pull him up. “Let’s show her around inside, Alessio.”
