AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By Carmine’s wife.
Don’t show anything, Delilah, I tell myself.
“You’re fucking Dante and pulling strings with the men to pull them to your side. All the men Dante already won over are yours, all in love with your tits and ass and distracted from the truth.”
“The only man who is mine is Marco.” That feels safe to say, an obvious answer.
“What about Jason?” he asks, his eyes cool. “He was recruited by me, posted to be Paulie’s second, but last I heard, he was protecting you when Paulie was putting you in your place.” I ignore his words, letting them bounce off me and refusing to give him the reaction he wants. “Or Tino? Recruited by Paulie and he just hit his Capo for putting his hand on his property. Something he has every right to do.”
“I’m no one’s property, Carmine.”
A mistake.
I should have said Tino hit Paulie because he spoke shit about his woman.
Instead, I leaned into the accusation, not denying that Tino is on my side, that I’ve won over Jason.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re wearing a Carluccio engagement ring, sleeping in a Carluccio home, fucking a Carluccio man. Any Carluccio man in this home has the right to put you in your place, to use you how they see fit.”
The man leans forward and my stomach churns, acid burning up my throat with his words.
Use you how they see fit.
“And I’m a Russo,” I argue.
“For now.”
“I’ll always be a Russo.”
“Until the Carluccios take over and there are no more Russos to be.”
The room is silent.
Finally.
Carmine’s own plan revealed.
I wonder if that puts us on even footing—him assuming he knows my plan and me knowing his.
Him revealing this to me means nothing good for my own safety in this house.
“Years ago, your mother was to marry Tony. I had it all set up. A congressman in my pocket would do the family well. She went and tried to convince her father to let her go with the Russo boy, and when her father said no, she threw a tantrum and went and fucked Turner. That’s why I told Liza we’d only have fucking boys, you know. No tantrums, no grand ideas of love and trust and all that bullshit. Men want power and know how to get it.” He rolls his eyes, and I have to wonder what would have happened if she had gotten pregnant with a girl.
Or if maybe, once upon a time, she was pregnant with a little girl.
The blood rushes in my ears as he keeps speaking.
“Things settled, and Tony was paired with Teresa, the giant cunt she is. A consolation prize—a decent family to build ties with, but no congressman. But it went well; Tony gave us an heir, a continuation of the family. And then your fuckin’ mother had you.”
He slams his fist on the desk in anger, making me jump against my will.
“A disgrace. Cheating on her husband with the Russo boy after turning down the Carluccios because she didn’t want to be involved in the life?” He shakes his head and I watch the red that was crawling up his neck start to recede as he takes a few deep breaths, centering himself. “But it gave me an in, an option. It gave me you—the sole heir to the Russo throne.
“You made sure of that,” I say, my voice barely an accusing whisper.
“I did,” he says with a sick fucking smile.
There it is.
