“I’d had enough of patching Kirby up and watching him heal, only to have Leo do it all again, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I got Kirby out of there, but I knew that wouldn’t stop Leo from searching for him. Leo was obsessed with Kirby.” He stared at his hands, which had unconsciously balled into fists. “I’d heard rumors about the Giordanos and some plans they were putting in place, so I went to them, told them I’d help them take out Leo. In return, I had to never show my face in New York City again, never take a job from the Folliero family or any of their associates.”
Elio’s eyebrows furrowed. “That doesn’t make sense. The Giordanos are our allies. Their cousins are one of the five families of New York.”
Matteo frowned at him too, and Gabriel didn’t miss the twitch of his hand again, like he really wanted to reach for his gun and put a bullet in Gabriel’s temple.
“Right, but they think you’re weak. They think your father’s weak, and they want the Folliero’s spot in the New York five. They have plans to take your family down, destroy your entire business, and take your spot in New York.”
“And give up Chicago?” Elio pursed his lips.
“No. They want both.”
“Cretino,” Matteo muttered.
Gabriel snorted. “Yeah, they are fools, but they’re fools who are ready to take you out if you don’t move cautiously. Tell me, have you seen anything suspicious happening in any… business deals lately?”
Elio’s eyes widened and he glanced at Matteo. That was answer enough.
“They’re moving into your territory, sir.” Gabriel shrugged. “And if you don’t act quickly, you’ll lose everything.”
“Why tell us this, if you had a deal with them?” Elio asked.
“Because they were going to kill one of my family members. I don’t take that too kindly.” Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “Ardan convinced me to come to you with the truth about their plan. Mr. Killough has offered to keep my family protected as long as I work for him, and as you’re Mr. Killough acquaintances, it’s only fair I divulge information that could save your business.”
“And your life.” Matteo crossed his arms. “If you’d come back into New York City, we’d have killed you for your part in Leo’s death.”
“Maybe. But I can handle what you throw at me.” Gabriel rose, standing to his full height and facing off with Matteo, who was only inches shorter than him. “I don’t regret betraying thatfiglio di puttana.”
“Now, now, that’s mynonnayou’re talking about. My grandmother is not a bitch,” Elio said with a quirk of his lips. “Sit down, Gabriel.”
“I meant no disrespect to your grandmother,” Gabriel admitted, sitting down like directed. “I’ve met Sybil and she’s a sweet lady.”
“She is, but if she was here right now, she’d paddle your ass with her walking stick.” Elio laughed and Gabriel even saw the hint of a smile on Matteo’s lips. “Saying that, I thank you for your honesty. What you’re telling us is troubling, and if you’re lying to me, you could jeopardize everything for our business. So why should I trust you?”
“Because I trust him,” Ardan answered before Gabriel could. “You know I’m brilliant at telling the character of someone. Gabe is trustworthy.”
Elio stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You know I’ve always trusted you, Ardan, ever since we met at Killough’s house, but it’s not hard to see that Mr. Mancini here is your weakness.”
“Weakness?” Ardan’s mouth parted in shock. “I have no weaknesses.”
“We all want to believe that, but we are only human beings. Every single one of us have a weakness. The fact that you went out of your way to make sure Gabriel’s family was safe, while giving him a job with Mr. Killough, thus making him untouchable to us, says everything we need to know.” Elio leered at them. “But we do appreciate the information, and we’ll take care of it. Due to your… connection with Mr. Killough, Gabriel, we will not touch you. But the moment you walk away from the Killough Company, we will come looking for you. Whether I hated Leo or not means nothing. He’s still family and you betrayed ourfamiglia. Am I understood?”
Gabriel smirked. “That’s very clear.”
“Good.” Elio stood and waved his hand at the Coke. “Please feel free to take them. I know you don’t drink alcohol, Ardan, however, our business here is done. Matteo will show you the way out.”
Ardan and Gabriel bowed their heads slightly in respect and stood, following Matteo out of Elio’s office and toward the front door again. He didn’t dawdle around, opening the entrance for them with a glare. Gabriel didn’t make it over the threshold before Matteo grabbed his arm, dragging him closer.
“Don’t think we’ll forget your betrayal, Mancini. Elio might have respect for Mr. Killough, but you’re nothing more than a rat who killed a member of this family.” Matteo released him and waved toward the door again.
Ardan stood just outside, waiting patiently, but his face tensed and he glared at Matteo when he released Gabriel. They both strode to the car, perfectly aware of Matteo’s gaze on their backs until they got into the Alfa Romeo again.
“What was that about?” Ardan asked, eyes narrowed out the tinted window until Matteo slammed the door to the house shut.
“Nothing I didn’t expect,” Gabriel chuckled. “The Italian mafia is no different from the Irish. We have pride in our heritage, in families. I betrayed the Folliero family. Even though I’m working for Killough, I’ll always be a rat to them.”
“If he threatened you—”
“Tell me,tesoro, if that was you, would you have threatened me for betraying someone from the Killough family?” Gabriel cocked his head when Ardan sighed. “That’s what I thought. They’re entitled to be angry at me. I don’t regret giving away Leo’s location, but I am sorry for betraying my heritage, which is what I think they’re angrier about.”
