I had to say I believed him, and not because his voice was dripping with honesty; all of us could lie on demand without a blink. I believed him because I knew, without a doubt, who was behind my punishment.
“If you don’t believe me ask Tino,” he said, wounded.
“Tino?” She nodded pensively. “You know what, Dom? The only reason I might believe what you said is what I heard when you returned to your torture room. When you came in, you were looking for me, knowing I was here, and whoever was on the phone was the one who told you. It couldn’t be Enzio because my sister is the only one who knew I suspected something was happening down here. She was worried, and when I didn’t call her back, she must have called again and again, but there was no reception all the way to this room. She must have freaked out, and of course, asked Tino for help…andhecalled you…”
“Bingo!” I wheezed an attempt for a deep breath, but all I could sniff in was blood and fury. “The answer to every fucked up, diabolical, unruly question is alwaysTino.”
“It’s him, isn’t it? Your bestie and you have plotted all this together. A favor for a favor. You keep his boy where he can never break free, punish him for what he did, and he gives you the girl.” She laughed bitterly and then moaned. “I can’t believe I was that stupid.”
“No, Nicky, no! Fuck! Tino never decided to give you to me until that day I lied to him about sleeping with you. What we have, you and I, has nothing to do with anything between the Lanzas and the Bellomos, and it’s never been part of any famiglia plan or any plan whatsoever.” He approached her, his eyes locked on hers. “Yes, I lied to you about having Leo here, but everything I’ve done, every lie, every act of revenge, every step in my plan to make you mine was just for that, to make you mine.”
She snorted. “So Tino Bellomo wasn’t the mastermind behind this charade?”
He just shook his head.
“Then who is it?” she asked.
Yeah, Dom, who the fuck put me in this shithole and made you my jailer?
His jaw clenched. “You know I can’t tell you. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this one, baby, like you trusted me with everything else.”
“Trust you?” She giggled. “Oh my God. I might have been an idiot for so long that you believe I can still trust anything you say or do, but no more.”
“Please, Nicky. I’ll do anything to prove what I’m saying. Just give me some time.”
“You’ll do anything?”
“Yes. Even if you want me to go on my knees and beg, I will. You know I won’t do that for anyone, but only for you, I will.”
“Make him do it,” I said. “Who doesn’t like a good groveling?”
He swore at me while she squinted at him. “I have something better in mind,” she said.
“Anything you want,” he emphasized.
She tilted her chin up, her gaze darkening. “Kill him.”
What now?
“Kill Bellomo, Dom.”
He stared at her in disbelief while I managed to blink. “Uh…you might wanna be a little more specific.”
“Tino. I want you to kill Tino Bellomo,” she said.
Phew. Yeah, I can live with that, although I’d rather I did it.
“It’s the only way to believe you. If Tino isn’t the one who was on the phone, it means you went behind his back and imprisoned his son,” she continued. “You betrayed him once. You can do it again.”
“Nicky, baby, you’re not thinking straight. Are you even listening to yourself right now? Let’s say I’m that fucking traitor who would do something that low, what about you? Do you think your sister will ever forgive you for betraying her?”
“My sister’s forgiveness is my business not yours.”
“And betraying her? Please.” I snorted a snarl. “She’ll be doing her a favor.”
Domenico mustered an angry ball of phlegm and spat in my direction. “Well, here’s your sanity check, baby. If Leo Bellomo thinks something is a good idea, it means it’s time to steer away from it.”
“Maybe, but not when it comes to Tino,” she said.
