Page 104 of Unravel Me

You don't just walk away from the mafia. I always wondered what my parents had to do to be allowed to step away from active involvement in the Mafia, but Ennio once told me vaguely it had come at a very high price.

And Rocco would love nothing more than to make an example out of me for trying it on my own, that's for sure.

Saying that we hate each other would actually be an understatement. As far as he's concerned, any excuse is good enough to punish me.

Maybe only my youngest brother, Eliano, can match the hatred I have for Rocco. Luca always cut Rocco a little slack because being a purple alpha means he never really feels threatened by anyone. Ennio, on the other hand, treated Rocco like someone he could manipulate and steer wherever he wanted through persuasion and carefully chosen arguments.

Me? I have zero tolerance for serial rapists like him.

I pull out my phone when I hear it beep.

It's a special phone I have, one whose location can't be easily traced.

There's a single text message waiting for me.

"Rocco isn't happy that you disappeared."

The sender is unknown, but I know exactly who it's from. Ennio.

It's my first contact with him in two weeks, since the day I ran.

I type back quickly.

"I told you before. I was never meant for a life in the mafia, and I wouldn't have been any help to you anyway. Anzo being out of the picture is the perfect opportunity for me to start a new life."

I stare at the screen, and a moment later another text comes through.

"You're going to have to deal with Rocco yourself. I'm just warning you that he could show up any day now. But that's not the only reason I'm texting. I hope you've been keeping up with the news?"

"I’m not much of a news follower like yourself, so why don’t you tell me?"

"Well, you should pay attention. This might be of interest to you. Mark Ferguson was arrested."

The text on my screen doesn't seem real. I blink, and then a second text comes through.

"It's a big case, but he still has a chance of getting out of it. He's already contacted us, begging for our help, especially Alessi's. He knows he's the best lawyer for this kind of thing."

Wait. Just wait… I wipe my eyes and read the message twice.

What on earth? It's as if someone has thrown boiling water over me.

My entire body locks up, curling inward.

Mark Ferguson was arrested?

He… the man who seemed untouchable! Growing more powerful, making more connections… But perhaps his arrogance grew along with his influence, until he started believing himself above the law?

My hands tremble as I type the address of a popular news outlet that keeps close tabs on what’s happening across Florida.

And there it is, right at the top.

State Senate Candidate Accused of Sexual Assault…

I click on it and tear through the article with darting eyes. Apparently, incriminating evidence against him had been sent to several news outlets, including a video showing him sexually assaulting a man who had once been the surrogate carrying Mark and Jared's child…

I switch back to the text messages and write to Ennio.

"If this case goes to Alessi, he'll get Ferguson off. Even if the bastard gets knocked out of the race for the state senate, he'll probably never see a day behind bars anyway."