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“Elio,” my father’s voice caught my attention, and I flexed my hand over the handle of the knife, “shall we eat?”
I nodded once, and everyone turned their attention to their food. I tried counting from ten so as not to ruin the evening. I had looked forward to this meal all day, and the panzanella looked delicious.
“Oh,” Bria eyed the dish in front of her, “this again?”
“You know…” I stood and held my wine glass up to the light then took a sip and savored the flavor before continuing. “If you all don’t mind, I think I’d like to say a little something as well.”
Roberto cursed under his breath and dropped his fork on the side of the plate, unimpressed I’d stopped his gorging.
“We’ve had our fair share of secrets that have come out recently, some more damaging than others.”
“Like how your girlfriend is a Coppola?” Bria snorted as she shoved a forkful in her mouth. Rage burned through me, but I kept my cool.
“As a matter of fact, yes, that was a shock.” I nodded. “But we had a good talk, and we’re now stronger than ever.” I watched her eyes widen in disbelief.
“Elio, you can’t possibly be serious. She’s the blood of those who’re trying to kill your family!” Roberto barked.
“My syndicate, my rules,” Papa said with a shrug.
“Funny you should bring that up, Roberto,” I went on, “because when I got lured down to the dockyard a few weeks ago and was met by Stefano, Anna was with him.” I held his gaze as he squinted to read my mind. “She told me who was really behind Papa’s hit years ago, the same hit that separated Sienna and me.”
Roberto’s gaze shifted over to Bria, whose eyes had gone wide.
“Well, dinner is getting cold. Shall we enjoy it now? Cheers to a lifetime of loyalty and friendship.” I grinned and took another appreciative sip from my wineglass. I glanced at my father, who acted like he knew nothing about what I was referring to.
An uneasy silence fell over our guests while Papa complimented Mama on how tasty the food was. I continued to smile, savoring the moment, and was pleased to see a bead of sweat form near Bria’s temple.
“Any news from Mariano?” I asked after a bit. “He seems to have just dropped off the map. Like he’s hiding from me or something.” I chuckled at my own amusement. Again, I watched Bria shift in her seat while she tried to swallow. I imagined her throat felt a bit dry at the conversation, and I wondered if she was bright enough to know where I was going with it.
“No,” she attempted a smile but refused eye contact, “he tends to disappear from time to time.”
“Well, cocaine will do that to a person.” I didn’t miss a beat and gave a sorrowful look at Roberto, who shot me a wary look back. “Mama,” I directed my attention to her, “you chose the perfect night to host this dinner. I only hope that when I drill a hammer into Mariano’s chest and rip out his heart, it’ll feel as satisfying.”
Roberto took too large a mouthful, and when my words sank in, he began to cough and sputter as he tried to swallow it down. Papa got out of his chair and worked his way around the table until he was standing behind Roberto.
“Take a breath, old friend,” he cooed as he caught my eye.
“Yes, slower bites,” Bria said, in a trance while she stared at me.
“Bria?” I raised my voice loudly enough for all to hear.
“What?”
“Before I murder your son, I thought you might like to witness this first.”
In a flash, Papa whipped the OB wire around Roberto’s neck and with all his force yanked hard. Roberto’s fat head dropped on the table with a heavy thud and rolled toward her.
Bria’s hands flew to her mouth as a high-pitched scream was released from her throat.
“Gain, would you please pour me another glass of wine?” Mama held up her glass and smiled, completely ignoring Bria’s total meltdown.
“Oh, allow me, darling.” Papa poured her a healthy glass.
“Thank you.”
“You see,” I lowered my voice and kept it friendly as Papa took his seat and picked up his fork, “we do know who placed the hit on Papa all those years ago.” She sucked in a deep gulp of air but said nothing.
“I also know your son saw a photo of Sienna in my room the night we first met. You asked Mama a lot of questions about who I was and who I was dating, so I know it was you who arranged to bring her back into my life. Was it to distract me?” I looked at her over my wine glass. “It almost worked, you know.” I raised an eyebrow at her pale, stunned face. “But, typical Mariano, he got stupid and cocky. He let himself be taken over by drugs, and he overplayed his hand.” Sweat beads broke out over her waxy face as she tried to keep herself together. “Now, look what you’ve done.” I waved slowly at her husband’s headless body. “This could all have been prevented, if you’d only been loyal.”
