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Now it’s Antony’s turn to get angry. “If you are going to accuse me of something, just say it. Don’t give me all these accusations if you don’t have the guts to tell me what you’re accusing me of.”
“Your family. You plotted to kill my father.”
He shakes his head, eyes never leaving mine. “How can you believe that?’
I laugh again. “How can I not believe it? Your brothers — the D’Agostino family — you were the only outsiders who know about the safe house. It had to be you.”
“Is your father…” He clears his throat. “Is he dead?”
“Not yet. He managed to get away from your brother. He’s at the hospital, in surgery. And Matteo is nowhere to be found.”
“Sera. I promise you. This was not our family. I would never, ever do this to you. And I trust my brothers and my adviser, Sal, with my life. They do not make a move I don’t know about. And I can tell you, they did not do this.”
“Oh yeah?” I grip the edge of table tightly. “Then where is Matteo?”
Antony blinks. “I… don’t know.”
I sneer at him. “You’re a liar, Antony D’Agostino. Either you knew about this the entire time, or your family is out of control. And I don’t believe for one second that they did this without your knowledge. Yes, you know everything your men do. And they’re loyal to you. Not to me. Not to my family. You’ve deceived us all.” Hands shaking, I pull off the ring he just put on my finger and fling it at him. “I was stupid to ever fall for you,” I choke, rising out of my chair. “But I’m not stupid anymore.”
Antony rises, too. “Sera, wait…”
“No! Back off!” I pull out my phone with shaking hands. “I’m calling a driver.”
“Sera, it’s not safe —“
“The only place I’m not safe is anywhere you are!”
Stan, my father’s enforcer, answers. I speak a few words into the phone, then hang up and back away from the table. “You stay away from me, Antony. If you come near me, I will call the police and have you arrested for assault.”
It’s a hollow threat at best. I know the D’Agostino crew likely has any number of high-ranking police officials in their pockets. But thankfully, Antony doesn’t come any closer. But he does try one final tactic.
“I opened myself up to you, Serafina Mucci. I’ve shown you who I am. I’ve told you how I felt.” His eyes pierce me so deeply it feels like I’m being stabbed. “None of that was a lie. Every word of it is true. And I would never, ever hurt anyone you love. Believe that. Trust that.”
My heart feels like it’s breaking in two, but I plunge ahead, wanting to hurt him as badly as I can. To ruin and destroy everything between us, until there’s only wreckage left.
“Talk is cheap,” I spit. “Your words mean nothing, Antony. You never loved me, so why would I believe you’d never hurt anyone I love? All you care about is yourself. My father always told me that outside of our family, trust only goes as far as mutual interest. You sure taught me that today. I guess I’m just a very stupid, silly girl. You must have thought it was hilarious, how easily you played me. But eventually, I learn. And once I learn a lesson, I never forget it. You’d better call off your dog Matteo, Antony,” I hiss. “Because if any of my father’s men sees him again, he is a dead man.Believe that.”
I turn on my heel and flee the room, and then the restaurant, eyes and throat burning with the sobs that I manage to keep down until I’m safely in the back of the car that arrives for me.
22
SERA
Ispend a good fifteen minutes in the back of the car, sobbing.
Once we clear the Cleveland city limits, I have Stan put me through to the head guard at the Mucci mansion. My throat is raw from crying, but I keep my voice calm and professional as I tell him the situation.
“The men who were guarding my family at the safe house are missing, presumed dead,” I explain. “I need you to send some men to the hospital immediately to guard my father’s room and keep my mother and sister safe. And send two more men to the safe house to investigate.”
“How’s Skip?” Stan asks.
“In surgery. I’ll call you when I know more.”
I hang up the phone, my hands shaking. It’s started to rain outside, and my eyes follow the streaks absently as they slide down the window.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
Startled, I meet Stan’s eyes in the rearview mirror. I exhale, trying to find my strength. “You can’t possibly know that.”
