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Those words cut deep, and I swallow my anger, plastering a smile on my face. “What do you mean, Father?”
“I already knew who the shooter was,” he says calmly. “You really think I wouldn’t have taken care of it myself if I didn’t?”
I’m stunned. I underestimated my father.
I slap the photo down in front of him. “You’re saying you knew it was him? This man? Sal? He’s on your payroll, isn’t he?”
Something dangerous flashes in his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t play games!” I hiss. “Sal shot up my wedding.”
My father gives me a pitying look, as if I’m a child who doesn’t understand. “Sal is dead, Caterina. We can’t blame a dead man who can’t defend himself, now can we? The Zolotov’s are on a wild goose hunt, and they’ll never find what they’re looking for.”
My world shatters at those words. Dead? But how? And when?
I take in a deep breath, and put two and two together. “Answer me, Father. Did he die before my wedding or after?”
“Right after, I believe.” He gives me an eerie smile. “You aren’t the simpleton I thought you were.”
“And was he murdered in revenge?”
“Revenge? Whatever for?”
I gasp, fully understanding the extent of my father’s involvement.
He studies me for a long moment before answering, “It was necessary, for the good of the family.”
“Necessary?” I cry. “I could have been killed!”
“A calculated risk,” he says dismissively. “We needed an incident to draw attention away from us. If my own daughter was shot, then no one would think I’d put the shooter up to it, would they? Unfortunately, he didn’t get Ivan. Now the Russians will be chasing their tails looking for enemies instead of focusing on our operations.”
I feel sick at how easily he justifies violence against his own daughter. “So this is why you pushed me at Mikhail? Just to use me?”
He smiles coldly. “You have your charms,cara mia. And as his wife, you’re perfectly positioned to learn their secrets.”
“Their secrets? Why?”
“Because I want the Russians out. The Italians, we always ran Philadelphia. Now these bastards are getting their entrails in everywhere.”
I recoil in disgust. “I won’t spy on him for you. I want no part in your schemes.”
My father’s expression hardens. “You don’t have a choice. Unless you want your darling daughter to pay the price for your stubbornness.”
“You can’t touch her anymore,” I say in an even tone. “She’s with us. Mikhail and me. She’s safe now, Father. And I won’t play your games for you anymore.”
His threat hits me like a physical blow. I want to scream at him, tell him I hate him, but I know it will only make things worse. Instead, I whirl on my heels and stalk out, holding back angry tears. He calls after me but I don’t look back.
I’m through being a pawn in my father’s twisted games. From now on, my loyalty is to Mikhail alone. But what form of loyalty is this, when he doesn’t even know he’s the father to my child? When he doesn’t know my father orchestrated this wedding for me to spy on him?
I wonder if I should tell him of my father’s motives. But what if that causes a rift between us? No. For now, I must remain silent. Make my father see that this is madness. I only pray Mikhail can forgive me when the truth comes out. Because I know now one thing for certain: our families were never meant to be allies.
We were born to be mortal enemies.
And how can Mikhail and I overcome generations of violence while my father plots war?
Chapter 15 - Mikhail
I awake before dawn and head for my workout. I then get the daily brief from Ivan and eat breakfast with Ivan and Sergei. Caterina has missed breakfast again.
