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No, it was bigger than that.
And he needs to pay.
They need to pay.
Until they do, she’ll never be safe. Carmine will find her, will finish his plan one way or another.
I need to keep her safe.
* * *
The first time I read that entry, nothing made sense.
The third and fourth times didn’t either. But two years later, I poured myself over those journals with new knowledge.
And now, I understand . . . to an extent.
The overzealous henchman is Johnny. He admitted to executing the hit put on Arturo.
But who called it?
Now I understand Johnny Vitale didn’t kill Arturo Russo on a whim. He didn’t do it because he thought there was a chance he could manipulate the families, take me as a bride, and rule the Russo family. That idea? It might have come later. It might have developed over the years as he realized he’d never be number one when there were already two men fighting to be boss. But it wasn’t his initial idea.
No, the murder of my father was part of a brutal revenge, I think.
Revenge on the sweet, beautiful politician’s daughter who refused to marry the dirty future-mob boss because she was in love with his enemy.
The sweet daughter who got pregnant to avoid a forced marriage. She chose the man she thought was safe. She settled rather than put her lover in further jeopardy by coming between the families who, until then, had a restless understanding. A cease-fire, however uneasy.
But then my mother refused to marry him, and everyone knew the real reason. So Antonio made the call, told his right hand to make the hit, and Arturo Russo was killed in cold blood over a woman.
Over mymother.
Because Antonio Carluccio might be able to accept her refusing to marry him, instead settling for safe. Especially as he saw how profitable Turner’s greed and addiction could be for the family. But he couldn’t accept her going back to Arturo after all those years, taking that risk.
A jealous man-child. If he couldn’t have the toy, no one could.
It’s what makes sense.
But what was Carmine Carluccio’s involvement? What was his plan, and how did he fit into the story? How would he need to fit into my revenge?
Either way, once I understood the hidden meanings, I understood my mission. I have to find the proof that the Carluccio family put the hit out on the family with which there was an amicable cease-fire. An agreement. And to find the motivation.
Once I do that, I can move on with my plan to take them down and make them pay for destroying my family.
Nineteen
-Lilah-
Walking into work that day, I’m already dreading my shift. My legs (and other parts of me) ache, and even though I feel more well-rested than I have in months, I am dying to crawl into my bed, curl up in a ball, and overthink absolutely everything about the last 24 hours.
But I made a deal, and I have people depending on me, and I have a plan that requires action.
Calling out of work doesn’t help with any of those.
So instead, I wave at Marco when I walk in. As expected, he barely tips his chin up at me, those dark sunglasses taking in the room and who knows what else, before I scurry to the dancer’s break room.
The noise, the chaos, the chatter, and the gossip—it all helps in its own way, helping to distract me, to keep me from overthinking last night and this morning and get in the zone. Soon, I’m no longer a girl mourning a crush. Instead, I’m a stripper reminding myself to keep my core tight and my back straight when wearing unbearably tall heels.
