Tempted By The Mafia Boss

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Salvatore

I expected this fucker to come see me.

Just didn’t know he had the balls it would take to do it.

It’s barely ten and Joey Cipriani was waiting for me before I got in this morning.

I feel like starting off the conversation by telling him Mimi’s safe and sound in my bed but I hold off.

To be honest I expected him from yesterday but maybe he needed time to prep his fatherly speech. I know the look of disapproval when I see it. The thing about it is while I don’t give a shit, I might not want my daughter dating me either.

“Mr. Cipriani. Seeing you twice in a week. I thought I had more chances of seeing leprechauns.” I chuckle and he gives me a tight-lipped smile.

I motion for him to sit and he does. I however sit on the edge of my desk making my presence higher than him, just like I am in life.

Animals do it. Assert their dominance over another by raising themselves higher. That’s what I’m doing now and this fucker knows it.

What’s unusual about this scenario is Joey rarely comes to Giordano’s Inc. because of the nature of his job. He would usually go to my parents’ house in the past.

Mimi didn’t live that far from us so we’d always see her in the park and that was how we all came to be.

He’s here and it’s clear why he’s here to see me.

“I wanted to talk to you Salvatore. Man to man,” he declares. “Or rather me a worried sick father, to a man my most precious possession is into.”

I narrow my gaze at him.

“What would you like to talk to me about?” I ask, as if I don’t know what he’s going to say to me.

“Salvatore, the situation with Stephanou Portalo is worrying me sick. I know you and Gabriel were practically gunned down in the streets. Like everyone else who works for your father, I’ve been questioned and treated like some kind of fucker who hasn’t been loyal to you people all my life, right from Italia.”

“You understand why we had to do that right?” I ask him. He should understand seeing as how we go way back.

“I understand very well, the feeling of unease is no less with understanding. However, with it comes the acceptance that things are bad. You people are targets for the man. I don’t know why he’s back but …” his voice trails off.

We never gave the full details of what was happening. Vincent did the questioning and it’s all pretty much been standard. It’s true there’s loyalty and we wouldn’t want to piss off anyone who’d protect our secrets to the death. Those are the kind of men working for us.

But that also makes it easy for a traitor. You never know who he or she is until it’s too late.

“Salvatore that man got to us before with Frankie. I’ve been around your family since before you were born. I know danger and I have tried to keep my daughter away from it. I have tried so hard and now she’s with you.”

“Joey, let’s talk man to man like you say. Let’s do that. You’ve seen me with her, not just the other night. We have history. You’ve seen me take care of her,” I point out.

“I have. I have Salvatore and I appreciate it. That’s not what I mean though. The past was child’s play. This is real. This… what is happening is real, raw danger. You know it. The other guys are married with their kids or kids on the way. Their dolls are there and I’m pretty certain they’re worried sick. Mimi still has a choice. She doesn’t have to be with you. She doesn’t have to be with a guy who is la cosa nostra. She can have a life free from the danger. I want that for her. Don’t you?”

The asshole… he struck a nerve. He struck a fucking nerve inside my gut that I can’t beat his ass about because he’s talking about my Mimi.

Of course I want her free from danger. But isn’t it better for me to protect her?

I stare at him and there’s an inner turmoil brewing inside me.

“Salvatore, when it comes to you Mimi can’t see the danger. She’s too in love with you to see right from wrong. I’m here today hoping this man to man talk will make you do the right thing.” He stands up. “I’m hoping like hell that you love her enough to do the right thing to protect her. Let her go. Allow her the chance to live her life without danger.”

I don’t answer as he walks through the door. I watch him and stare at the emptiness, his words in my mind.

I think of what Mimi said about her mother and how she wanted to leave the life of danger behind.

I’ve been thinking about that and now I’m doing it even more.

I wouldn’t want Mimi in danger let alone hating me, or worse, dying.

Never mind the hate. That’s the least of the worry if death is something to factor in.

There’s a tap on my door.

“Come in,” I call out and Gino the mail guy comes in with a box.

“Morning Salvatore, this was delivered at reception for you. Strange looking guy dropped it off.” He chuckles.

“Strange looking?”

“Like from a comic book. Hat and cloak like The Spirit.” Gino laughs and I frown. I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. He’s a kid who can’t even grow a beard. One of the worker’s kids who’s fresh out of college and fresh in the world of work.

“Cool thanks,” I say, taking the box.

I don’t know what the fuck this is. I never get packages and from the weight it feels like paperwork. Means I have a long day or possibly two ahead of me.

At least it will keep me distracted.

I set it down on my desk but whatever’s inside moves like it rolled. Paperwork doesn’t do that.

A memory of something gruesome happening to me once flashes back in my mind. A memory I won’t forget. This… feels like deja vu. It was fifteen years ago now and it was another eye opener to the world I lived in. My world.

A box was delivered to me just like this here at the office.

I thought it was paperwork then too. I was a hot shot, just out of college and ready to work for Pa. They’d just realized how good I was with large sums of money and gave me a client who I could only describe as a psycho. The job went south but it wasn’t my fault. They were shadier than us. The feds were already on to them for tax evasion and worst of all, fraud. I find you can get around the tax evasion but fraud is something else.

If the feds suspect you for it they already know you’re guilty.

That didn’t matter at the time. They blamed me when the feds came for them and seized their assets. I’d barely touched anything, barely gave any advice, just barely anything. They just wanted to do something to work off frustration and point blame, teach me a lesson.

There was a girl that worked with us here. We went out for a drink and I spent the night with her, her name was Kelly.

I remember getting the box, putting it on my desk and getting a prickling sensation crawl down my spine.

Like I am now.

Pulling in a deep breath, I open the box just like I did fifteen years ago and it’s the same thing.

A head.

Fifteen years ago it was Kelly. One night with me got her killed.

Today it’s … fuck… no…

I remember her name now.

Cora.

Her name is Cora.

Her name was Cora.

Just last night she tried to seduce me, now her lifeless eyes stare back at me.

Bile rises in my throat and my hands start shaking.

There’s an envelope stuck to her head. A fucking note.

I have to shove down whatever humanity is in me to pick it up and read it.

Here’s one of your dolls.

Manwhore, I couldn’t decide which doll to choose from.

So I went with her.

She said she was yours.

I may pick another, and another, and another.

Stephanou

I don’t wait for my thoughts to process. I run.

I run to Mimi.

Jump in my car and run- every light to get to her.

She’s supposed to be at the restaurant.

I go there and practically break the door down trying to get in.

I’m like a homicidal maniac as I rush in and when I see her sorting through some paperwork I grab her and hold her to me.

“I missed you too,” she chuckles and pulls away from me, kissing the edge of my chin.

“Baby, are you okay?” I blurt in one go, my hands still shaking. I’m shaking like a motherfucker on crack. I want to kill, I want to explode. I want blood.

“I’m fine. They sent me gold napkins but…” she pauses when she sees my reaction. “What’s going on Salvatore?”

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out.

Cora… she’s dead.

Killed.

Murdered.

Killed because she’s linked to me.

Killed. Murdered. Mimi knew her. She mother hens those girls at the club. Even the ones she can’t stand. She takes care of them. They killed Cora because she said she was mine.

Fuck.

“Salvatore you’re scaring me,” Mimi says.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket with a series of texts. I know I should call Pa. Vincent and the boys were on the street last night all night looking.

I pick up my phone and see a missed call from Nick and Gabe. I’m about to call Gabe first when the phone starts ringing. It’s Vincent.

I answer straight away.

“Vin… you okay?” I ask quickly, pressing the phone to my ear.

“I don’t … think so Salvatore.” His voice… it sounds weird. Like he’s far away. Like he’s far, far away and talking through a sieve.

“What’s wrong brother?” I ask and Mimi steps closer.

“There’s a… red. Redness is on her head,” Vincent states. “My girl. It’s all red, on her head. Red on her shirt and her eyes are closed. Her lips are so blue, Salvatore. I can’t get her… to move. We should go to the hospital. They said … the paramedics said if we can move we can go to the hospital and they can fix her.”

My hand flies up to my mouth and I can’t process what he’s saying to me.

“Vincent is Sorcha moving?” I ask and Mimi instantly looks panicked.

“No, she won’t move unless I move her arm. So cold. She’s so cold. Baby please get up. Salvatore help me! Help me brother! Come and help me.” He starts sobbing and my soul shatters.