Chapter 24.
Angel POV.
Sitting in a hotel presidential suite by the town that the Viper's run, I look at the desk and the information that is in front of me. My mom arrived early hours and the first thing she did was hug and hold me. She apologised for what happened. It is not her fault. Scar is staying at the Moretti mansion with my father, brothers, and aunt Rosena, looking after Rebel while she is here. She left an hour ago with twenty of her men to go and see Savage. She is so angry, but I just waved it off. I have no time for her drama right now. "We need to find them before Savage does." I say as uncle Gianni looks at me from the chair in front of me with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Why would you want to do that? This is the perfect chance for him to prove himself." I look up from the papers that are scattered on the desk to him.
"Why would I want him to prove himself? You heard what she said. You heard it all. So tell me, uncle G. Why would I give him a chance?" I ask him and he chuckles, drinking his coffee.
"Baby girl, you have no clue that he loves you. I saw the look in his eyes after you shot him." I roll my eyes and shake my head. I have been trying and failing to get those eyes out of my head for years, and the last few hours have been difficult. Do I feel guilty about shooting him? No, I don't. Did he feel guilty doing what he did? No, he didn't I know this isn't tit for tat but he deserves to know how much pain I am in.
"Whatever." He points his finger at me.
"That right there tells me you know I'm right. So tell me, what is the plan? You say you don't want him to prove himself? What if he does? Hmm, what if he finds them before we do? Then what?" he asks and I release an exasperated breath at his questions. "He won't find them. I will." he raises an eyebrow at my statement.
"Oh, how?"
"Who am I, uncle G?" I ask him and he sits forward, placing his cup on the saucer and sits back, crossing his arms over his chest with his ankle resting against his opposite knee.
"Is this a trick question, Angel?" I shake my head at him because I want him to figure it out.
"Fine, you are Angel Maria Moretti." His eyes widen and I smirk.
"Yes, I am. From what I have heard through the underworld grapevine. Crusher has been trying to elbow in on the gun runs. He has been trying to get in with my father for years. So what do you think would happen if I made it known that the Moretti's are looking for more runners for their products?" I ask, tilting my head innocently with an angelic smile on my lips. He chuckles, shaking his head.
"Clever. You have one problem." I wait for him to elaborate on that.
"Go on."
"Antonio, you know your father. He will never allow another club to join those runs. You know how he works." I laugh as I reach for my coffee and lean back in the chair as I look at him.
"True, but I am the DeNucci heir. I can put out the feelers, so to speak, and grab them that way. They will not know who I am until I meet with them. Then we take them out in one fell swoop. No harm, no foul." I say and he looks at me with a chuckle as I hear the front door to the suite beep and in walks my momma, with her men behind her.
"So, how'd it go?" he asks her, and she walks over kisses him on his cheek before she rounds the desk and kisses me on the cheek and sits down as one of her men brings her a coffee.
"It went well. I gave him the incentive to do what was right to keep him and his club members alive. I gave him seven days to find them." She says, and I nod my head at her. Momma has always loved the game, the chase, the hunt. So seven days is not long in the grand scheme of things.
"And they agreed?" I ask, and she smiles, nodding her head. Well, there goes my fun. Well, it will make this more exciting. His MC and the joint forces of the Moretti, DeNucci, and Cartel men. A race to the finish, a race I know we will win by any means necessary. "If we get to them before they do. Then what?" Uncle Marco asks and I look at him.
"Then they have failed and die. I will burn their MC to the ground and I will send them to hell." I say with ice in my tone and uncle Marco looks at me with worry in his gaze. Why is he worrying? This is the way of the mafia. Failure isn't an option. They know this. "Angel, sweetheart. You are too close to this. You don't mean this." I snap my head to my momma and she holds my gaze, neither of us backing down. But in the end I do out of boredom.
"I mean it, momma. They have
caused me too much pain. Either way, I will get the Vipers, and if I'm in a gracious mood, then I may or may not decide to keep the Princes Of Darkness alive. That is my call, that is my decision. As of right now, I want my mother-fucking-god-damn- revenge!" I say as I look at her and she slowly closes her eyes, shaking her head.
"And what does Rebel want? Hmm. Does she want her daddy dead?" she snaps at me. Oh, now she is back-tracking. She just gave them seven fucking days or face annihilation. Hypocrite much.
"Did you think of Rebel when you offered him terms? When you knew he wouldn't deliver and would end up dead? No, you didn't. So pipe down and shut up and don't bring my daughter into this. I am doing this for her sake." She stands up and slams her hands on the desk, looking at me and I stand looking back at her.
"If I were you, I would sit down. Do not tell me how to run this." I stare her down and you can hear a pin drop with how silent and awkward the atmosphere has become.
"You are making a mistake, Angel, and you know it. This life has changed you. I don't recognise you now. Where is the kind, gentle, loving girl I raised?" she asks, her voice choking on her emotions and I just stare at her.
"She died. So she isn't coming back.
They crossed a line. They tried to kill me and Rebellast night. So tell me, momma. Should I just smile and forgive it all? No, fuck that. I told you I changed the moment I became a mother. I would die protecting my daughter. Just like you would for us. Just like you nearly did when that maniac took us from you." She blinks at my words, but I'm not finished.
"You think we don't remember what happened back then, but we do! I will not lie down and take it. You taught us, taught me better than that. Yes, I was kind, gentle. You name it, but being kind and gentle in our world gets you killed. They left me for dead momma, Savage and you did nothing to find them, hell he di
fucking believe me when I had the evidence handed to him and his damn men. So yeah, you don't recognise me because I will no longer bend to the will of others. I am no longer a damn pushover. I'm not a porcelain doll that will break. You can't break what is already broken." I say to her as I fight with the warring emotions that are trying to break free out of the box I have contained them in since the day I decided to get my revenge.
"Sweetheart, you're not broken. Far from it. Angel, this life is going to destroy you. It will get you killed." She tries to plead with me and the words are on the tip of tongue and I try to hold back but they spill from my lips before I can stop them.
"Then you should have kept your legs fucking closed instead of bringing us into this world." The slap doesn't register as I turn to face her and I smile at her as the tears leave her eyes.
"That is enough!" she says through gritted teeth and I smile wide as I taste the blood on my tongue. I point at her.
"You get that one for free. Don't think I won't shoot you. Just because you are my mother. You can leave. You are no longer needed in these plans."
"Angel!"
"Leave before I make my threat real." I say, and she wipes her tears and walks away. Trying to take the men with her.
"No, they stay. They are DeNucci men, you are a Moretti. Leave." I watch her as she walks towards the door and stops before turning to speak to me once more.
"You say that man is a maniac? You are acting just like him, Angel. Don't give into it." She says, but I just stare at her as she leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.
"As of right now, you are my men. You listen to me. You report to me and only me. Am I understood?" I say and they all say yes. "Good, now we have some snakes to catch." I chuckle as I take my seat again.
Am I slipping into the madness? Am I like that sadistic piece of shit? The man who was my grandfather.