“Carlo Mariani.”
I glared at her. “I don’t believe you.”
Sure, I had questions for Carlo—questions like why he hadn’t told me about Pops being the mole inside the Durante family—but I couldn’t see his motivation for killing Pops. Hell, Pops was a Mariani, in a round-about way.
“I swear it’s the truth.”
“Pops left us with nothing so he could go play house with your mom. If Carlo wouldn’t have stepped in and offered me a job, my family would have starved. Ten-fuckin’-years-old and I had to provide for the family Pops bailed on. So, forgive me for not jumping on your ‘Carlo killed my daddy’ bandwagon. Hell, I don’t even know for sure the old man’s dead. He could be off with a third family somewhere.”
I glared up at Natalia, and she glared back, tugging something out of her pocket. She tossed a wristwatch to me. Unlike the platinum Rolexes worn by most mobsters, this was a black Concord with a rubber band. Its simple yet unique design was easy to recognize, especially since I’d been with Pops when he’d purchased it. It had set him back over two large, and I remember asking him why he’d spent so much on a watch with a rubber band.
“You can tell a lot about a man by his timepiece,” Pops said, securing it around his wrist.
Curious, I asked, “What does this one say about you?”
He smiled down at me, his dark eyes a reflection of my own. “Quality and functionality; not a cheap piece of shit, but not the main man, either. I work with my hands, Son, and I don’t need anything that catches the light or clanks against my wrist when I’m… working.”
The memory shook me. Memories of Pops were so few and far between I rarely experienced them anymore. I took a moment to compose myself before turning the watch over in my hand to study it. “Where did you get this?”
“I took it off his body.”
With a deep breath, I handed her back the watch and said, “Start from the beginning.”
She leaned back. “Dad hid us before the attack on the Durantes. Mom was babysitting Joey at the time, and Dad took the three of us across the California border and rented us a little apartment in Baker. Dad said we’d only have to stay there until things cooled off, and then Carlo would have a spot for us. Dad swore by Carlo, but Mom never trusted that son-of-a-bitch. Turned out she was right, because Carlo betrayed us.”
“How?” I asked.
“Carlo didn’t know about me or Joey, so when he showed up to talk to Dad, Mom hid us in the hall closet and told us to be quiet. We sat there and listened as Dad reassured Carlo that all the Durantes were dead, including Joey. Then Carlo asked Dad about a phone call he said Mom had made. A call to a woman named Annetta. Dad got angry and said he protected Dom. Carlo was pissed about someone named Michael ending up in a wheelchair. He said Dom should have died and Dad should have minded his own damn business.”
“No,” I said, feeling sick to my stomach. “You’re lying. There’s no way Carlo would have taken out Dom. No fuckin’ way that happened.”
“How would I know this shit then?” she asked.
“Everyone knows the names of the Marianis. You could have just invented some shitty story.”
“Why would I do that?”
“How the fuck would I know?” I fired back. “You’re a kidnapper. Who’s to say you’re not a liar, too?”
Shaking her head, she continued her story. “Shots were fired. Joey and I stayed in that closet until everything was quiet. When we came out, we found my parents dead. I took the watch off Dad and this necklace off Mom.” She tugged a crucifix from her sweater. “It’s all I have left of them, thanks to Carlo.”
“No. I don’t fuckin’ believe you.” Even as I said the words, I knew they weren’t true. I did believe Natalia. Carlo had been so hellbent on me wiping out Joey and everyone I found him with, and Natalia’s story would sure as shit explain why. Carlo would want to make sure that story never passed anyone’s lips.
“Isn’t there someone you could call to verify it?” Natalia asked.
I cradled my head in my hands and thought about it. I knew exactly who I could call, but didn’t want to. Not because I thought Natalia was lying, but because I was afraid she was telling the truth. Carlo had saved my family. I owed him my loyalty.
But if he tried to kill Dom…
“Fuck!” I shouted, whipping my cell phone out of my pocket to dial Nonna. She answered on the second ring. “Bones, are you all right?” she asked. “We’ve been so worried.”
“Yes, but I don’t have much time and I need to know something. The night Michael became crippled… was there a phone call?” I shook my head, knowing I wasn’t making sense. “Was that supposed to be Dom?”
She sucked in a breath. “How do you know that, Bones?”
Shit!It was true. It was all true. Head back in my hands, I answered, “Natalia has information for us about that night. She says Carlo was responsible.”
“Bring her here. I want to talk to her.” There was steel in Nonna’s voice, the kind of steel a mother found when someone screwed with one of her children.
