Romeo looked over at Marcello, but Marcello just raised a hand. “He’ll fight for Natalia. That’s what I’ve learned.”
Chiara tended to him while Romeo’s gaze came back to me. “Sorry for the method. I knew if my father saw you walking out willingly on the security cameras, he’d lose it.”
“What are we doing?” I asked.
“You said you intend to kill my father, right?” Romeo asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Good,” he responded, crossing his arms. “Tell me how we can help.”
25
Natalia
Seeing Giorgio back in the dungeon again made me sick to my stomach. It felt like we’d come full circle and I didnotcare for it. Given the fact that I was already prone to queasiness I was struggling to stay down in the dark underbelly of the estate, but I’d committed myself to something and I was going to see it through to the end. He was hanging from the shackles, and limp in the holds, and it was like a scene out of a nightmare.
If only there was some other way.
At the end of the hallway, I heard footsteps, and my heart leaped. Ordinarily, I would run or hide, but that time, I knew who was headed my way and I wanted them to see me there.
“Natalia.” My father’s voice sent a rush of terror down my spine. “What’s going on?”
“See for yourself,” I said, pointing into Giorgio’s room.
My father rounded the corner and looked into the cement prison and I had to set my hand over my stomach to still the churn.
It’s okay, little one. Your daddy knows what he’s doing, I hope.
Angelo strode into the room and a dark gruff rose out of him. “Who did this?”
“Your sons,” I said. “They… picked up on your insinuation at the dinner table and moved him back down here.”
He crossed his arms and looked back at me. “Hm. Maybe they’re not as spineless as I thought,” he said before looking back at me. “Why would you bring this to my intention? I have every reason to leave him down here.”
“They did this without telling you,” I said and then looked into my father’s eyes. “It’s not the only thing they’re planning to do while your back is turned.”
Giorgio’s head lifted, barely able to support its strength. “Don’t do this, Natalia.”
“If you let Giorgio go, I’ll tell you everything,” I said. “All of their plans.”
My father’s head tilted to one side. “You’d turn on your brothers to save this man?”
“Don’t,” Giorgio grunted.
“Yes,” I said.
“Give me something to go on,” Angelo said. “How do I know you’re not just bluffing?”
I stood up straight and clenched my jaw. “After threatening all of their women, do you think they’re just going to sit back and do nothing?” The smile I gave him held no warmth. “Gianni isn’t going to work with your strong-willed children.”
For the first time in my entire life, I saw my father’s arrogance falter slightly. His eyes flashed with a beat of fear and his nostrils flared ever so slightly. “What do you know?”
“More than you’d think, father,” I replied.
A smile came to his face. He let out a chuckle, then another, and then a poisonous laugh gurgled out of him. “Are you threatening me?”
“More like negotiating,” I said.
