“She has a right to see him.”
Renato doesn’t acquiesce to his older brother’s reason right away. “She’s a girl. It might be hard for her-”
“She’s my woman, my wife, and she’s had to be fucking strong in more ways than you know. She deserves to know, to see. Now, let us pass and say no more.”
The gate lifts, and Carlo parks the car. He holds my hand as we walk across oily black puddles in the parking lot, a remnant from an evening shower. The rusty metal door screeches miserably when he heaves it open, and he helps me step over the lip. Inside, a hymn of horror seems to cling to the dingy walls. A cavernous space, the warehouse is filled with shipping containers and smells of rot and urine. In the far corner, there’s a large cage bolted into the wall with a single lightbulb hanging over it, maybe six by six by six in size.
A man lies inside it on the cold and dirty concrete floor wearing a silk bathrobe with a busy, obnoxious pattern. The robe is incongruous for the surroundings, something tacky but expensive that doesn’tbelong here. The man appears to be unconscious. His red hair is streaked with white.
Carlo’s arm loops around my waist, his warmth and clean, masculine fragrance a welcome reprieve from my troubling thoughts. He murmurs huskily in my ear, “There is a stage.” He gestures toward a raised platform at the head of the room. That must be where the Tribunals, inductions and less savory public spectacles of the Trio are held. “And there is the rat in his cage, preparing for his performance.”
Shocked to my core, I gaze at my husband and then back at the man he’s pointing at. It’s my father, of course. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him at once. “Where has he been all this time?”
“Western Pennsylvania, under a false name in a little town with a steel mill and a handful of Fentanyl addicts. He had a young mistress, not much older than you, but she was more than happy to give us the extra intel we needed to catch him in exchange for some easy money.” My nose crinkles up in distaste at the picture Carlo paints, knowing it’s no lie. “He was seconds away from being tossed out of Witness Protection, whether or not you’d agreed to help the FBI.”
“I wouldn’t have.”
“I know. You’re nothing like him. You’re kind and selfless and loyal, Francesca. Two traits I admire but don’t possess and one that I do.”
“You’re kind to me. You can be selfless.” He smiles as his finger slowly traces my jawline. He stares at me like I’m some mysterious wonder. He has for quite some time now.
When his eyes flit back to my father, they sharpen with hate. “For years, I’ve wanted him dead. I’ve longed to avenge Beppe and Faro’s father and every other man he ratted out. But now…”
“What now?” I prompt.
“I wanted to see him tonight once I learned we’d captured him. I’d planned on telling you in the morning but perhaps this is for the best. You deserve this choice. What do I do with the rat in the cage,mia moglie?”
“I don’t understand. Why are you asking me?”
“Because he’s your father and, in many ways, your family suffered the most from his betrayal. Your brother was nearly killed for it. Your mother was nearly broken by it.”
I can’t argue with him. We suffered.
“And you, my sweet wife… I want to chop off his fingers, one knuckle at a time, for every time he raised his hand to you. I want to pluck out his eyeballs, slowly, for all the times you felt unkind eyes turned your way for whathedid. I want to watch him choke to death, a dead rat stuffed down his throat, for the hurtful words he must have said to you as a girl. But he’s not my father. He’s yours. What do I do with the rat, Francesca? The decision is yours.”
I’m thunderstruck by the enormity of Carlo’s gesture. Glancing back at the door behind us, I try to make him see why I can’t make this call. “A traitor of this significance, they’ll expect a public execution.”
“They’ll expect it, but they’ll accept their Don’s decision. And even if you tell me to set the rat loose, I’ll handle the ensuing shitshow that causes, too.”
Shaking my head, hardly able to believe him or what I’m hearing, I take a deep breath and decide on the one thing I want from my father - closure. “I want to talk to him first. I want to look him in the eye and know why. Then you can do whatever you think best, for us and for the Trio, and with my blessing.”
50
Carlo
She received a call from an unknown number before she left with you. Ignore your cock and open your goddamn eyes.
I scowl at Faro’s text and reply –
Mind your fucking business.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I step back into the shadows where I can watch Francesca approach the cage without being seen. Donnelly has started to stir. She glances toward me uncertainly. “Not too close.” She nods. With him in the cage, I can allow her the semblance of privacy, but I won’t give a desperate man any opportunities.
Pensively, she watches as he slowly sits up. He’s oblivious to her presence at first, rubbing the bloody knot on his head and studying his cage. When he finally sees her, he pales as if he’s seen a ghost. “Francesca?”
Her voice is shaky when she replies. “Yes, it’s me, Da.”
“Is this part of the plan?” her father asks.
