I swiveled sharply. “He wasn’t a good-for-nothing boy,” I gritted out. “He was the love of my life. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving. And I would’ve had a happy one. Everything mom wanted for me, but your fucking money was more important to you. You fucked everything up just like mom said you would.” Anger raced through my veins, volatile and dangerous.
“But he’s betrayal was worse than mine, wasn’t it? He killed the people you loved, and he never came looking for you. Broke your heart far worse than I could.”
My insides churned, my fingers itching to rip that smug grin off his face. “And I was shunted with criminals. You. Vincenzo. Prison. All the same. So, killer or not, Gabriel wouldn’t have been a bad choice, would he?” My chest heaved with the effort to stay my rage, to hold back from taking the steak knife to his throat. There was a time for everything. And his death would come. That I was sure of but I had to keep him around for now. He knew things I didn’t about Salvatore’s world and the second he knew Salvatore was dead, he’d bail on me and stir his own agenda. Worse, he might use me for his own gain, again.
“Gianna, you don’t understand—”
“Spare me the bullshit. You knew exactly what you wanted, and I was the pawn in your fucking mindless games. And I suffered—”
“To stay in the game, we needed the right connections, I needed to cover my debts—”
“So, marrying me off to a pig was your answer?” I shouted. “I lost everything. Love. Life. My fucking baby,” I hissed out the last part, glaring at the asshole. Not a hint of remorse crossed his face just like Salvatore. I shook my head. “Unlike you, Gabriel would’ve made a beautiful father, if I hadn’t been robbed of the chance. Wait. Are you really my father?” If he ignored it, I wouldn’t push, for now. It was still too early after my return.
His eyes darkened briefly but he ignored the question. “Fight me all you want, Gianna. It doesn’t change the fact that those people were responsible for your mother’s death.”
I reined in my anger, knowing it was wasted on the stone-faced bastard that had been the bane of my existence and my mother needed justice. “You explained the who, now, the why?”
He seemed to contemplate my question then replied, “the day your mother died, she went to visit that woman.” He tapped the photo. “Your mother insisted on meeting her to convince her Mendez was guilty. They met in a coffee shop downtown. An hour later, your mother was dead, and that woman was the last person to see her alive.”
“Doesn’t mean she had a hand in her death.”
He snorted. “Think about it, girl. Your mother meets her for coffee to sway her mind about the case. And as Mendez’s confidante, that woman must’ve called him. Told him where to find her.”
“So, you’re saying Mendez ordered the hit,” I asked. Cassius nodded. I shoved a hand through my hair. While I was hellbent on revenge, I had to bide my time. Everything I’d planned in prison was playing out. With Salvatore out of the way, Leo and the other stakeholders Lotus had mentioned, were next. “Why are you telling me this?” I squinted at my father, trying to get a read on his sincerity. “I’m married to an asshole who won’t do anything about this because he’s got nothing to gain. Why don’t you do something? You’ve got the manpower.” I wondered how long before everyone found out Vincenzo was dead. What chaos would that unleash?
My father uttered a low laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong, Gianna. You have men at your disposal to do with as you please.”
“Why would they?” I frowned, they were not mine to command, yet.
“Don’t you see, sweetheart?” He took a step closer. “You’re the queen of Vincenzo Salvatore, a feared mafia head, who escaped prison, faced hardships and you returned, stronger. They’re talking about you even though he left you to rot in prison. Your strength, your determination is what he’ll admire, in turn so would his men.” I rolled my eyes at his fake admiration. Cassius had yet to see my power. “He’s given you personal bodyguards to command and they will listen to you.”
The man knew nothing but if I knew my father, he’d find out soon enough. “Who’s talking about me?”
“Men from the other crime families. They want to find out who Gianna Salvatore is.”
I flicked a gaze at Julian. This was definitely good news I could use to my advantage. “Well, we’ll have to wait and see if his men obey me.”
Cassius took another step forward. “Then this is your chance to change that. You want them to respect you, believe you are capable of being their queen? Then you need to show both Vincenzo and his men that you can stand by his side and rule as his queen. That you can grit your teeth and accept whatever he demands of you. That you can kill without remorse. That’s what he’s waiting to see, Gianna. This.” He tapped the photos in my hand. “Is the opportunity to show him your decision-making as his queen.”
Without thinking, I turned to Marco, Tony, and another man, Joey, who’d walked in with my father. Behind them stood another three men. Judging by all their expressions they were listening to the conversation. I held out the photos. “Do it. Take them out. I want every fucker in these photos besides Mendez, dead by the end of the day,” I hissed.
Marco and Tony nodded as Tony took the photos from my hand. Joey, however, mumbled something.
I clenched my jaw. Joey’s eyes, dark and challenging, locked with mine. “Do you have something to say, Joey?” Straightening his shoulders in a show of defiance, again he mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor. My eyes narrowed, I advanced on him. “Spit it out.” I poked his chest.
He looked me in the eye. “I don’t take orders from a woman,” he muttered, his voice rolling with sarcasm.
“Hmm, shame.” I shook my head. A stillness settled over the room. “I guess you’re right.” I walked back to the table and picked up the steak knife. “I’m not really important because I have tits and a pussy that needs to be sucked and fucked, right Joey?” I approached him, twirling the tip of my knife on the pad of my pointer finger, something I’d learned from Salvatore. I caught the flare of Joey’s eyes as it dropped to the knife. “Answer the fucking question,” I bit out when I stood in front of him again. A distinct shuffle of feet told me the other men were uncomfortable.
“No,signora,” Joey replied.
“Then what is my purpose, Joey?” When he didn’t answer, I asked, “maybe just to make babies, right? To give birth to badass fuckers like you, perhaps?”
“I’m sorry,sig—”
I cut him off with one quick slash of the blade across his throat. His eyes widened before he slapped a hand to his neck, his attempt to stop the flow failing as blood spurted through his fingers. I cocked my head to one side, watching him stagger backward, blood now gurgling out his mouth. “Tough fucker, aren’t you.” I plunged the knife into his heart, twisting and turning as I shunted it deeper until the hilt forced me to stop. He fell to his knees, twitching a few times before slamming face-forward to the floor. I shook my head. “Look at the fucking mess, Joey. You could’ve just said, yes,signora.” I scoffed then turned on the other men. “Anyone else unhappy about working for a woman?” I singled out the men, one by one. Silence. “Thought so. Clean up this fucking shit,” I ordered, walking back to my father’s side.
“Jesus, Gianna,” he said, shaking his head.
