Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
A wicked laugh falls from my grandfather’s lips. “Surely you don’t believe that I, as connected as I am, would have the foresight to know that Puzo’s nanny was an old college chum of hers.”
“I believe you have the connections to be privy to all sorts of information you aren’t entitled to.” I point at him sharply. “And how did you know it was the nanny? I never told you that.”
Grandfather steeples his fingers. “It was not difficult to ascertain. I know who is on Puzo’s payroll. A simple social media search made it clear that the nanny went to the same school as Ms. Bellamy. Once I learned that she was present upon your second visit, it was easy to connect the dots. But if you are asking if I was aware of this connection before today, I’m afraid you’re misguided.”
I pace the office. There is no way in hell that this is a coincidence. I stop only to see my grandfather’s eyes have widened, revealing two black holes of absolute iciness.
“And as for your first question, I wanted to see if you’d do it.”
I scoff. “Man, you must really think I’m some evil son of a bitch. You honestly thought I would consider taking out an innocent young woman? A young woman who’s already been through so much?”
“Everyone expected her to die,” he says.
I shake my head. “You really are one motherfucking bastard.”
He cackles then. Like an evil wizard laugh. “Vinnie, you have no idea.”
I’m ready to quit now. Head back to Europe. Get the fuck out of here.
But I can’t.
I made a commitment to protect Savannah. To protect my mother, who is the spawn of this evil bastard.
Maybe even get my father sprung from prison.
I can’t do that from Europe.
“Puzo’s nanny’s friendship with your lady friend notwithstanding, he is still an enemy of this family,” Grandfather continues. “What is your plan to take care of him?”
“It’s in the works.”
“Simply driving to his house and talking to his nanny or housekeeper is not in the works.”
“Yeah, you gave me a gun to do it with. But don’t you think you can trust me to do this my way?”
“I’m not sure I can trust you at all, Vincent. You left for seventeen years. You only came back for your sister.”
“That’s right. I came back for my sister. And my mother. Because they’re my family.”
He laughs again, shaking his head.
“The fuck is so funny about that?”
Grandfather crosses his hands over his chest in mock bashfulness. “I’m your family, Vincent. Don’t I count?”
I roll my eyes. “After what you did to me? After what I’m pretty sure you did to Mikey? No, you don’t. But Savannah and my mother and my father. They do. And the only way I can protect them is to do your bidding. So here I am, Grandpa. Take me as I am, or fucking get rid of me yourself.”
He glares at me again.
And for a moment, I see an evil glint in his eyes. It’s so evil that in that moment I’m convinced I just signed my own death certificate.
But a moment later he relaxes.
“You need to understand, Vincent, that what I did to you was just part of the process. I didn’t do anything to you that wasn’t done to me by my own father.”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?”
“It was worse for me,” he says. “My own father beat me up, beat me so my eyes were so swollen that I couldn’t see. Then he took that billy club, and he did to me what I did to you. But he wasn’t the only one. A few of his minions took their turns at me. But you know what? He didn’t fucking break me.”
“Did you hate him afterward?”
“For a while I did, until I learned to understand.” He stands and paces behind his desk. “There’s no room for weakness in this business. By the time they were all done with me, I was still on my two legs. It made me stronger. And I knew that I would one day wield the power they had over me. As you will one day wield over your own son.”
“If you believe for one motherfucking second that I would ever do something like that to my own offspring, then you truly have another think coming.” I cross behind his desk and poke him hard in his chest. “It didn’t make me stronger. It just made me hate you. It made me want to get away from this family. So that’s what I did. But I shouldn’t have.”
“You’re right about that,” Grandfather says.
“I shouldn’t have because I should’ve been here to protect Mikey. I should’ve been here to protect my mother. Savannah. Even my father.”
“Your father’s weak.”
“My father’s one of the strongest men I know. He succeeded in keeping Savannah out of the McAllisters’ clutches for years, and he protected Falcon for her at the cost of his freedom. And you know what? I would do the same thing for my own kid.”