I tossed the device to Fontane, who caught it. “That’s how I was able to record you. Through one of those.”
“That’s illegal; you can’t do that.”
“Gianna, it’s your house. What do you think?”
“I knew they were there, and like you said, it’s my house; I don’t need anyone’s permission.”
“So, dad, do you believe her? Did we indeed edit that recording?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He looked at Victoria with loathing and just shook his head.
“It was all mom’s doing; I was just a kid, you said so yourself. How could I be held accountable for any of this?”
“What about when you were older? All those times you told me things that Gia had done to you, the times I punished her for hurting you in some way. Was it all lies?”
“No, I promise, it wasn’t she did do all of those things.”
“I guess the fact that she’s a few months younger than you doesn’t make a difference. You’re the only one who gets to use youth as an excuse.” I wound her up until she was ready to spit in my eye.
“She didn’t have anything to complain about. I did. Do you know how I lived before we moved here?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I heard it all from your father.”
“What’re you talking about, Russo? Her father died a long time ago.”
“Did he? That’s odd. Didn’t you tell your ‘dad’ about your father picking you up from the police station in New York a couple of weeks ago?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I removed my phone and scrolled through photos. “Gianna, give this to your dad.” She looked at it first before passing it on with a shake of her head in Victoria’s direction.
“What’s this? Where is this? Who’s that man?” Victoria peeked down at the screen from her standing position in front of Fontane and recoiled as if burned.
“That…is Jimmy. He’s Victoria’s father and Becky’s husband. That’s the night Becky got arrested and there, is a diner in New Jersey. I guess Victoria didn’t want to take the chance of running into anyone she might know and made him take her there before ditching him. Weren’t you told that her father came to pick her up that night?”
“I was, yes, but I thought there was some kind of mix-up. This is crazy. Where has this man been?”
“Prison.”
“Wait, you said Becky’s husband, present tense.”
“Yep! They never got divorced, which means you were never married, and since he never gave his permission, you never adopted this one. You have only one daughter.”
“Don’t smile at me, you bitch; I hate you.” I guess Victoria lost her mind because she charged Gianna. I just raised my leg and tripped her, making her sprawl on her face.
“I want you out of my house, same deal as your witch of a mother, you leave with the clothes on your back. Everything you have is rightfully mine, including your name. We can get that changed, can’t we, Gabriel?”
“Of course, anything for you, love. Fontane, you doing okay?” Not that I care, but if he was going to expire, I didn’t want him doing it in front of her. That’s a whole other kind of hell I don’t want for her.
Victoria wailed from her place on the floor. “Bet you never saw this side of her, have you, Fontane?”
“I have no words. It’s just… no matter what she’s done, Gia, we can’t just kick her out on the streets like that. She’s still a minor….”
“How many times must I remind you of the age of majority in this state? Never mind, you won’t have to worry about that. She has someone who’s more than willing to take her in.”
The doorbell rang as if on cue. Ah, my guest has arrived. As planned ahead, Ella was there to answer the door. I didn’t fancy leaving Gianna alone in a room with her at this juncture, not while Victoria was spazzing the hell out and Fontane was looking lost again. The man of the hour stepped into the room, and chaos ensued. “Hello, Jimmy! Welcome to the party.”
GABRIEL
“Mr. Russo, nice to finally meet you.” If Jimmy had a hat, he’d be turning it round and round between his fingers. He looked totally out of place, but the thief in him couldn’t keep his eyes from roaming around the room with excitement. They finally landed on his long-lost daughter, who was lying on the floor, having a toddler tantrum.
Now here’s the thing about Jimmy. Had he had any redeeming qualities, I would never have sought him out; why? Because I’m a vengeful fuck who thinks people should pay for the shit they do, especially shit done to women and children. I make no apologies for this stance, and anyone who doesn’t agree can pretty much get fucked.
So, when I was doing my little background investigation on Becky and found this specimen, it was like striking oil. I want Victoria gone, but I don’t want her going into something cushy, if you know what I mean. Had Jimmy been a well-off upstanding citizen, I would’ve kept him out of my plans, but seeing as he’s a piece of shit, just like his wife and kid, I opened the door.