“Said this was the way it had to be. She’d fallen in love with Alfred. That son of a bitch warped her mind. Made her hate me. Told her all kinds of lies. She came at me with the knife, but I didn’t even need to do anything. All I did was take a step back. She tripped on the blankets and got it wedged in her own throat. Never interrupt your enemies when they’re making a mistake. I took a single step. Fate did the rest.”
I look at him to see if he’s lying, but all I see is the truth in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“Don’s keep secrets to protect those they love. If you were going to hate someone for her death, rather me than her. You always loved her. Why would I take that from you?”
“Why tell me now?”
“Because I’m old and tired of the secrets. My wife and your first wife were the same, but Bex is not. I thought your ability to love broke on the day of your mother’s funeral. I swear I could hear it snap when the coffin was lowered into the ground. I never thought you’d get it back, but Alicia came along and kept you on the right side of despair. A good thing from a bad one. You loved her from the start. I could tell. And I think you could love Bex if you’d only let her in.”
I try to take in what he’s saying, my eyes fixed on the glowing embers of his cigar as he continues talking.
“I have my suspicions about who killed Sofia. I believe Brody did it, and I want you to get proof. I also believe Ernesto was responsible for Sofia and Oswald Lewis’s death. I wanted you to work it out for yourself, but time’s running out. You find a way to get Brody and your brother to confess to those crimes. You take that proof to Captain Hall, and they go down. You legitimately inherit, and no one gets punished except those who more than deserve it. I can retire in peace knowing my two sons won’t end up killing each other.”
“You have a lot of faith in the legal system for a man in the mafia.”
“I know which judges will try the case. I know which internal affairs staff to work through it all. What I don’t have is any proof. All I have are the suspicions of an old man. You do this, and the empire is yours. It’ll be a bitter prize, trust me. To reach the top, you have to hurt those around you. I learned the hard way. I was too busy working to care for your mother the way she deserved. It was no wonder she slept around. It was simply bad luck that she chose a man who would sire a son who couldn’t let bygones be bygones, had to go and become obsessed with you and Ernesto.”
“He’s working with Ernesto.”
“I know that. He is willing to take money from the man he once hated. That is not honor. That is greed. I cannot abide greed with no honor.”
“I thought all you cared about was family. How does me putting Ernesto away square with that?”
“Family is a sacred thing, Hunter. You know that.”
“Doesn’t answer my question.”
“Ernesto hired Brody to take you down. That broke all bonds he had with this family. He hired an officer of the law, the son of the man who he knew turned your mother against us, hired him to take down his own brother simply because it was expedient for him to do so. Found out he was impotent and could never win this contest legitimately. Decided the only way around it was to pay more and more and make sure you lost. Gave our money to that man to send you to prison? His own brother? That was the moment he broke away from this family. His choice. Same as this is your choice. Do you want to walk away from everything, or do you want to solve it all?”
“So I never needed to marry Bex. I could have just taken your deal and taped him confessing to all this.”
“You think that’s why I was happy to walk her down the aisle? To win this stupid contest?”
“Stupid? Is your mind going as well as your body?”
“What matters is family. You have a chance to have a family with her. A happy one.”
“I doubt that.”
“You don’t think she loves you?”
“She’s doing this because I offered her money. She’s got no feelings for me. She made that clear before I got arrested yet again.”
“You think she has no feelings for you? Or did she tell you that?”
“She made her position clear. Let’s put it that way.”
“Then do this, end things with her, and move on.”
“So all I do is find a way to record Brody and Ernesto confessing to all their crimes, and I inherit everything?”
“And I retire to Rome and enjoy the time I have left in peace and quiet.”
“With one son in prison.”
“He is no longer my son. If it were up to me, I would end his life myself, but we have a code to live up to. Without honor, we are nothing but beasts. We do things the right way, despite what you might think about us. I have faith that you will do what is right, Hunter. But, of course, as with so many things in life, it will be entirely your decision that determines how matters play out. Do you want this badly enough to hurt your brother? Do you want your marriage to endure?”
“It’s too late for that. She hates me.”