“I’m married to the sort of man who paid you and Dad a great sum of money. That’s all you cared about when you sold me to him.”
“That’s not fair, and you know it. When Ferdinand was taken from us—” She dabs at her dry eyes. “We had to act quickly. That’s why we arranged the marriage between you and Horatio. He would’ve treated you well.”
“You sold me to your friends. What other deals do you have with the Manchellos?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes narrow.
“You know exactly what I mean. Mateo told me what happened to his parents. He told me who killed them.”
She blanches. “Whatever he’s told you is a lie, Lucretia. You have to know that. He’d say anything to hurt us now that he’s gotten our name.”
Anger washes through me like a tide of lava. “You sold him our name. I was there, Mother. I saw you accept the bid on me like I was nothing but a piece of livestock.”
“We’re not the villains here. He is.” Her voice rises. “He knew we were nearly destitute, and he came at us in a moment of weakness. What would he have done if we’d said no? Have you thought about that? Do you think he would’ve just let you walk away after what he’d done to poor Horatio?” She glances around, then leans in so close her Chanel No. 5 burns my nose. “He didn’t let your brother walk away, now did he?”
“What?” I can barely push the word out.
Her thin lips pressed tightly together, she nods. “It was him.”
I feel like I’m falling. That moment when you can’t breathe because the air has been stolen from your lungs—that’s what I’m trapped in.
My mother stands and smooths her black dress. “I’ll see you upstairs.” She walks away after cutting the legs out from under me, after sawing through sinew and bone and leaving me open and bleeding.
27
MATEO
“You all know why I’ve called this meeting.” Sarita stands at the head of a large table in the middle of a ball room. Her voice echoes from the high ceilings, and she cuts a dramatic figure all in black with her sharp eyes and poisonous tongue. “Most of you were present when my family was slaughtered, my sons taken from me without provocation, without justification.”
I lean back in my chair, the picture of calm. Sonny sits beside me, his demeanor as tense as I’ve ever seen it.
“Mateo Milani gunned down my sons, murdered my sweet Horatio on his wedding day and stole his bride! My family’s blood is on his hands, and I deserve justice.” She slams her fist on the table. “Never in the history of the families has anyone struck such a brazen blow against another member of our organization.” Her voice shakes, and I suspect it’s with real emotion. “He took my children. My sons. The only family I have left. Mateo Milani destroyed my family right before my eyes.” She holds her hands up. “Their blood is still here. It will never wash off. I’ll never stop seeing their dying eyes. The babies I birthed, I raised, I loved!”
Some of the people at the table shift uncomfortably. I keep my eyes on the big players—the ones who’ll have a say in how this dog and pony show ends.
She points at me. “He sits there, smirking in triumph when he should be the one who’s dead. He must pay for what he’s done!” She slams the table again. “I’ve come before the families to demand justice and recompense. Justice—give me Mateo Milani to do with as I see fit. Recompense—his holdings pass to my family. We will keep the organization strong by maintaining his assets and rid ourselves of the rot he’s brought to our doorsteps. Milani is a plague, and my family is not the only one he will ruin. He’s already taken the only heir of the Fontanas, made her his whore.”
“Don’t.” My voice is quiet, barely making it over the reverberations of Sarita’s plea.
Her eyes snap to me, her mouth clenching.
“Never speak of my wife that way, Sarita.” I meet her glare, my cold heart beating slowly, methodically. “I left you alive, but that’s a decision I can change at any moment.” I roll my hand at her in a ‘go-on’ motion. “Now, continue with your screed.”
“You bastard.” She seethes. “Even now you think you have the upper hand!”
I simply stare at her with a bored expression.
Her hands fist as she gazes around the table. “I demand you take action against this man. He doesn’t belong here. He doesn’t deserve to live after what he’s done to me. My children had their lives stolen, their futures erased.” She lowers her voice. “It could’ve been any of you. It still could be if you let him walk out of here. You don’t know who’s next. A mad dog shouldn’t get a second chance. He has to be put down for the good of everyone around him.” She slowly lowers herself into her chair and dabs at her eyes.