Adriana.”
I snapped my eyes to his. “And you're judging a man you've never met based on his reputation, his job, and the ridiculous demands of the man who calls himself my father. If Hunter was a true danger to me, I wouldn't be alive right now. Do I believe he might still kill me? Yes, because I'm not a precious fucking naive flower with no understanding of the mafia. He could walk up to me right now and shoot me between the eyes then disappear before anyone could do anything. But don't stand there and tell me I've 'lost' my 'damn mind' for believing that the boy I used to know is still inside him somewhere.”
Gaige shook his head slowly. “He'll kill you. Without a thought. You have no idea how sheltered you've been. I know things about Carlo Rosso that would make your skin crawl, Princess. ”
“Then why don't you pull your balls from your asshole and tell me so I can make a fully informed decision about him instead of wrapping me up in washed down truths? I'm not a china doll. You know that better than anyone.” And he did—and that's why I was so mad.
I knew I'd been sheltered. I knew Mamma and Darien had done whatever they could to keep me in the loop without keeping me fully embedded in the mafia world. Mamma's greatest wish was that I grew up with a life that resembled somewhat of a normal teenage girl's. She didn't want me worrying about what happened in New York, or Boston, or Chicago. She just told me enough that I wouldn't worry.
But I knew more than everyone thought. I'd overheard more conversations than they knew.
“Six months ago, your father found out one of his capos was double-crossing him and giving information to the Teresi family,” Gaige started, his eyes scarily intense on mine. “He called your precious Hunter in and ordered him to break every possible bone in his body. He did it, including his neck, then after twelve hours of excruciating pain, Carlo shot him between the eyes to end his existence.”
I swallowed hard.
“Several weeks ago, the smuggler who was supposed to provide the Romanos with one million dollars’ worth of cocaine was intercepted by the DEA because he was careless. He escaped arrest, but they took every single ounce of powder that was supposed to be delivered. Do you know what happened to him and his family? His daughter only just escaped with her new baby, but his wife was brutally raped by three men, one after the other, then all together. Carlo stood there with a gun to the smuggler's head and made him watch every single fucking second, and then he shot him in the thigh as a warning.”
I felt sick. My stomach churned, forcing bile up my throat, and I covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn't look at Gaige in that moment. Not because he'd told me it, but because he said it so stoic. He didn't flinch once, even as he described how the guy's wife was raped. There was no expression on his face, but I could see the disgusted hatred in his dark eyes.
“See? You look like you're going to throw up, Addy. He isn't the boy who used to protect you from the big bad men who wanted to kidnap you. He's a brutal, sadistic fica who deserves to burn alive for the things he's done.”
Fica. Cunt. A word Gaige rarely used. That alone told me how much he hated Hunter.
“He's forced to do those things,” I reasoned quietly, dropping my hand from my mouth and resting it at the top of my chest. “He's working on my father's orders.”
“You're making excuses for him. It's unreal.”
“It's true, Gaige. You know it is. Yes, they're despicable things he's done, but you know he'd ordered to do them, so don't act like they're done off of his own back.” It was my turn to stare at him now. “You forget that your family stays here through drugs and women. Keeping Los Angeles in crack, heroin, and meth and trafficking the occasional prostitute is how the Pontarelli family is still here. New York is a different world.” My voice got quieter. “It's rougher, harsher, and
I snapped my eyes to his. “And you're judging a man you've never met based on his reputation, his job, and the ridiculous demands of the man who calls himself my father. If Hunter was a true danger to me, I wouldn't be alive right now. Do I believe he might still kill me? Yes, because I'm not a precious fucking naive flower with no understanding of the mafia. He could walk up to me right now and shoot me between the eyes then disappear before anyone could do anything. But don't stand there and tell me I've 'lost' my 'damn mind' for believing that the boy I used to know is still inside him somewhere.”
Gaige shook his head slowly. “He'll kill you. Without a thought. You have no idea how sheltered you've been. I know things about Carlo Rosso that would make your skin crawl, Princess. ”
“Then why don't you pull your balls from your asshole and tell me so I can make a fully informed decision about him instead of wrapping me up in washed down truths? I'm not a china doll. You know that better than anyone.” And he did—and that's why I was so mad.
I knew I'd been sheltered. I knew Mamma and Darien had done whatever they could to keep me in the loop without keeping me fully embedded in the mafia world. Mamma's greatest wish was that I grew up with a life that resembled somewhat of a normal teenage girl's. She didn't want me worrying about what happened in New York, or Boston, or Chicago. She just told me enough that I wouldn't worry.
But I knew more than everyone thought. I'd overheard more conversations than they knew.
“Six months ago, your father found out one of his capos was double-crossing him and giving information to the Teresi family,” Gaige started, his eyes scarily intense on mine. “He called your precious Hunter in and ordered him to break every possible bone in his body. He did it, including his neck, then after twelve hours of excruciating pain, Carlo shot him between the eyes to end his existence.”
I swallowed hard.
“Several weeks ago, the smuggler who was supposed to provide the Romanos with one million dollars’ worth of cocaine was intercepted by the DEA because he was careless. He escaped arrest, but they took every single ounce of powder that was supposed to be delivered. Do you know what happened to him and his family? His daughter only just escaped with her new baby, but his wife was brutally raped by three men, one after the other, then all together. Carlo stood there with a gun to the smuggler's head and made him watch every single fucking second, and then he shot him in the thigh as a warning.”
I felt sick. My stomach churned, forcing bile up my throat, and I covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn't look at Gaige in that moment. Not because he'd told me it, but because he said it so stoic. He didn't flinch once, even as he described how the guy's wife was raped. There was no expression on his face, but I could see the disgusted hatred in his dark eyes.
“See? You look like you're going to throw up, Addy. He isn't the boy who used to protect you from the big bad men who wanted to kidnap you. He's a brutal, sadistic fica who deserves to burn alive for the things he's done.”
Fica. Cunt. A word Gaige rarely used. That alone told me how much he hated Hunter.
“He's forced to do those things,” I reasoned quietly, dropping my hand from my mouth and resting it at the top of my chest. “He's working on my father's orders.”
“You're making excuses for him. It's unreal.”
“It's true, Gaige. You know it is. Yes, they're despicable things he's done, but you know he'd ordered to do them, so don't act like they're done off of his own back.” It was my turn to stare at him now. “You forget that your family stays here through drugs and women. Keeping Los Angeles in crack, heroin, and meth and trafficking the occasional prostitute is how the Pontarelli family is still here. New York is a different world.” My voice got quieter. “It's rougher, harsher, and
Similar Books
