“I decided to go,” I tell him defiantly. “All on my own. Bubble burst. What now, Paul?”
“I put that brochure in your mailbox on Vinnie’s command. He’d been researching you for some time because he needed the right person to do the job. All you needed was a little push. The moment you bailed, he pounced on the girls.”
“I’ll kill him,” I seethe.
Nonplussed, he continues. “You were not supposed to get caught, though. Vinnie was disappointed when I reported back.”
“Wait? You were there?”
He nods solemnly. “I have been following you for some time now.”
“And that’s not fucking creepy or anything. Especially when you say it like that. Do you moonlight as an actor because you totally have that Van Damme vibe with a little mix of Stallone?”
The fucker preens a little at my comment.
“I assure you I am no actor,” he says, grinning. “I am a thorough henchman to the great Vincent Lamberto.” He pauses as though waiting for applause.
Sorry, dude, hands are fucking tied.
“Bravo,” I deadpan. “What next?”
“So, you got caught. The police had you in their custody, but the Rossi men knew you smelled of Vincent. They wanted to shake you down and do all those terrible things you spoke of. But instead of dogs, they’d use pigs.”
I shudder at the visual.
“Then,” he says, “Rossi’s men caught up to you. A shootout took place. I was prepared to intervene on your behalf.”
“How brave and dashing you are,” I sneer.
“Absolutely,” he agrees. “But then, you surprise me with your ability to stay alive. The cop did the shooting, but you managed to get yourself out of the situation.”
I sigh heavily. “So I was just a pawn to retrieve Frannie. Why?”
“Because Vincent’s daughter was in danger.”
“I hardly call Teterboro dangerous. I was probably their one and only home invasion.”
He shakes his head. “Before you showed up and tried to steal from them, Rossi had already uncovered Vincent had a daughter and they were looking for her. They were on your tail as it was.”
“So why didn’t you save us all the drama and just snatch Frannie yourself since you’re so skilled and all-knowing?”
“Someone had to fight off Rossi’s men so you could safely get her away,” he tells me. “Vincent knew your family was your bargaining chip and you were the perfect tool.”
“Yeah, fuck him too,” I growl. Something still doesn’t add up. “If I believe this bullshit scam that Death conned me of all people to do his bidding and end up in that casino, the question is, why? Why take me to the den of the enemy and then make me go get his precious cargo all the while having the bad guys on my ass? Seems like the worst dumbass idea in history.”
“Unfinished business.”
Cryptic bastard.
“Elaborate,” I growl.
“How you Americans say it? Murder two birds with one rock?”
“Kill two birds with one stone.”
“Ahh, yes. He wanted Rossi brought to him. Into his territory. To finish what they started years ago.” Paul grins, his eyes flashing. “The grand finale.”
Cue fucking eye roll.
“This plan could have failed in so many ways.” She could have gotten hurt, or worse, killed.
“I was there every step of the way,” he assures me. “Watching you bring her across the country. A few times I had to step in, but I bragged to Vincent how well you and Frannie had things handled on your own.”
“Aww,” I say dryly, “so sweet. You put in a good word. Does he need a copy of my résumé too? I’ve been looking for a different job than con man. Henchman is a promotion.”
Fucker preens again, flashing his big white teeth.
“Why does Rossi want Vincent’s daughter anyway?” I ask, eager to get to the crux of the matter.
“Vincent blew up Rossi’s childhood home here in LA with his father and brothers in it. He has wanted revenge for twenty plus years, but never had an opportunity as Vincent is a vicious mobster with plenty of protection. Like I said, unfinished business.”
Holy shit.
“Why did he blow them up?” I demand.
“Because they failed to pay back their loan.”
“Harsh,” I mutter. “Remind me not to ask that dude to spare some change.”
“Rossi ignored Vincent and then he could not ignore him anymore.” His eyes alight with violence. “Ka-boom!”
“So why was Rossi involved with Vincent in the first place?”
“They were once business associates until it went bad, but Rossi never knew about the wife and child. Vincent had already hidden them away for fear of his associates turning on him. When things went down with Rossi and Vincent, the girls were safe.” He sighs. “Rossi used what he owed Vincent and took it down to Vegas to turn a profit. It went down the toilet and he had to flee back to New Jersey where his mother lived and he could hide out. When his mother died, he used the inheritance to build a casino in Atlantic City.”
“Quite a fucking coincidence him ending up near Frannie and her mom. Was Death concerned at all that the guy he hated was in his wife and daughter’s backyard?”
“Immensely, but he had eyes on them.”
“Eyes?”
“The beautiful Ms. Mabel.”
“Wait…what? As in Frannie’s old lady bestie? She was a traitor to my wife by being besties with her lunatic father?”
Paul shakes his head as if I’m silly. “I am Vincent’s best friend. Mabel the lovely was simply eyes. She knew it was imperative that they were kept safe. Vincent would call and check up on things, send items to the store if needed, and remind her to keep her eyes peeled for anything strange.”
“Why wouldn’t Mabel tell Frannie that she’d been in contact with her real father?” I demand, furious on her behalf.
“Mabel, the one with the prettiest lips, was sworn to secrecy. Besides, it only would have hurt the child knowing her father was out there alive and well. And Francis was precocious as a child, so she would have tried to find him.”
You don’t say…
“So we did our job,” I grumble, “by rescuing Frannie and bringing her to LA to be with her father. Big fucking deal. She’s safe from Rossi, but what about Vincent? He’s a monster.”
“I agree he makes strange decisions at times like with your sister. I’ve always preferred an older woman over a younger one, but who am I to judge. The heart wants what the heart wants—”
“Wait, my sister?”
I’m going to kill him.
Dead fucking meat.
“Would you lookie there,” a deep voice croons as he walks into view.
Arlo Rossi. Shit.
“A boy and his goon,” Rossi says. “So sweet.”
I glower at him. “Let me loose and I’ll show you what a sweet boy I am.”
Rossi cackles with laughter. “Oh, Luca, how easy it would be to put a bullet through your empty skull. But, you have proved to be quite entertaining to me. And costly. You’ve somehow managed to evade my men at every turn. It was you who dragged my ass across country to do this job myself. I’m going to have fun making you scream, and then when I get your father-in-law and your wife in here, I’m going to make you watch while I skin them alive.”
Bile rises in my throat. “You touch one hair on her head…”
“I’m going to touch every single hair on her head,” he sneers. “And then I’m going to work my way down.” He makes a salacious gesture with his fingers and tongue, making me see red.
“YOU MOTHERFU—”
Ka-boom!
Francis
Gosh Darn Traitor Paul
“What’s going on with my brother?”
Yap! Yap!
“What does that mean, lost his gosh darn location?”
Yap! Yap!
“Is Uncle Luca in trouble?”
Yap! Yap!
“STOP!” Everyone goes from talking all at once to complete silence to stare at Mr. Death. “Stop. I need to think.”
Lindsay ignores his threatening tone and walks up to me, taking my hand into hers. “While he’s thinking, what happened? I heard you yelling.”
I blink away the tears still falling. “Well, Vincent over here is not only a monster who kidnaps people, but also my father. And obviously has been alive this whole time.”
Lindsay glares over at him, and he stares at her right back.
“That’s not the case,” Mr. Death snaps.
“Oh how is it not? Are you really dead? Are we standing here talking to a ghost?”
Cala starts running around the room, making ghost sounds. Mr. Death throws his hands through his thick graying hair and eyes me with both annoyance and guilt.
Lindsay takes aim at him next. “How could you, Vinnie?”
“What’d you do, Pappa Death?” Cala chimes in.
“Boss…”
“Cala, honey, I had to do what—”
“Boss…”
“I had to do what I had to do to keep the ones I love very much—”
“Boss—”
“Jesus, WHAT!?” He throws his weight around to address the man. He holds up a phone for him and when he grabs it assessing the screen, he growls, his facial expression transforming into another level of anger.
“What? What is it?” I forgo my battle with him. “Is it about Luca? Did you get more news?”
“Sonofabitch!” Mr. Death roars, looking at whatever just came through.
Lindsay steps toward him. “If you don’t spit out what you know, I swear to God, I’m going to—”
“Rossi has Paul and Luca.”
“Who’s Rossi?”
That’s when I step in. “Rossi is a bad man who Luca crossed, but it was kind of by accident. And we dodged them a bunch of times while making our way across the country. It was quite exciting. Lots of gunshots and getaway driving. You should have seen—”
“Enough!” he interrupts. He comes straight at me, his eyes quickly going from angry to concerned. “Francis, honey—”
“It’s just Francis.”
“Francis, I know you’re upset and this is a lot to take in. I never wanted you to find out this way. I also never wanted you to fall in love with your goddamn handler—ouch!” He growls, staring at Lindsay, who just hit him. Back to me. “But this is not good. I won’t give Rossi what he wants.”
“What does he want?” I demand.
“You.”
I inhale gustily. My eyes find Cala, who’s now sitting on the floor playing with some dolls, while Lindsay regards me with despair. Rossi has her brother. And he’s all they have. Without him, she and Cala will be lost. “Then let’s give him me,” I reply.
A loud thunder cracks in the air as my dad takes a small piece of furniture and tosses it across the room, shattering it. Cala starts to cry and Lindsay scoops her into her arms for safety.
“I said no,” he snarls. “I will not discuss this further. I’ve sacrificed everything to keep you safe. I sure as hell don’t plan on making all my sacrifices be for nothing to just hand you over.”
“So, you’re gonna let them kill my brother?” Lindsay’s voice is laced with dread. Tears pool in her green eyes. She turns with Cala in her arms and runs out of the room. Mr. Death takes a step to go after her, but my voice stops him.
“Dad.” He halts, his eyes wide when he faces me at my choice words. His entire demeanor changes and he takes a step toward me. “It’s been forever since I’ve heard that. Probably never since you were just babbling when I left.”
“Well, it feels strange to say it. But it’s who you are. Even though Daddy Death has a better ring to it.” My shoulders rise and fall, inhaling a deep breath for strength. I brush my hands down my yellow dress, before bringing my eyes back to him. “I love him. He loves me. I don’t know if you love me, because you’ve been fake dead my whole life. But if you want to prove to me you do, help me get Luca back. Help Lindsay get her brother back.”
His nose twitches. “It’s not that easy.”
“It is. Make it or I’ll take matters into my own hands.” A threatening step has him closer, but I don’t back down. I match him and take two. “So, what’s it gonna be, Daddy Death?”
“It’s Dad now. You’ve already said it,” he growls.
“And I’ll take it back just as fast. Wanna be my dad? Earn it. Show me you do love me.” His mouth opens to reply, but I cut him off. “Do it, or it’s triple D.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Dr. Daddy Death—”
“It’s Mister!”
“Not to me. Not until I have Luca back. You know…Momma never talked about you. She couldn’t. It hurt too much. But on rare occasions when she did, she would tell me stories. How kind you were. How safe she always felt with you. She told me I was almost born in Miss Russet, but you had your special way, which makes sense now because you’re a mobster and probably shot out each stop light to get to the hospital faster. But she never stopped telling me what a big heart you had. Right now, I don’t believe that. Prove it.”
I keep eye contact with him, until I see the white flag go up. His shoulders slump and he eliminates the space between us. I squeal when he snatches me up in his arms and pulls me to his chest. My face smashes into him and his head dips, pressing his chin to the top of my head.
“I’ve loved you every single day since the day you were born. It’s been from afar and I’m a shit father.”
“Yes, you are.”
He squeezes me tighter, threatening my insides to explode. “This is where you tell me I’m not a horrible father and you love me.”
“Can’t do that, Dr.—you’re going to crush my insides!”
I feel his mouth press to the top of my head.
“It’s just Dad. Okay? If I can hear you just say that, I’ll give in and save your shit husband, which we then need to have a discussion about because you’re way too young to be married, which we can have annulled and you can go to college—ouch! Now that hurts!” he yelps as I smash my shoe onto his toe.
I pull away.
Our eyes meet. I want to say something rude or mean. Battle him. But somewhere deep inside I can’t. My momma’s words float in my head. The last thing she said to me. One day there would come a time when I would be hurt by someone, and when that time comes, I need to forgive in order to move on and find peace.
It allows me to wave my own white flag. Because to be honest, we need each other to make this work. So instead of opening my mouth to continue this battle, I switch routes. “Miss Russet died on our way here.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t want to leave her, but we didn’t have a choice. Momma loved that car. She would have been upset to see her left.”
His hand reaches out to graze my cheek. “I had my men go back for her. She’s in the city. Paul gave word of what happened, and I couldn’t leave her behind either.”
Okay. He’s earning his dad points back and fast. I fight the urge to start all over with the tears, but I hold them back. “Momma would be happy to know that.”
“Thank you for being there for her. When I couldn’t.” Okay gosh darn it, is he turning the tables on me. The tears break through my barrier and start to fall. I’m back in his arms, me hugging him this time. If we weren’t in the middle of a kidnapping and life or death situation, I’d stand here forever. Accept his embrace and all the years I missed out on his touch, his smell, his love. The way I feel safe in his arms. “You look just as beautiful as she did in this dress.”
Okay, hug time is over. I pull away looking down at Momma’s yellow dress. “How do you…”
“The same day I bought your momma this dress was when she told me she was pregnant with you.” He clutches my shoulders as he looks over my appearance in an almost wistful way. “We’d been on the road, no destination in mind. We wanted to, as she would always say, �
�Let the country roads take you home.’ It led us here. There’d been a flea market in the small town and the moment I saw this dress, I knew I had to have it. For her.” My eyes aren’t the only ones shedding tears. He wipes at his stubbled face. “She was the most beautiful woman in this dress. She shone brighter than the sun. She stole my heart, the day I met her.” He takes a step back, gathering himself. “You look exactly like her. When she was your age, wearing this.”
“I do?”
“Even down to your beautiful smile and fiery attitude.” It’s then I run back into his arms. I cry on his shoulder as he holds me tightly to his chest. “I love you, Frannie. I always have.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
“Everything okay in here?” We break apart at Lindsay’s presence. I wipe away the wetness from my cheeks as does he.
“Yeah, Dr.—Dad said he’s willing to do what it takes to get Luca back.” He opens his mouth to argue, since he didn’t officially agree, and I put my hand up to stop him and continue. “And he’s gonna let me do it my way.”
Lindsay looks relieved but not sold. “Great. But, Francis, how are you going to get them back? Vincent is a mob boss. I think he may have stronger connections.”
“Stronger connections? Not as strong as my connections.” Placing my hands on my hips, with all the confidence in the world, I say, “Have you ever met a goat slayer, an ex-military romantic, the best romance book recommender, and a grumpy old best friend with the biggest chip on her shoulder?”
Didn’t think so.
My connections beat Daddy Death’s any day.
“You’re WHERE?”
“Jesus, child, I’m old not deaf, no need to shout. I said we’re in Nevada! This place is gonna blind me it’s so damn bright.”
I swipe my hand down my face. “Why again are you in Nevada, Bea?”
“Oh, well… We just thought—I swear, woman! You’re about to be dead to me—”
Scuffling.
“Frannie?”
My heart swells at Mabel’s voice. “Hey there, Mabel!” Then it hits me. “Why are you also in a car heading to Nevada?”
“Hi, Fran!”
Conheartists Page 21
