“Your man lived. Stefano didn’t.”
“We have a right to defend ourselves. The men that tried to kill us right outside our building, I could have killed them, but I didn’t. I did that because of Adelina. She thinks we can talk, work something out.”
“You leave her out of this. I don’t want to hear her name out of your dirty mouth,” he yells at me.
I keep quiet. Nothing I say will matter to them. I will die for the cause and I’m alright with that. I know my father will avenge me.
Twenty-Six
Adelina
I pace back and forth in the living room, wondering what they are doing to Ivan. I tried talking to my father but he wouldn’t hear me out. I’m at a loss of what to do.
“You okay?” I turn to see Sofia.
“I’m sad, they’re going to kill him,” I say with a broken heart.
“I have to confess something to you,” she replies.
“Go ahead. You can tell me anything.”
“I told Stefano about Ivan. I told him that you had visited him at the casino. He went there to avenge your honor,” she hangs her head in shame.
“Why would you do that? Now a man is going to die. Stefano is dead.”
“I know. I was worried about you. Stefano was a good man, you should have given him a chance.”
“And my honor? Ivan and I never did anything. We talked. I haven’t been able to have a conversation with someone about my wishes and dreams. I was able to be myself and confess my secrets and feelings. He listened. He might be a monster, but you are a devil. A man is going to die.”
“I know,” she sobs, “I’m so sorry. You’re my friend and I thought I was doing the right thing.” She collapses on the couch, weeping uncontrollably. I take pity on her. In a way, her heart was in the right place.
I sit beside her and take her hand, “I’ll forgive you someday. I know you meant well in your own way. You’re loyal and I appreciate that. Right now I have to save a man.”
“I’ll help however I can,” she sniffs, wiping her eyes.
“Give me a ride to the restaurant,” I murmur.
“You sure?”
“I have to try and stop this.”
“Let’s go,” we take off so fast not even Matteo can stop me.
We pull up out front and I gasp when I see Tim with another man storming in, guards let him pass. That must be Ivan’s father.
“We need to go,” we slip down the alley and through the kitchen door, trying to be as silent as we can.
“They’re downstairs,” I point to the cellar door.
“I’ll stay here, distract anyone else from coming down,” she says and I take off down the stairs, stopping short at the bottom. No one notices me.
“This is it. He dies, we’re even. Then you leave,” my brother says to Ivan’s father.
“And I was invited to watch you kill my son to what? Rattle me? You must be new as underboss. You have to kill me and my nephew as well. That won’t do you any good, my family will hunt you down. If you don’t kill us, I will hunt you down. If you did your homework, you would know that my wrath knows no bounds. Ivan would be a dream compared to me,” the man commands. He has this look of authority and while he doesn’t look like a devil in disguise his words make me shiver.
“Guess you’ll all have to go,” my brother pulls out his gun and I run, stepping in front of Ivan.
“Adelina, move.”
