Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

DANI
“You can’t joke about something like that, mafia.” I snorted and sipped my coffee. When I looked at him closely, Terzo didn’t look much like a scary mafia who killed mercilessly for a living. His eyes softened, but stared back at me with all their intensity as if he was about to do something dirty to me.
Terzo seemed to have a dual personality that he could shut off when he needed to. He had a soft side and a mysterious and dangerous side. Right now, all I could see was an angel.
I almost dropped the coffee cup in my hand and swallowed hard. “Oh, you’re serious.”
“I don’t joke about marriage, Danielle.”
“It’s Dani. Just Dani.” He started to piss me off, offering me a marriage when I ran away from the very same reason. Was he for real? “Why would you want to marry me? And why will I marry you?”
“Since I learned the reality of living a life of a Siciliano, I never wanted to get attached to someone else. I didn’t date for the very same reason because I knew what life I could give her. A life full of danger and misery, but you’re already in it. Your father didn’t just come into your life to be a father. He wanted you in it for the sole purpose of alliances. You can run away from it if you don’t want to marry me. I can help you get a new life, but you should promise me to leave the life you have right now, your friends, your family, everything. You have to leave them behind. You can start a new life somewhere with a new identity that no one can recognize you.”
“Why?” I stared at him. Why would he risk something for a stranger? “You wouldn’t help me just out of the goodness of your heart. What is it for you?”
“Let’s say—”
“You want to prevent a catastrophe. I remember that. What catastrophe exactly? What did you do to my father? Or what did my father do to you?”
“Your father almost got my brother-in-law killed.”
“He wouldn’t just do it without a reason, knowing the status of your family. Did you kill my brother?”
His eyes narrowed. His jaw ticked. “Do you know what your brother had done?”
“For the purpose of this conversation, have some decency to tell me the truth. Answer my question, Mr. Siciliano?” Did he kill my brother? “What did he do? I know you guys are awful people. You can take lives without hesitation, but I’m not a murderer, and I don’t wanna get involved with your lives and business.”
“Just attempted murder.”
I looked away as guilt filled my chest. Of course, he was going to keep reminding me what I did to him if we got married.
“I’m sure many people would love to kill you. The government would want to lock you up—”
“So you did them a huge favor. Is that it?”
“I just want to know why? Why do you want to marry me? For another business alliance.”
He snorted and shook his head before he went to the sofa. “Trust me, Dani. No one would want to have alliances with your father. Your father is a crooked, a traitor. I’d trust a rabid dog, a snake, than your father. He wanted to marry my sister, and I couldn’t let that happen. My father doesn’t want any more bloodshed, so he offered your father to bring you to him.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. You’re hiding the most vital information from me. Tell me now, or I will find out the truth. Trust me, I will go to my father and ask him because I’d rather hang myself than be a wife of one of you.”
“A powerful man hated my sister, so he hired your brother to blow up her grandmother—”
“What?” I found myself standing before him in shock. “That’s horrible.”
He looked at me. “I never hurt any women. That’s the line I would never cross, Dani. After your brother died, my sister’s husband was on their way to Canada when he was almost blown up to kingdom come because your father ordered someone to do it to avenge his son. I wanted revenge, but my father wanted diplomacy, so here we are.”
“Why don’t you want my father to marry your sister?”
He glared at me. There was some intense pain and misery settled deep within his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? Your father is an old hog. My sister has been through a lot. Her ex-husband was a monster who wanted to get rid of us. He stole millions from my family. He beat my sister and broke her bones. He locked her up in a cage like some kind of animal or his property instead of his wife. She had enough of pain and misery because she loved and trusted that asshole.”
“Did you kill him?”
He chuckled. “I wanted to. God knows I wanted to, but I didn’t. I wanted my sister to have a fresh start, but something dark settled in her heart, and she doesn’t want any help from us to take that darkness out of her. And for fuck’s sake, marriage is not a solution for her. She’s still young. She still has a lot ahead of her. I truly believe in her redemption.”
“So instead, you want to use me as your collateral.”
He met me an eye to eye as if telling me there was no way out. The intensity almost made me squirm while heat pooled between my thighs. It was so sick that I wanted to throw up. “Dani, you’re not collateral. Believe it or not. The moment you know who your father was, you became a liability. You’re a pawn. And I’m your only way out.”
“I don’t think so. You and my father are a danger to my life.”
“Do you think your ex won’t come to you again? His father is running for senator. He wants a clean rep. He’s probably tying up some loose ends. If you talk, you’re dead. After that call you made to Linden, he knew you were a loose end.”
I glared at him. “He’s got some dirt. I’m the least of his worries.”
“I don’t think so, but yeah. You don’t want my help, go ahead. You’re free.” He gestured with his hand towards the door. “I’ll see how many days you can survive outside this door.”
I thought of that necklace Serena was wearing. He gave me the same necklace. Deck wouldn’t just bring my suitcase to my apartment unless he was going there.
“My ex was sleeping with my roommate. He gave her the same necklace as mine. I had letter D on it, and she got letter S. He always told me that was his way of claiming that I was his.”
He only grunted.
“I’m going to my mother’s home.”
I left that day without looking back. I arrived at my mother’s house. Technically, it was her husband’s house. My mother, Allison, was a gold digger, a social climber, because she was beautiful in her prime. She was a cheerleader, a title holder, and won a State beauty pageant. At least that was what she told me. After she had me at a young age, she still snatched a rich guy from our hometown.
Right now, she was throwing a tea party with her fake book club friends.
“What are you doing here, Dani? What are you wearing? For God’s sake, stay somewhere else. Wait until the party ends, then you can come back.” She looked at me from head to toe because I wasn’t wearing a pretty dress. She didn’t even care about the bruise on my chin. So typical of her.
I wasn’t wearing a dress that showed off cleavage, but my outfit was fine. “Can I stay here for a week?”
“No. You’re an adult. Find a hotel or an Airbnb. Your stepfather would not appreciate you coming here and showing up unannounced.”
“Why?”
“He’s running for governor. You should not have broken up with your boyfriend. You would have been sleeping in a penthouse right now.”
“Just a day, Mom. Please?” I hated that my voice was weak and that I had to beg my own mother for a place to stay.
“No. Stay here.” She went back inside, and I still had my suitcase with me. A moment later, she came back with some cash. “That would be enough until you find a decent apartment.” She pushed some bills into my chest.
“I don’t need your money, Mom. I need my mother. My life just crumbled down before me, and you care more about what people think of you and your husband than your own daughter? You didn’t even ask what happened to my face, if Deck did this to me or not.”
“He’s a good man. He would never do that to you.”
“Why? Because his father has influence and he’s not capable of hurting women?” I stared at her, mad at myself and she didn’t even give a damn. “Screw you and your fake friends! Do you think your husband will become the governor? No! I will tell the world that he tried to get his dirty hands on me!”