Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

TERZO
“What did he tell you?” Grace met me outside the prison, which made me wonder why she was so interested in my brief conversation with Ruslan.
They could have interrogated him or tortured him to get information, but I knew someone like Ruslan, he would never break. Even if they pumped him with a truth serum, they would only get and learn from his traumatic childhood.
I glared at her. “Nothing but shits. Do you trust the people above you or the warden? Ruslan seems to know about my present life than your information about me. Tell me, how did that happen? He has been locked up for months, yet he knows I got married.”
She shook her head, clearly puzzled and confused. “Are you sure?”
“Hundred percent, but don’t interrogate or talk to him. Ruslan is maybe locked up, but he has money that you can’t freeze, he has connections with dangerous people, and he has information that even people like you don’t have. And most importantly, you may have cut the head of the snake, but he still has loyal men and his business is still operating.”
“Sorry you came here for nothing.”
Oh, I have just what I came here for. I shrugged. “Thanks for the gate pass.” But I knew exactly the person who might know that kind of information I was looking for.
I traveled three hours to get to New York, forty-five minutes to the biggest and one of the most secure estates in the country.
I went through several inspections by the meticulous security. I made it to the front of the house after I drove through the longest driveways. The grandiose stonehouse mansion, the size of a palace, stood tall before me, making me look like a miniature.
I was met by one of his butlers at the entrance, telling me he’d been expecting me. I’d been in this mansion many times, but it always gave me the same reaction all the time— awe, astonishment, bewilderment, and fascination.
After passing doors, hallways with expensive one-of-a-kind paintings, I made it to the backyard.
I shook my head in amusement. I hadn’t greeted him he was already calling my name.
“Get a club and join me,” Mr. Moses Braddson called out. For the world’s wealthiest man, he was here playing golf alone in his vast backyard. He and my father made a pact after Papa saved his life many moons ago.
“Thank you, Emory.” I picked the club his butler offered. Then I walked in his direction. “No test of a prototype weapon, fighter jet, or a new AI system?”
“I’m retired, that’s why Striker took the job. In fact, I want to see your father. Your turn.”
I position myself and hit the ball. It landed somewhere far from the cup.
“You’re out of practice. How’s your father?” He turned to me and frowned. “Is he okay?”
“Papa is fine. He retired, but you know that already.” I scoffed.
Moses was like the ultimate data and information vacuum– a human Google— a data miner. He knew a lot of things that most people didn’t know existed.
“I told him to just retire and turn over the job. Just like I did to my son. If you boys are responsible and learn the hard way, you will get to it and adapt quickly, but if you’re still kids, you will ruin everything we worked hard to build. He called me last week. I arranged everything for him. Maybe he should get married.”
I smiled. “While you’re still single? Nah.”
“If he marries, then I will.” Now he was the one who smiled. “Congratulations.” Of course, he knew.
“Thanks.”
“What do you expect? And I have a gift for you and Dani.” He even knew her name.
“A private jet would be great.” I chuckled and struck the ball and shook my head in irritation at how it landed. “Son of— Are those ball chipped?”
“There’s no such thing as chipped golf balls. You’re just out of practice.”
“For you, everything is possible, sir.” He was maybe right, but I was not going to admit it. “I’m busy lately.”
“I heard what happened. So, what’s bothering you, Terzo?”
“About Ruslan Olezka.”
He turned and faced me. “He’s in prison. Why are you worried?”
“I want some information that I couldn’t get from him. I think he was the one who sent me a black Dahlia. I went to see him in prison this morning, but he denied it, and somehow, I believed him. I asked something, but he refused to answer unless I kill a man named Ivor Yrosov, who took over his territory.”
“Why do you want to know about Dante Costa when you already have enough information about him?” I wasn’t surprised he mentioned that name. I was sure he and my father talked about it.
“There’s just missing pieces.”
“You’re digging something you shouldn’t. Haven’t you learned from your sister? Keep the past where it is, Terzo, but I know you won’t stop until you get the truth. You’re also curious about Medea.” How the fuck did he know about that? Did my father ask him about it? Or did he pay people to get information like this? Probably the latter. And yeah, the information vacuum.
“You and Papa talked a lot.”
He chuckled, gesturing me towards the house. We walked side by side in peace until he welcomed me to his office and offered me a scotch.
“Thank you, sir.”
“What you learned about Francesco Giordani is true. You should have killed the man. I can call someone to get the result of the DNA test you sent.”
I shook my head in amusement. “Do you have drones above the compound that I don’t know about? Or a spy satellite, maybe? You hacked all the electronics at home?”
“Dani is not his daughter. The mother she used to grow up with is not her mother either.”
I stared at him, rendered mute, trying to digest this information. I gulped down the scotch and went to his alcohol cabinet. I poured shots and drank half of them. I needed alcohol to numb something inside me.
“You knew about this, but why didn’t you tell my father?” I asked in a choked voice.
“I will only tell if he asks.”
“Then who is that woman?” More rush of terror crept into my skin.
“I don’t think you’re ready to hear that.”
I downed the remaining scotch in my glass and drew a deep breath. “I know it’s not my secret, but I want to protect my wife from someone like Giordani and from the woman she thinks is her mother. I don’t know how to convince her with this information, but she needs to know the truth.”
“Deep inside you, you already know the truth, you only need proof. You don’t need to kill Yrosov for that. I will hand it to you.”
“Jesus.” I sat down when my knees went weak. “What about the Medea?”
“I don’t know where it is, but you might find out about its origin. Not the story in the book or its author.”
Somehow, I managed to nod even if my stomach knotted.
“So what are you gonna do?” he added.
“First, kill him. I can’t keep him in the basement. Now that I’m sure Ruslan didn’t send me the black Dahlia as a warning, it definitely came from Giordani. I kept him alive for the reason that he’s Dani’s father, but I don’t have any other reason not to kill him.” But what was the connection? He must have known about what the black dahlia meant to Ruslan.
Moses went to his desk and grabbed something from the drawer. “Read this here. You can’t take it with you.”
My lips went dry as I accepted the file from him. When I opened the folder, the first image that I saw was the woman in the picture, a blonde woman in her twenties. And the other picture was Francesco Giordani.
“Allison Soul was an entertainer in a club in Ireland. She was Allison Murphy. She fell in love with the bad boy charm of a young mafia boss, Cillian MacLynch, but MacLynch was very much in love with his wife, Doreen Moore, to Italian mother and Irish father. Dante Costa just came out of the blue and was smitten by Allison.”
I read word for word, page by page, but it didn’t mention anything about Medea and what happened to the kid.
I lifted my gaze and looked at Moses. “What exactly is Medea?”
“I don’t know. Maybe just a book or a blackmail file to his associates or every criminal empire in Ireland.”
“Where’s the child?”
“Allison never gave birth or got pregnant. She and Costa faked Dani’s birth certificate. Checked the copy behind the last page. It was registered late, a few months after the ambush. Allison changed her name from Murphy to Souls by dropping her father’s surname, citing he was abusive.”
Fuck. My throat clenched. My lungs seized.
“My assumption is was either Allison grew conscience or he was coerced by Dante to take care of the child.”
“Why would she do that?” I gaped at Moses.
“Allison was almost violated by one of Cillian’s men. She accidentally killed him. Dante buried the body to cover the crime.”
“So, it’s true.” I swallowed again. My fingers tightened around the file. “Dani is Cillian’s daughter, the daughter of the man he killed. Why doesn’t Dani remember her parents?”
My inside turned to ice, its sharp edges spread through my veins, and all I could do was shiver. I was right all along. Her fainting had something to do with her childhood trauma.
Moses crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “She was just a small four years old child who witnessed the gruesome murders of her parents. She was traumatized. I have a strong feeling, Francesco kept her under the radar to trigger the trauma so she can remember some part of her early life. She can’t remember being treated, can she?”
“No.” I shook my head. “A kid? What can he expect a kid to remember?”
“She’s a daddy’s girl. She must have remembered something about the book. I have a theory that Medea has something to do with the people involved in his organization, like corrupt cops, politicians, and businessmen as his insurance policy. You know how you people work.”
“What the—” I stood up and paced in the office. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. It rang until it reached her voicemail. Horror froze my blood. “Dani, call me right away,” I called Marco next.
“Boss, I can’t talk right now. I have to call you back,” he answered quickly.
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked urgently. My voice rose.
“Dani went to see her father.” He sounded like he was running.
“Fuck!” I just cursed before Moses.
He stood up. “Let’s go, son.”