Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 90: Chapter 90

TERZO
“Stay here with my sister while I’m wrapping things up with some work I left before we went to Dublin.”
“Right, you can’t tell me.” She rolled her eyes. But with that getup, I know where exactly you’re going.”
I kissed her lips. “I promise, I will tell you once it’s done.”
“You were in Ireland?” Maverick emerged from the door.
“Yeah.” I looked at her. “You two can paint some toenails before I come back.”
“And once you’re back?”
“We’re going back to Italy.”
“That’s it?” Maverick raised her brows.
“Yeah. She has things to do, that’s why we can’t stay here for long.”
“You two are always traveling around. Should I be worried?”
“I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready.” I went to kiss her on the cheek. “I have to go.”
“Be careful.” Dani cupped my face and kissed me loudly, making my sister smile.
“Always, sweetheart.”
I met Grace at the entrance, glaring at me.
“It’s twice in one month. Every time I received a call that you’re coming, it’s either good news or bad. Did you happen to know how Yrosov ended up with an exploded brain?”
My brows knitted together. “Why is it always me? I’m always the first suspect when people die, not to mention bad people?”
“Smartass.” She looked at me from head to toe. “I know where you were when Ivor Yrosov was killed, but it doesn’t mean you didn’t give the order, Siciliano.”
“You’re worried about a dead thug, or am I missing something here?” I laughed. “You did not get the credit, did you? That’s why you’re upset, and you thought it was me? Congratulations to Adams, then.”
“She says her hello in a not-so-nice way.”
I chuckled. “I can imagine the look on her face.”
“Yrosov was not working with Olezka. He took over Olezka’s business. Just a few days after your visit, Yrosov was murdered. Tell me it’s a coincidence.”
“Okay. It’s a huge coincidence. I preferred assassinated, targeted, but murdered. How many people are relieved that he’s dead, probably a thousand, and most of them are women and children.”
She studied me for a moment before she spoke again, “Why do you wanna talk to Olezka? To report to him that his rival gang is dead?”
I smiled. “Part of it, but I want to ask something personal.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “You know, Siciliano. One of these, I’m gonna come to you and arrest you, and I’ll make sure your group of billionaire friends can’t help you.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Ridge.”
Five minutes later, I was sitting again before Ruslan, who had a busted face. “You’ve heard the news?”
“I was interrogated for the murder I did not commit, but yeah, should I give you the credit of putting my rival down?”
I sighed and scratched my beard. I hadn’t had time to trim, and it was growing faster, and started to annoy me.
“So?” he poked.
I shook my head, but he already knew the answer to that. Instead, I pulled a picture that even surprised me. The reason he knew so many things I didn’t, the pieces of the missing puzzle I couldn’t connect. Now the dots had been put together, they formed a clear picture. I pushed it to his front.
He picked it up. I thought I saw pain just cross his face.
“Care to explain?”
“I was young, barely eighteen. I was already on and off detention for fighting with racist gangs. I ended up in an underground fight club.” He pointed at the picture. “I was winning the cash that I needed for my grandfather’s medicine when my last opponent walked into the ring. I not only lost my title, but also my winning money. To be fair, he was older than I.”
“So you kept the grudge and waited for the right timing to kill him, including his wife?”
“I know you think lowly of me, but no. That’s not what happened after that. I went to my usual spot on the port, buying fish from the small fishing boats and supplying them to small restaurants.” He chuckled. “And then the son of a bitch was there, waiting for me. He said, You want your money back? I said no. You won. You deserved that prize.”
I could imagine the start of a friendship. I was even smiling.
“He said he has money. You fought fair. You’re a good fighter. I was kind of busy, so I told him Just say what you want to say, I need to go back to work. To make the story short, we ended up in the restaurant where I met his wife and the little girl. They shared their food with me. For the first time, a rich asshole did not treat like a rat. From that moment, he made a lifetime friend.”
“Then why did you not even find his daughter?”
“Oh, I did. I felt like I failed Cillian. I failed him and Doreen. It was too late when I put two things together, and you put me here. But you get your revenge. I can see it in your eyes.”
“I found the Medea.”
“Then why are you here if you found it without my help?” He smiled, a genuine one. “I know she doesn’t remember me, but I still remember her smile when I pulled out a daisy from the vase on the table and gave it to her. Please, tell her I’m sorry.”
I nodded, feeling the sincerity in his tone. What I realized in my line of work, sometimes it was hard to distinguish who did good and who did bad. We had both killed and hurt a lot of people. We did some bad things in our lives. There was no good and bad between us. He was right after all. We were the same.
He pushed the picture back to me.
“Keep it.” I pushed it back. I knew he got my message. “This is your second chance. Don’t let me down, Olezka.”
I walked out of the prison in satisfaction, inhaling some fresh air. I entered the backseat with a smile on my face. The car drove off smoothly towards the main road.
“So? Is the plan still on?”
I glanced at Katie. “Yeah. He’s getting transferred back to his country’s worst prison. Inform his men and tell them the route.”
“I don’t know why you’re putting so much faith on this asshole.”
I looked at her. I knew what she’d been through, probably worse than Dani, and I was glad her life was a lot better now, but I would still risk my life for her, to protect her if she were in trouble. “Because he’s not him.”
“Oh, right.” She rolled her eyes. “And suddenly you grow conscience for him?”
“No.”
“You changed a lot, Terzo. It’s not bad. It’s good to get your blood warmed and your heart beating for someone. I’m happy for you, and I hope he won’t come for you.”
“Thanks for everything. Come with us to Italy.”
She chuckled. “What am I gonna do in Italy? Open a pasta restaurant?”
“You know you’re feisty. Italy is more than just pasta, cheese, fashion, and mafia,” Marco said from the passenger’s seat.
“Right, Romeo.” She turned her head to me. “Where’s Dani?”
“With my sister.”
“Does she know?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Oh, boy.”
“What did I miss?” Gio asked.
“Your cousin here didn’t tell his wife that he just got Olezka a ticket out.”
“Wait. What?” Gio stared at me through the rearview.
“Eyes on the road, Mercutio,” Katie told him.
“But why did you? What do you want from him? You put him there. Why do you want him out this time? Do you know what betrayal means to us? He might take his time to rebuild what he lost, but he will come back for you, cousin.” Gio lost it, cursed, and hit the steering wheel
Marco shook his head. “Unbelievable. So, should I be ready to get shot again?”
“You got shot?” Katie asked him.
I ignored and blocked their voices as we headed back to the city.
“So you’re just gonna leave us hanging?” Marco’s angry voice caught my attention.
“You don’t question my authority, Marco. Just do as I say and shut up. There was nothing that I hadn’t already anticipated.”
“I’m not questioning your authority, boss.”
“It’s your sanity, Terzo,” Katie added.
“Ruslan warned me about Francesco. I should have listened to him that a woman has been betraying me without me realizing it. I should have visited him the moment I received that flower, that someone was trying to pin him for the threat. I also found out he was Cillian’s friend.”
“Wait. Are you sure?” Gio asked.
I showed him the picture on my phone I took from Ireland. “That’s Ruslan Olezka. And aside from Vasilyev, I need a new ally who would risk something for Dani now that Danatti is off the list.”