by Jolie Damman
Even if I were to ask Paolo to explain what was occurring, I wasn’t going to believe him.
And… I knew this was part of his plans, but still… he got me. He made me feel curious about what was happening.
“Go fuck yourself, Paolo,” I finally said before slamming the phone back where it was, ending the call.
✽ ✽ ✽
Gloria
When I said he could come over, I didn’t remember that the guards needed the approval from the Calabrese family to let him get inside the property. The guards were standing by the gates, and they looked less than pleased I was still trying to convince them.
Gino pulled over by the entrance and was tapping his foot on the sidewalk. He also tried to convince the guards to let him come inside, but they were never going to disobey an order from the Calabrese family. Gino would only be allowed in if either Paolo or Basilio said he could.
I approached the guard again and said, “Please, you need to let him come inside. I need to talk to him. He is my brother.”
“I can’t do that. Not without the boss saying so.”
Gino approached us again and said, “Hey, asshole. I won’t be here for long. I need to talk to her for a couple of minutes, and then I will be gone.”
“I’m not going to open the gates. Leave, or this is going to end badly for you.”
Some of the guards raised their weapons and pointed them at Gino. My heart leaped. They weren’t going to shoot him, right? He never once threatened them.
How careless was I when I thought he could come in here without Basilio’s permission? I could be so stupid sometimes.
“Let him in,” I heard a voice sound from behind me.
I spun on my heels and saw none other than Paolo with a smirk on his face. He was walking toward us, and he looked happy. Was he feeling that way because of this? But… why would what was happening here make him feel pleased?
I marched toward him and asked, “What is your angle? What are you trying to do here?”
“Princess, I’m helping you. Don’t you want to meet your dear brother?”
“I know that you are not doing this out of your kindness. I will ask the same question one more time. What are you trying to accomplish here?”
“Nothing, really. I felt pity for you and thought I could be of help.”
I studied his face. His devilish smirk didn’t fade away. I didn’t trust him, but what was the worst thing that could happen right now? Basilio wasn’t going to come any time soon, and by the time he would be back, Gino would be long gone.
Paolo could tell him about this, but I doubted Basilio would trust him. He told me all about his rivalry with his brother, and it was a fierce one.
I calmed down, and Paolo said it again, “Guards, open the gates.”
And they did what he ordered, letting Gino drive into the property and pull over. He got out of his car, and when I turned back to confront Paolo again, he was already walking away back into the mansion.
I knew I should worry that he helped me, but right now, I had something more important to deal with.
I rushed over to Gino and hugged him. I looked up, finding his eyes, and he asked, “Is something happening here that I should know about?”
I felt kind of ashamed to tell him this right now. He looked so excited about the progress he had made, but I really couldn't allow it to continue.
“I want you to stop. We can’t continue with the plan to take down the Calabrese family.”
His eyes shot wide, and he took a step backward. “What? What are you telling me?”
“We can’t do it, Gino. We shouldn’t…”
His hand looked for mine. “There is something you are not telling me,” he said, accusing me.
I was looking down, somewhat in shame I was doing this, but then looked up once again. “I can’t do it. I love Basilio…”
“You what?!”
“I love him. I didn’t think I would end falling in love with him, but he is different from the rest of his family. He is nice to me.”
“He is only nice to you because he wants you on his bed.”
“No, it’s different. He cares about me.”
“Gloria, you must be having a fever or something like that. What happened here?”
“I told you what changed, Gino. You don’t believe me? You think I’m doing this because he threatened me?”
“I wouldn’t put that past him.”
I shook my head, looked into his eyes, and turned. Just when I was going to walk away, he looked for my hand and stopped me.
I was crying. I couldn’t believe my own brother didn’t trust me.
“Gloria… okay. I get it. You fell in love with him. I will... stop the plan, okay?”
I looked into his eyes once again, finding out that he wasn’t lying. He believed me now.
I caressed his hand and said, “Thanks, big bro. I knew I could rely on you.”
“Hey, I’m never going to let you down.”
He pulled me to him, and hugged me. I buried my head on his chest, knowing I could trust him. I just couldn’t let his plan continue. I knew he was about to finish it and put it into practice.
Maybe I was being selfish, but I just couldn’t do it to Basilio. Not anymore. I loved him and he was everything for me. My family deserved better, but to be honest, what they were going through right now wasn’t permanent. We could all have our normal lives back. As normal as they could get, that was.
Once Basilio was the head of the Calabrese family, everything was going to be different. He was a kind man. I knew that, even though Editta told me her side of the story, making me have some very hard questions about him.
Regardless of what happened between them, that was in the past now, after all. Her story made me worry about him, but only a little. She didn’t change everything I thought of him. Basilio could have had his problems in the past, and he did have them, but he was a different man now.
No one who cared about me so much could lay a finger on me. Ever since that terrible night where he frightened me, he had changed and become a different person. Not completely, but he was different now.
I looked up, finding my brother’s eyes once again. “Thanks, Gino. I knew I could count on you.”
Chapter 15
Tell Me Everything
Basilio
Ipulled the car where they wouldn’t be able to see me. Gino and Gloria were talking to each other inside the mansion’s grounds, and that pissed me off so much. She didn’t tell me they were going to talk.
How did he get in? Ah, Paolo. He permitted the guards to allow him in. The fucking piece of shit was thinking he was going to play me like a dam fiddle, but I could see through his plan. I was going to do something about it.
Right now, though, I had something bigger and more important to worry about. Gloria and Gino talking, and it seemed they were discussing something very important. I just needed to get close to find out what their topic of conversation was. If it was something that concerned me, I needed to know all about it.
I got inside the mansion’s grounds through a second gate we had. A guard was patrolling it, and he allowed me in the moment he saw me. I said, “Be quiet and don’t tell anyone that I’m here right now.”
He swallowed hard, but still nodded. He was going to obey me. These men all feared me, as they should.
I sneaked to where they were, and hid behind a wall. They were never going to know I was here, overhearing them. I felt bad I was doing this to Gloria, but I had a good reason. She should have first told me she wanted to talk to him.
Well, the fact alone she was meeting up with him behind my back was enough to make me worry that something was up.
And then, I heard it. “I want you to stop. We can’t continue with the plan to take down the Calabrese family.”
What the fuck? She was working with him to kill my whole family? Was that why she approached me and seemed to care about how I was doing? I should have known she was betraying me all along.
I felt my eyes watering and quickly got away from there. I had heard enough. Gino was... a dead man now, and Gloria had a lot to explain to me. I was going to be kind to her, but indeed, she was going to have to open her fucking mouth.
I got out of there and found Paolo. He turned and asked, “I think father wants to talk to you right now.”
Fuck. I didn’t need that shit too. It was only going to make things worse.
✽ ✽ ✽
Gloria
I knocked on the door to Basilio’s bedroom. I knew he was in it, and I had something important to tell him. I needed to tell him I met up with Gino today. He deserved to know about that. I wouldn’t feel okay if I pretended that nothing of importance happened today.
He opened the door slowly, and I opened a smile. But my smile quickly faded. His eyes were red, and on his desk, I could see many bottles of beer. He was drinking. Something bad happened, but what?
“You want to explain what happened, Gloria?”
Wait, did he… know?
“About what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know you met up with Gino today behind my back.”
“Wait, it wasn’t like that. I thought it would be okay to talk to him without asking for your permission.”
“Right, because you now think we are lovers.”
“And we are.”
“Not… anymore.”
He said that in a cold, truthful tone. He wasn’t lying or trying to. Someone must have told him about the meeting.
Paolo, of course. I hated him, and now I hated him even more. I wanted him dead.
“You can’t think I was-”
“I overheard you two. You were working this whole time to find something you could use to kill my whole family. You want me to think I’m not right?!”
I pursed my lips. He was right. That’s what I was doing, but I made it stop. The plan was no more.
I looked for his hand, but he ignored the gesture. “Don’t. I think we are done here.”
“No, wait!” I said right before he slammed the door shut.
I was going to tell him the whole truth. I devised the plan with my brother and I did use the information I found in his bedroom that night to complement it, but I changed my mind. I made Gino give up on his plan, and I reassured him Basilio wasn’t a bad man like the rest of his family.
Once, I believed he was one of the worst. I once thought he was like everyone else, but he proved he was different. I knew he wasn’t like his father, or his brother, the torturer.
I wanted to talk to him again, but he slammed the door shut, and that made his thoughts clear. He didn’t want anything to do with me right now, and I could understand him. Basilio was thinking I was nothing but a traitor.
I turned and walked back into my room. There was nothing I could do right now to convince him that he was mistaken. Well, partially mistaken. I did do the things he said I did, but he didn’t hear the whole story.
I closed the door of my bedroom and lied down on my bed. I was going to talk to him tomorrow, and he was going to learn the whole truth. He was a good man, and he wouldn’t ignore hard and solid facts.
I could even make Gino come here again to tell him the truth. He could corroborate with my side of the story. Basilio would believe me, and everything would be alright.
I only feared he could do something bad to himself, but I was here in case that happened. I was going to be here, and I wouldn’t sleep until I felt he would be alright for the night.
Tomorrow morning his head would be cleared up, and he would listen to me.
✽ ✽ ✽
Basilio
If she thought she was going to make me believe her lies, she had something coming. I was through with her, and I was through with her brother too. He was a dead man. My father would be so fucking proud of me.
I hated him, but fuck that. I hated Gino just as much.
Fucking piece of shit was thinking he could take me down. Well, he had another thing coming his way. I knew where he lived with Editta, and I was going to kill him tonight. I was going to make sure he regretted ever thinking he could harm my family.
I was sitting at my desk as I dusted off my Colt. I was going to use this gun right here to end his life. He was never going to see me coming - not until it was too late for him anyway.
I sipped from my beer bottle. I needed the alcohol right now. Gloria had made me get over it, but I needed it tonight. It was the only thing that could calm me down. To end the life of someone like Gino, I needed a clear head.
I finished dusting off my gun and stood up. I went out into the hallway and called some of my guards to come with me. “We are going to end that son of a bitch’s life, and he is going to regret ever thinking he could stand up against us.”
They all smirked. My family was through with him since a long time ago, and now that I had made the decision they were expecting of me, they were thrilled. I felt invigorated like I never did in a very long time.
I knew Gloria would be pissed, but she was making me do this. If only she wasn’t such a sly bitch this whole time, I wouldn’t have considered killing her own brother. Things were different now, and she wasn’t going to learn she couldn’t cross me.
I got inside my car and was driven to where he lived. It wouldn’t take too long to get there. He didn’t live far. The son of a bitch was near us this whole time because he was thinking he could kill not only me, but also my sister and nephew.
I was going to make him regret ever considering that crazy plan of his.
Chapter 16
Eruption of Hate
Gloria
Iheard a door being slammed shut and pushed myself off the bed. Something big and bad was happening. I could feel the tension in the air. It was something that required my attention.
I opened the door and saw him. I saw Basilio and his men going somewhere. They were all armed. In other circumstances, I wouldn’t have thought much about that. However, this moment was a crucial one.
Instead of sleeping, I was crying the whole time. I couldn’t stop thinking about Basilio and me. At the time, when I snooped around in his bedroom and found that information, I didn’t think I would end up falling in love with him.
I felt bad now I handed that information to my brother, propelling his plan forward to end the Calabrese family.
And a wild thought crossed my mind. He couldn't be going, at this very moment, to kill my brother, right? No, he couldn’t.
But he was. He was going there. It was the only thing that made sense to me right now.
I looked out the window of my bedroom, and saw him going. He was driving away, and I knew he was going to my brother’s place. I told him where he lived. He made me tell that the first time I talked to Gino. It was a prerequisite to allow him inside his mansion’s grounds.
Now that I was thinking about it, I should have been more careful with the information I gave to Basilio about my brother. Not only did I make this all happen, but I also made it so it had everything needed to occur. Basilio knew where he lived, and he had all the reasons to kill him.
Maybe he wouldn’t kill him. I knew Basilio was a good man. He killed other people before, but would he really end my brother’s life?
His love for me wasn’t a fake one. I knew he loved me, and he would never be able to sleep again if he did such a thing. I would never forgive him.
I rushed out of my bedroom and headed downstairs. My eyes caught sight of something. The door to Paolo’s room was open, and on his desk was his car’s key.
I knew I shouldn’t go in there. That had to be part of his plan. He was playing behind our backs this whole time, scheming his way to the top. I hated him and I needed to confront him about what he was doing, but right now, I di
dn’t have a better choice.
I needed that key, and I needed his car. I couldn’t allow Basilio to do what he was going to do. I needed to stop him.
I got the key and hurried out. I opened the side door of the garage, sat behind the steering wheel, and then turned on the car. I waited until the door in front of me opened, and then stepped onto the accelerator with all the strength I had.
The guards were never going to allow me out, but they also couldn’t stop me. My palms were sweaty, but I knew I could do this.