Page 43 of Mafia Scars

“She’s not here.” I declared. “Claudius has her. They’re on their way.” That was also me trying to tell myself that.

His face contorted into a frown, and he glared at me.

“What happened?”

I shook my head. “You… bastard.”

I’d never spoken to him like that before. Maybe that’s why he’d picked me over Claudius. Then again, maybe even that was some kind of a farce. He’d looked at both of us that day and picked me. Maybe he thought of the two of us Amelia would like me more. I hated that he was right.

“Why’s my daughter with Claudius?”

“I’ll ask the questions here. You set me up for this, and all these weeks, I’ve wanted to speak to you, but you refuse to talk on the phone, and you refuse to talk to anyone else.”

He lowered his gaze, and when he looked back up to me, his eyes glossed over with what I thought looked like guilt.

“I’m sorry about that, son. I had my reasons.”

“What the fuck’s going on, Raphael?” I couldn’t help the desperation in my voice. All I wanted right now was my girl, and I didn’t even know if she was safe. “Who is doing this to us? And why didn’t you just send me to LA to get Amelia? Why the secrecy? Why tell me all that shit about marrying your daughter before I could take the lead on the business?”

“The phones were bugged and… I can’t speak to anyone here.”

“My father is your best friend and confidant. You’re telling me you couldn’t tell him anything?”

“The person… the person who’s doing this is a friend we both had in common. We used to run as a trio. I’m not ready to lose your father’s friendship yet.” His cheeks flushed.

“Who is it?”

“I prefer to tell you and Amelia together. Let’s wait until she gets here.”

Like hell. “Fuck that, Raphael. You have no idea what shit I’ve been through, and look at me, I don’t even know where my girl is.”

Something flickered in his eyes past the guilt. In the space of seconds, the man looked younger, as if given new life.

It was something I said. What did I say to make him react that way?

My girl...

That was it.

“You… love her,” he observed.

“What?”

“You love her. I can see it written all over you.”

My eyes widened, and my heart skipped several beats.

Why did that surprise me? It shouldn’t. Didn’t I know I’d been in love with Amelia from the first time I saw her? And all these weeks.

She was important to me and became so from the day I started calling her mine.

My girl.

“It’s irrelevant how I feel if she doesn’t want me.”

He bit the inside of his lip. “Why wouldn’t she?”

“I’m a mobster, Raphael. She hates our kind, and she won’t live our life.”