Page 32 of Vows of a Mobster

“Let’s go to the side building,” I tilted my head towards it. It was where we went when we didn’t want ears nor eyes.

We walked to the building in silence and entered using my fingerprint. Antonio and my guard were at my back, while Declan’s brothers were at his.

Once we entered, I turned to Giovanni and barked out the order. “Sit down, Giovanni.”

I fucking hated every second of this and we barely got started. He obeyed right away, a hard resolution in his eyes.

“What were you doing in Irish territory?” I asked him in a forced calm voice, while fury boiled inside me.

“Helping a friend,” he replied.

“What friend?” I questioned.

“You don’t know her.”

I raised my eyebrow. “That’s not what I asked.”

“She has no connection to our world,” Giovanni’s voice was firm, no trace of a lie in it. His eyes told me he wouldn’t change his mind in his answer, no matter what. “I won’t put her in danger, just to satisfy either one of your curiosities.”

I had to give it to my young cousin. His resolute answer had me raising my respect for him a notch.

“Our cousin disappeared that night and he was last seen entering that warehouse you exited,” Declan snarled.

Giovanni turned his head to him, honesty in his eyes. “I never saw your cousin, whoever he was. When I got there, all I did was help my friend.”

“Then give us her name so we can confirm.”

“No.”

“Then you are lying,” Declan accused him. I stood with my hands crossed at my back, studying the exchange. Giovanni wasn’t lying but he wasn’t telling the whole truth either.

“I never saw your cousin.” Giovanni met Declan’s eyes, unwavering.

“Fine, we’ll go the hard way.” Declan started rolling up his sleeves and I ground my teeth.

“Declan, you won’t get more out of Giovanni,” I told him in a calm, uncaring voice. My enemies could never gauge whether they pissed me off or not. It was my biggest asset.

“You can’t expect me to just believe his word and let it go? Our cousin, our blood, went missing the same night and same place this fucking guy was seen. He told my brother he’d be in that warehouse that night. Your foot soldier got him. It only makes sense.”

I glanced at Giovanni. There was a stubborn determination on his face, his jaw clenching tightly and his lips pressed in a firm line. There was a slight tilt to his head, like he was trying to tell me it was okay. He could handle it, but it still didn’t sit well. I protected my family, not let the fucking Irish question them.

I gave a nod to Declan, a permission to start his questioning method and it was the most bitter decision I had to live with. It was either that or war. Whatever Giovanni was doing there that night, he shouldn’t have been there. Not without my knowledge. I really didn’t need this shit today.

Declan’s fists connected with Giovanni’s face. Each punch was harder than the last.

“Now tell me,” Declan spat out. “What happened to my cousin?”

Giovanni’s face was bruised, blood covering one side of his eye. “I don’t know your cousin. I was there to help a friend.”

Declan threw himself at him, ready to rain more punches and I gripped his shoulders, pulling him back.

“You can question him,” I hissed at him, “but not kill him.”

“There is no way he could have been there and not seen our cousin,” Declan’s younger brother, Bran, chimed in.

I raised my eyes to the young man. “You need to learn to shut your mouth till it is your place to talk,” I growled, my cool slowly slipping away. My family was everything to me. It was my responsibility to protect them.

“Giovanni, I understand you want to protect your friend-”