Gia

I snuck out of my office when Sonny was in the kitchen grabbing a bite to eat with Faith. He wheeled her down the hall in the stroller and left one of his men to stand guard. I told his replacement I had women things to handle, pretended to go into the bathroom, and then rode the elevator upstairs to my father’s office.

My curiosity was still on high alert after I flipped through the file folders a few days before. I was sure my father had hidden something from me. We were selling off property and stock left and right as if we were in the middle of a fire sale. It drove me crazy when Angelo kept even the smallest secret from me, and even more insane when my dad did the same. He became more closed off after my mother’s death, keeping his distance from me. Dad used City Hall and his campaign for mayor as an excuse to stay away. But there had to be more to the story.

Once inside the office, I locked the door and went straight to the filing cabinet. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Sonny that much I knew without checking. He called me a few more times, all of which I didn’t bother to answer. Sonny knew where I’d be if he wanted to find me.

In a hurry, I tugged open the top drawer of the cabinet, pulled out a stack of folders, and dropped them onto the desk. I looked through the first file, about to read through the next, by the time Sonny banged on the door.

“C’mon, Gia, open up. I know you’re in there.”

I glanced at the door and sighed, knowing he would bang the damn thing down if I didn’t let him in. But I kept on going, too determined to uncover the truth. When I was in law school, I loved the research aspect of the job. Contracts were also my specialty. I knew where to look on each document and what kind of paper trail I should expect to see in its place.

Maybe if I stayed still, he would go away, or at least it was what I’d thought. Sonny jiggled the handle, a few seconds passing where he toyed with the lock before he burst inside.

He shook his head, irritated with me. “Gia, you have to stop doing this. Remember what I told you about your curiosity.”

“I won’t be the cat, Sonny,” I shot back, shuffling through the stack of folders on the desk. “You worry too much about me.”

“Someone has to worry. You’ve always gone running off on your own. Ever since we were kids, you had to be part of everything. Have you ever stopped to consider some things are hidden for a reason?” He rolled a sleeping Faith over to the desk and sat in the chair across from me. “What are you even looking for? Dusty land documents aren’t going to get you far.”

I let out a groan of frustration. “I have no idea. When it jumps out at me, I’ll let you know. My dad is keeping secrets from me.” I fisted the folder in my hand, mentally cursing my father for making me go on this witch-hunt. “Why are we selling so much of our holdings to the Morelli family? I know my dad feels obligated to pay Angelo Sr. back for buying me, but he has to be paid back by now. At this rate, I won’t have a company left to run. I’m not even sure we’re in the business of building anymore. Was this ever a construction company, or did we only buy land and manufacturing equipment to pretend we were legit?”

Sonny leaned back and kicked his dress shoe up on the edge of the desk to get comfortable. “I’d ask you to come back downstairs with Faith and me, but I have a feeling you will fight me until you find something.”

“Either help me or get out.” I pointed at the door, attempting to keep a straight face, and failed miserably.

We both laughed, our voices loud enough to cause Faith to stir in her stroller. She was a good baby and slept as much as she ate. I lucked out with her.

Sonny huffed. “Fine. Just tell me what to do. If digging through papers will make you feel better, give me some.”

I shoved a few file folders across the desk at Sonny. “Flip through them and look for anything suspicious with the transactions.”

“Street smart,” he said, pointing at his head, “not book smart. I’m not like you and Angelo.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s not that hard, Son. Look at the numbers on the papers and make sure they match up. Check the bank wires and transfers.”

He opened the folder and sat it on his lap, his eyes scanning the papers. “I’ll do my best.”

Sonny never gave himself enough credit. There were plenty of times he’d gotten Angelo or me out of a jam because of his ability to think and act on the fly. Like Angelo, Sonny never saw himself as anything more than a thug and a loyal foot soldier in the Morelli army. A humble servant of the man who owned everyone and everything in this damn city.

Following Sonny’s lead, I flipped through the folder, giving each one special care. Land transfer agreements were the most common documents I found, accompanied by the necessary banking transactions. My father sold most of the properties to Angelo Sr. for one hundred dollars, some of which were given to my soon-to-be father-in-law without much consideration. We were already building townhouses and an apartment building on three of the properties. Construction stopped once the sales were finalized.

Our company was falling apart, one favor at a time. Based on the ledgers hidden in my father’s office, Carlini Construction wouldn’t make it another year. We had too many Made men on our payroll. At one time, the Morellis guaranteed we would win the bids for high profile developments. Now, they were stealing them for themselves, even though they had no intention of following through.

Things worked differently in their world. When a mob-run company won a bid for a project, the money was split between the crews. Jobs over three million dollars were a windfall for the Philadelphia crime family. Everyone got a piece of the pie. The only time any of them came into the building was to hit on secretaries or collect their free paychecks.

The further I dug into the pile of folders, the angrier I became. I balled my hands into fists, grinding my teeth together. Angelo had a birthright, and he chose his path. My family’s company was mine, and I was so close to losing it. Not until I reached the last folder in the stack did I begin to see red.

Instead of a bunch of boring legal documents, I found photos of my mother’s murder, along with police reports and the life insurance policy my father collected on her behalf. She was worth ten million dollars. My entire body tensed, the muscles so taut I hadn’t realized I was squeezing the folder until Sonny spoke.

“You okay? Something bugging you, G?”

I glanced up from the paper, my lip curled up in anger. “My mom. She was worth ten million dollars.” He stared at me, confused, so I continued, “My dad used the money to pay for a piece of land that occupies the same area as Pitt Steel. And then he sold it Angelo Sr. through one of his shell companies.”

Sonny held out his hand. “Let me see.”

I gave him the folder, my anger shaking right through me. My body trembled from the fury that burned my skin. “Was my mother’s death an accident? For the longest time, I thought Enzo was responsible for murdering my mom. Especially after I was taken.”

“You think it was your dad? I don’t get it. Why would your dad kill your mom to pay off Mr. Morelli? The sale of the property was a few months after your mom died.”

Tears burned my eyes threatening to spill out. I had no idea how to respond. What was I supposed to think? My father had been distant after my mother’s death, but I’d assumed it was because he was mourning and wanted to grieve alone.

I covered my face with my hands and sighed. “Please tell me I’m completely off base and that this is all a coincidence. My dad has the same ring as one of the men who kidnapped me. The life insurance money he collected for my mom is the same amount he used to pay off a property tied to Pitt Steel. What’s next? Is he going to sell that company, too?” I lowered my hands to look at Sonny, a stray tear falling from my eye.

“Some things are better left in the past,” Sonny muttered. He said the same thing to me all the time, and yet it never registered with me. “I’m so sorry, Gia. If your dad was responsible, I could take care of it for you.”

Looking over at Faith, I let out the breath I was holding. “You mean?”

He nodded. “Unless you want to do it yourself.”

I shook my head.

Sonny was offering to kill my father for me. If anyone avenged my mother, it would be me. I was too hungry for the truth, desperate for knowledge. My curiosity had always gotten the best of me. I hated secrets, had to know what everyone was hiding from me.

In my father’s case, I would have been better off not knowing. He never thought much of allowing me into his office because I never snooped on him. My only parent was never a prime suspect in one of my many investigations, which was why I hadn’t looked for answers until the lies and secrets started to compound.

“Your dad was next to you and Angelo on the balcony at the fundraiser when it happened. I think you’re giving your dad more credit. He’s not like Angelo and me. I doubt he would know the first thing about making a car bomb.”

“Angelo told me about the fake fire at Vitale’s and what that guy said to him about my dad not being innocent. He’s been friends with Sean O’Shea for almost as long as Angelo Sr. The Irish are known for their car bombs.”

“So are we, G. That was how Mr. Morelli killed Jimmy Scags back in the day. It doesn’t prove a thing.”

“The papers tell me everything I need to know.” I pointed at the folder in his hand. “My dad’s smart, but not smart enough to delete his paper trail. He’s always kept a trail as proof of the favors he repaid to Angelo Sr. in case he needed to use it against him.”

“All he did was build a case against himself.” Sonny smirked and slid the folder across the desk to me. “Not too smart.”

“Unfortunately, this proves nothing. The fact he used my mother’s life insurance policy to pay off the balance he owed on land we were going to use to expand our steel manufacturing operation is nothing more than a coincidence, and without any evidence left behind, the police were unable to make any connections. The car was blown to bits along with my mom. The cops had nothing to fingerprint and no link back to the person who made the bomb.”

Sonny pushed himself up from the chair and came over to my side of the desk. “I think you’re on to something.”

“But we have to prove it. I can’t walk into City Hall and accuse my dad of murdering my mom without something to substantiate my accusation.”

“You sound like a lawyer,” he deadpanned.

I smirked. “Because I am a lawyer. Now, help me find the missing pieces. They have to be somewhere in this office.”

* * *

Three hours later, Sonny and I were on the floor with papers and ledgers everywhere. Faith was on her puzzle piece blanket next to me, propped up against my thigh. She swatted her tiny hand at me to get my attention, and when I looked over at her and smiled, she giggled. I kissed her on top of her head, breathing in the scent of her baby shampoo, the smell burrowing into my nostrils.

Part of me felt guilty for searching for evidence against my father, especially when I had Faith to think about. She was already down one grandparent. Her other grandfather was a sadistic criminal. At least Angelo’s mother was a sweet woman who would do anything for Faith.

My stomach rumbled around six o’clock. Faith heard it and leaned closer, attempting to touch my stomach with her hand. “Mommy’s hungry,” I told her in my baby voice.

“So is Uncle Sonny,” Sonny added. “But I think I found something.”

I lifted Faith in my arms and sat her on my lap, facing Sonny. She smiled when she saw him, her eyes lighting up. His stiff features softened when he locked on to Faith.

“What did you find?”

He bit the inside of his cheek, a sure tell Sonny was nervous. After twenty years of friendship, I knew Sonny as well as I knew Angelo.

“Your dad was responsible for the accident.”

His revelation made my entire body grow rigid. Even Faith noticed my tension. She tilted her head back to look up at me, and the first tear began to fall, followed by a rainfall I couldn’t stop once it started. I’d been trying to keep my shit together for the past few hours, all while hoping my father was innocent, and that the life insurance policy was a coincidence.

Sonny moved next to me and took Faith from me, hugging us both against his thick chest. He smelled spicy and manly. I laid my head on his shoulder and sobbed for my mother. Cried out in pain for her. I mourned the loss of her, the loss of my father’s humanity.

Where did we go wrong? We were supposed to be the good guys. He was never supposed to be like the Made men he grew up with.

“Are you sure?” I glanced up at Sonny who nodded in affirmation.

“I’m sorry, G. I found a lot of small cash withdraws and a note that says, O’Shea ten-thirty.”

I stopped crying long enough to choke out, “The time my mother was murdered.”

He held me tight, whispering he was sorry into my ear, as he comforted both Faith and me. My daughter was crying now too, mostly because she was mimicking me. Sonny kissed each of us on the head and wrapped us up in his warmth.

Faith had no idea why her mother was so upset. Now that I was a mother, I understood what my mom went through for all those years. It killed her on the inside how my father made a living. She wanted a better life for me, one that didn’t involve the Mafia. I wanted that for my daughter, too. But would I ever be free?

I would never leave Angelo. He was my entire world. My heart didn’t beat without him in my life. Faith deserved a father, one who could provide for her. Angelo was that man. Even though he had his flaws, he was a good man. He loved us unconditionally and would do anything to protect us. That’s why I didn’t understand why my father would betray me. Why he would betray my mother’s trust.

Husbands and wives said vows, promised to love each other until death do they part. Did he ever love my mom? For years, my father stood by and allowed her to fall to pieces. He watched her crumbled and break into tiny slivers of the woman we once knew. I never had a real mother because of him. Not until the night of her death did I see the woman I used to admire. And then he killed her.

“How could he do this?” I screamed the words, tears streaming down my face. “How could he do this to her? To me? My dad said everything he ever did was for us.”

“Some people place their own survival above those they love,” Sonny muttered, stroking my hair. “They’re called cowards. Your dad cared more about pleasing Mr. Morelli and saving his own ass. I wish that weren’t true, but the paper trail doesn’t lie. He was stupid for keeping a record of everything, but at least he did. Otherwise, you never would have known the truth. So, what do you want me to do?”

I shrugged. “Take us home, I guess. Angelo promised to be home by seven for dinner. I need to talk to him.”

Sonny rubbed my back to soothe me. “Sure thing, boss lady.”

I smiled. Like Angelo, Sonny always knew the right thing to say, even though nothing and no one could truly comfort me at my darkest hour.

My father was a murderer.

Whether he pulled the trigger or not, he set everything into motion. He killed my mother, all because of his stupid loyalty and fear of the vilest man I’d ever known.