Outsider - Book Two

Chapter 15

Cece was still pressed between Julian and the wall. His arm was on her chest, below her neck. Refusing to let her move.

Her heart had completely stopped beating. It felt like her whole world had been picked up and shaken, she had been thrown around the room like a weightless rag doll.

'What did you just say?' She had to re-check with Julian.

'It was Giovanni Rossi.' He had an evil snicker across his face. She wanted to smack it off but she felt paralyzed.

'You're lying!'
'I'm not!'
'Yes! Yes you are, because there is no way on earth that Giovanni would condemn my father to death. There is no reason behind it.'
'I can't stand here and tell you why he did it, but I know that he did.'

'Stop LYING!' Cece pushed Julian back with more force than she thought she was capable of.

He stumbled back, almost losing his footing. She punched him in the face, she wasn't even sure who it hurt more. He was unshaken by the punch and she went to go do it again but missed. Julian was the same height as her, so it was making her punches uncomfortable.

'Why would you say that?!' She yelled. Julian just smiled, rubbing his jaw.
'It's not fun when it's happening to you hey? How would you like it if I went to go stalk your brother?' He asked.

'Leave my brother alone!' She pushed Julian back again.
'Leave Zoie alone.' She went to hit him but he jumped out of the way, catching her arm and pining her to the wall. Her cheek pressing into the paint.

He leaned in close.

'You don't believe me, fine! But it's the truth, you wanna know the whole story? Gonna have to find that one out yourself.' The office doors opened and out walked Kaden.

'What the hell are you two doing out here?' He accused. Cece was still facing the wall. She didn't believe Julian, she couldn't believe Julian.

Julian unpinned her arm and stepped back to the other side of the hall.
Cece turned around silently, mer mind racing in a million different directions.

There was just no way Giovanni had something to do with her fathers death. He took her in after he died, he cared for her mother who was too depressed to even get out of bed.

Her father was loyal, by default.

'HEY?!' Kaden shouted. Julian raised his hands in defense. Cece snapped out of her haze, looking up at the brothers. A snicker still lingered on Julian's face.

'Nothing!' Cece spoke.
Kaden looked over at her as she brushed hair out of her face. She didn't say another word.
Julian told her to figure it out herself. Cece had never trusted the Ramos' brothers but she could feel the truth from what Julian had said.

Maybe he was just trying to deflect it off his father.

But then again he had been so brutally candor about who his father was. This was all starting to make her head hurt.
Giovanni had attended the funeral though. He'd actually paid for it way back when. There was no sense to any of it.

One way or another though, she had to know the truth.

Cece was sitting at the dinning table in the hotel, Giovanni across from her. She couldn't stop staring at him, studying his face to see if any of it moved in a way that would scream "I ratted to the FBI on your father."

But there was no hint.

It had been twenty years, maybe he had perfected the lie.

She couldn't take the not knowing anymore. It felt like he had died all over again, her heart breaking into a million pieces and she had no idea who to trust. Who to even believe.
The thought that this man had killed him made her skin crawl.
After the things she had done for him! The things she had done with him, she wanted to reach across the table and shake him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" She'd ask. "TELL ME WHAT YOU DID?" But she sat silently, watching.

Still the thought stayed at the front of her mind.

'I have a question.' She finally spoke, breaking the silence. He was flicking through the paper and eating some steak.
'Yes!' He replied, not looking up at all.

'Why didn't you want me to find the truth about my father?' She asked, her head held high.
Vanni sighed loudly and dropped his fork on the plate. Making a loud clinking noise.

'This again? Are we serious?' He shook his head.

'I just mean, I don't understand. You had nothing to lose from finding the truth about him. You were close with my father. You even paid for his funeral, don't you want to know the truth?'

'There is no truth Francesca. Your father was shot, IN FRONT OF YOU! For killing an FBI agent, there is nothing hidden.' He remarked.
'The FBI shouldn't have killed him. He didn't have any weapons on him, he wasn't even doing anything but trying to get up off the ground. If the FBI really were trying to do their job they would have just tased him and put handcuffs on him.'

'Well you know two of those men they are now in the news for being dirty. They saw an opportunity to kill a man to protect their own lies and they did so.'
'But there was no reason for it! What lies?!'
'That is enough now Francesca, there is no use dwelling on the past.'

'Unless they shot him to keep him from saying something in a court room.' She went on.
'Francesca.'
'There had to be a real reason, a proper reason they killed him on the street. He knew something, something that wasn't allowed to be put public.'
'Francesca.'
'Did you know that Perrows man? The one that was found to be a rat?! Why was he in New York if he lives in LA? Did he have a job here, was he working for you?'

'THAT IS ENOUGH!' Giovanni slammed his fist down on the table, making the glass and cutlery rattle. 'You have an obsession with the past. Your father died due to police brutality, and if the Ramos' did have something to do with it - it doesn't matter now because they will all come to and end soon. If I hear one more word of this....'
'You'll what?' She interrupted.

'What did you just say to me?' His voice was low but vicious.
'What will you do?!' She questioned.
'Your father is dead, let...it...rest!' He demanded. They locked eyes, neither flinching.

She stood up and walked to the end of the table.

'You said IF the Ramos' had anything to do with it. When I first came to you, you convinced me they did. And IF they didn't, I will find out who it was.' She spoke, she walked off down the hall to the bedroom.
She was hot headed right now.

She had felt it when he spoke, he had lied. His eyes were cold and empty. Cece had to know the truth.
Why didn't Giovanni just tell her the truth? Was Julian really right? Did he have something to do with her fathers death?
If he did, she'd avenge him. She'd kill Giovanni even if she had to take down the whole New York Syndicate along with him.