Vittoria

12. Massacre

After Theodore mentioned the name Malin Gagliardi, my mind went into a frenzy.

A million things crossed through my mind, along with a million questions.

Where had I heard this name before? Why did it sound so familiar? Who was Malin Gagliardi?

We spent about 30 minutes in the office as Theodore was updated on his shipments, his businesses and the whereabouts of a few of his other men.

As our meeting came to a close, Theodore stood up, nodded his head towards the men and we began walking out the door.

"Who is Malin Gagliardi?" I questioned as he guided me towards another door in the hall.

Unlocking the door, Theodore walked in and immediately went to a desk sitting in front of an entirely glass wall.

Ignoring me, he began shuffling through some paperwork while typing away at his keyboard. I walked over to his desk and slammed his laptop shut.

"I said, who is Malin Gagliardi." pissed that he wasn't replying. Theodore flew up and wrapped his hand around my neck pressing my back flush against the cold window.

"Watch yourself." Was all he said as he stared into my soul.

Letting go he blew out a frustrated sigh and walked over to what appeared to be a mini bar in his office. Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he threw it back in a single gulp staring blankly across the room.

"Look Theo," I began.

"Do not call me that." He hissed, pouring another glass.

Rolling my eyes I continued, "What's happening right now affects the both of us. Neither of us wants to be sitting here in each others presence having to deal with one another. But that's just it. We have to deal with each other. This is going to be so much more miserable if we can't even have a simple conversation without you trying to kill me. Now like I asked before; who is this Malin Gagliardi?"

Now on his second glass of whiskey, Theo looked over at me. Anger visible by the veins protruding from his neck.

"Gagliardi is the new leader of the American Mob. Four months ago he murdered the former leader — his father — along with any other heirs. His mother, two sisters, and older brother," His accent thick.

Walking over to a couch, Theo took a seat motioning for me to take one across from him.

"Malin was the youngest of the family, making it virtually impossible for him to ever become leader. Clearly he had other plans; it looks as though during the night when everyone was asleep, Malin recruited some of his fathers men and massacred his entire family. The next evening Gagliardi showed up to an event with a completely new front line. Along with these new men, Malin broke off several alliances his father had previously made." Running a hand through his hair, Theodore continued.

"The alliance between us, and the Americans being one of them. All hell broke loose that night. Several other mafias turned against one another. Malin and his men escaped and have been MIA since then, until we found that son of a bitch lurking near Julianna's house," Theo said with a scowl covering his face.

I took a moment processing what he just said, a lightbulb going off in my head reminding me where I'd heard the name.

"Malin Gagliardi? My papa has been talking about him recently," I said. "Papa said that the Americans had intercepted a few of our shipments, killing dozens of our men."

"What was taken?" Theodore asked, his gaze lingering on my face.

"I don't really know...Papa didn't really let me get involved with certain things ," I answered honestly looking down at my hands.

After a moment of silence, I peeked up at Theo who was staring at me. His eyes studied my face as he sat leaning with his arms over the back of the couch, legs spread wide.

"We're heading home, I have some business to tend to tonight. I'm leaving at 10," Theo stood from his seat. Walking back to his desk, he grabbed his phone and made his way to the door. Opening it, he turned towards me waiting for me to meet him.

We passed the same red head as before when she greeted him once more, "Have a nice day Mr. Quintiliani." She smiled exposing her chest even more. Theo gave her a slight nod before leading us towards the elevator. As the doors shut heading for the ground floor I asked, "How many times have you fucked her?"

Chuckling he responded, "Only once. I was drunk and she came to my office." His voice so low I felt my stomach flip.

When we emerged from the building, Lance was waiting in the same spot we left him.

Did he even leave?

After we pulled away from the building, I checked my phone; more messages from my father. I saw Mamma had video called while we were in the meeting.

Dialing her number, I waited anxiously until she picked up on the third ring.

"Oh mio tesoro! Mi manchi così tanto, come stai?" She smiled through the screen.

Oh my darling! I miss you so much, how are you?

"Ciao Mamma! Sto bene, mi manchi anche tu. Dove sono i ragazzi? Posso vederli?" I asked missing the boys.

Hi Mamma! I'm fine, I miss you too. Where are the boys? Can I see them?

"Emilio! Romano! Sono Vittoria, vieni a salutarti!" Mamma shouted somewhere off camera.

Emilio! Romano! It's Vittoria, come say hi!

I heard the sound of the boys racing towards Mamma as they came into frame.

"Vito! Dove sei?" Romano asked, his face much too close to the camera.

Vito! Where are you?

"Perché non sei tornato a casa?" Emilio's sad face came into view. I felt a prick at my heart hearing the boys confusion.

Why haven't you come home?

"Ciao amori miei! Mi dispiace di non essere ancora tornato a casa. Ho dovuto trasferirmi in un altro posto, prometto che tornerò presto per visitarlo! Vi porterò anche dei dolcetti!" I smiled into the camera.

Hi my loves! I'm sorry I haven't been home yet. I had to go elsewhere, but I promise I'll be back soon to visit! I'll even bring you boys some treats!

"Che tipo di dolcetti?" The boys asked in unison.

What kind of treats?

"That's a secret. I guess you'll just have to wait and find out!" I teased.

The boys began giggling before running after each other out the room as Mamma came back to the phone.

"Have you spoken to your father? Yesterday he said he called you but.." she trailed off, shame clearly in her eyes.

"No Mamma. I haven't. I just need time. For Papa to just...sell me off as a business deal — I don't know. I'll talk to him soon I promise," I smiled sadly.

Nodding once, Mamma gave me a small smile before telling me goodbye and hanging up. Glancing over I noticed Theodore watching me silently. Brushing it off I laid my head against the window, slowly drifting off to sleep the rest of the ride home.