Vendetta: Mysteries that surround it

Chapter 43

"Don't tell me you are in love with that boy, are you?"

Alexa whipped her head to look at her grandfather, "What the hell is wrong with you?! What nonsense are you spouting? Are you even listening to yourself?"

Inching closer he growled at her face, glaring right at her, "Glad you realize this is nonsense. Keep your feet on the ground or did you forget what happened twelve years ago?"

Alexandra's breath hitched at his words. She clenched her teeth and fists at the memory.

Dominic continued," He despises the likes of you. People like us, these drugs, weapons, and especially guns. You know that don't you?"

"And you know what the funny part is, Mia? He hated all this even before all of it happened."

Alexa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion," What?"

Smirking a little, the elder let out a giggle, "Ask him how his mom died. He might not have the memory of the incident from twelve years ago, but he can describe his mom's death WORD by WORD and SECOND by SECOND."

Alexa's eyes widened a little. Slightly shaking her head, she backed off a little," You are lying."

"I am not."

"And you know what the sad part is? You are nothing different from those people who took his mom away. You can't even say you have never harmed an innocent in your life. WILLINGINGLY."

Alexa's eyes dropped to her feet as the realization hit her.

What was I thinking?

Taking his glass of whisky, Dom took his seat back on the sofa.

"Let me ask you something, my child. Count it. How many innocents have you killed in your life?"

Alexa didn't need to think much about it. She thought about them every day. Every single goddamn day of her life.

"Fourteen." She whispered, audible enough to reach Dom's ears.

Chuckling a little, he shook his head.

"I knew you it. You weren't aware of the numbers yourself."

Alexa's eyes snapped at him and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The count is thirty-seven, Mia."

Letting out a sarcastic laugh Alexa shook her head, "Are you including the gangsters here? I think the count is pretty low for that."

Dominic gave her a small smile and placed his glass on the table, "No, Mia. I mean actual innocent civilians, the ones that are unrelated to our world. Are you forgetting those twenty- three lives?"

"What twenty-three lives?" Alexa felt her hands shaking, but she clenched her fist with the fear of breaking down.

"7th June. Four years ago, in Mexico. Do you remember something? What happened there?"

Alexa revised her memory from that year, thinking about what she did in Mexico.

It did not take her much time to remember the local gang they attacked because they had stolen hundred and forty-seven million dollars worth of drugs from their ship.

"Yes, I remember it."

"Then you must also remember you ordered Carter to blow up the building?"

Letting out a sigh, Alexa closed her eyes in frustration getting impatient second by second.

"What are you getting at?"

"Did you or did you not?"

"Yes, I did," Alexa grunted," dead bodies were lying in there, we could not have cleared so many. It's nothing new, what about it damn it!!?"

"You did not check the building did you?"

"What?"

"Did you know that building was an orphanage, Mia?"

Alexa's heart dropped to her stomach.

He's lying. He is playing with you. She tried to convince herself.

"It wasn't."

"It was. Your intel did not give you the complete information. That building was not of those lowly gangsters. It was an orphanage they had forcefully taken over."

Alexa felt her blood run cold as she finally connected the dots.

"W-What nonsense are you talking about," she spoke out of her quivering lips.

"I am not talking nonsense, Mia. And you know what the funny part is? Those twenty-two children with their one caretaker were locked up in the basement. Begging to be let out and you blew them alive," a small laugh erupted from his throat.

Her knees finally gave up and she landed on the marble floor with a loud thud, "You keep lying. You keep lying fucking again and again. It's not possible." She kept whispering to herself while looking at her shaky hands.

Smirking Dom got back on his feet. He walked up to her and crouched in front of her.

Slowly caressing her head he spoke with a soft tone," You won't believe this old man's words. Then why don't you ask Carter yourself? Don't you trust that kid more than anyone in the gang?"

Alexa's eyes widened and her head shot up to look at her grandfather.

"He knew?" A slight, barely audible whisper escaped her mouth.

"All along," Dom replied. 

Alexa's heart broke piece by piece.

And he never told me?

While slowly removing her hair from her face Dominic continued," I really thought I would never tell you this, Mia. I thought I would take this to my grave. But what to do? You did not leave me with any choice."

"Now tell me. Can you look into the eyes of either of those two after all this? The mafias killed the lady of Belincias' household. You were raised in the heart of that world, Mia. And that orphan? Huh! You killed twenty-two of his kind with your own two hands."

Alexa stayed silent as she quietly looked down at her knees.

No, please no! There is blood again! There is blood on my hands again.

She tried to rub her hands, to get off the blood. But it won't work.

Dominic noticed how his granddaughter was trembling in fear. A victorious smirk made it to his face as he knew he pushed her right buttons.

He knew very well what her weaknesses were. And he knew damn well how to use them.

Dom placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "Leave for Italy tonight. Prepare for the ambush, don't let these emotions get to you. Love. Mia, that is a luxury an heir to such a huge empire can't afford. Your father chose it and look where it landed him and his love."

Silence.