For What Its Worth...Lust

Rocky

It's been at least 12 hours and the image of that damn red lily in the middle of her bed is still stuck in my head. I could barely sleep last night. My mind raced with all the possibilities of what my father could have done. Based on that note it was serious enough for them to want it to be paid for in blood. After a quick meeting at the office I headed over to my fathers. I need to know what's going on and I need to know now. Or at least know why the Amato mafia is back on our radar after so long.

I already know trying to have this conversation will be difficult. After their only attack took away my mothers life he was never the same. He was actually a decent father but that night changed something in him. The mafia was the only thing that mattered. He lived to make us the biggest and strongest mafia in the country. To the point where the company started to suffer because he didn't care to run it. It was also the night he took the choice to join away from me. My mother never wanted me involved in this life. But my father would need an heir eventually. They agreed that when I was old enough to fully weigh the consequences I'd decide. Until then most things that had to do with the mafia were kept away from me. It wasn't a secret but the details were always left out. Makes me wonder how different things would be if she were still around. As I pull into his driveway, flashbacks from that night fill my mind.

It was the summer before our senior year. Nick had convinced me to go to a party some girl he'd been messing with that summer was throwing. He said he had to give a good impression. I don't know what for. We both knew he'd be done with her once the semester started. I kept rejecting his attempts to convince me till he got my mother on his side. Of course he involved the one person I could never deny. "Go. Have some fun. All you've done this summer is train. Go be a teenager. Maybe find a decent girl to bring home to meet your mother. God knows I'm not getting any younger." Little did she know she wouldn't be getting any older either. When we walked up to the house we saw the chaos left behind. All of the men on shift outside were dead. The door was busted open. I ran straight in while Nick tried to see if any one was still alive. The place looked like a bomb went off. And then laying there in a puddle of deep crimson red was my mother, eyes wide open with a red spider lily between her lips with a note attached.

To pay for your sins- Amato

Behind me I heard the most painful cries I've ever heard. But my mind could barely process what I was seeing, let alone see who was crying. According to Nick it wasn't just my father who was screaming. I made my decision to join the mafia at that moment. To get revenge for my mother. But even if I hadn't, the choice was no longer mine.

After that night we never heard from Amato again. It was as if they just vanished. The only proof of their existence being my mothers gravestone and the haunting memories. I ignore the single tear run down my cheek. This is no longer about my past. But an innocent girl having to bear the sins of my father.

"Where is he? I'm not waiting for him to decide he wants to see me." I guess the look on my face shows just how pissed I am. I purposely wore all black today just in case things got messy. I know I won't have time between coming here and having to pick up Persephone. Everyone in the room points toward the direction of his office. As I'm walking I get a text. I look down to see an update and picture of Persephone laughing with her friend. It sends a wave of calmness over me which vanishes as soon as I lay eyes on my father.

"What the FUCK did you do?" I say barely able to contain my anger. He'll be lucky if I don't shoot him today.

"First off, don't speak to me like that. You still haven't taken over and even if you had I am still your father. Show some respect." Respect? He has to be joking.

" I'll respect you when you give me a reason to. Now let me repeat myself. What the fuck did you do?"

" I'm going to need you to clarify. I've done a lot of things in my time."

"What did you do to the Amato family?" His eyes widened. I don't think I've ever seen my father look so shocked. Even a hit of fear is present in his eyes.

"Why do you care to know?"

"Because not only have they taken my mother from me but they are now threatening to take someone else because of your actions."

"What do you care if some whore loses her life?" I think I'm finally seeing red. "Call her that again and I'll forget you are half of the reason I exist."He sits back. I can't tell if he's impressed or at the end of his patience.

"Don't you know? I killed the two most important women in his life. His wife and their unborn daughter." He smirks as if he is almost proud. I think I'm going to be sick. Out of all things this man has done in his life this may- no it is the worse he has ever done. That's when I realized why my mother never wanted this life for me. How could she ever want her son to become a monster? Is this what they expect from me too? My heart may be cold but it's still beating in my chest. How could he? Our women shouldn't be used as pawns in these sick games.

I realize I won't be able to have an actual conversation with my father today since I can barely look at him. So I start heading to the door, stopping to look over my shoulder for a second.

" I don't know how mom could love you for so long but I know she was disappointed in who you were and what you've become."

Running out to the car I call Nick to tell him to look into what I've been told. I know it even shocks him when his only response is okay. I head toward the store thinking about how much of a piece of shit my father is. It's like he doesn't care about the consequences of his actions . He only cared when he actually felt them. Because it was his wife this time. As if he hadn't done the same and worse to somebody else. As I pull up the guys I sent to watch Persephone walk out. They give me a full rundown of people that walked in today. Nothing out of the ordinary which is good. Then I feel eyes on me, turning around I see it's her. I nod signaling her to come outside. All I know now is that I need to keep her with me as long as possible. She won't be safe any other way.

As she walks out I open the car door for her to get in, inhaling her vanilla scent as she passes me. Allowing a wave of calm to wash over me. We're in the middle of the drive back when she starts to speak.

" So look, my door will be fixed tomorrow morning so I'll just grab my stuff and head to a hotel for the night." Her statement causes me to recklessly pull over. Is she crazy? She's not leaving, she can't. I look straight at her and say "No". I start the car up again to finish our drive ignoring all her questions along the way.