Son of the Boss

Traitor

O L I V I A

"Wake up!"

I cough violently as something wet splashes against my face. I try to blink the liquid away and a stone room comes into view.

Something moves quickly in front of me as my vision steadies.

"Again."

More liquid hits me in the face and I feel some of it get into my mouth. Warm and dirty tasting water.

"She's up," A voice mutters and I hear footsteps come near. "Should I do it again?"

"No, that's enough."

I try to focus on the figure in front of me and squint against the harsh lights to see an elderly man walking towards me.

He tips his fedora in my direction and leans closer towards me. A cigar hangs on the edge of his lips and he smells strongly of whiskey.

"Sweet, young Olivia."

"W-who are you?" I stammer out.

He steps back and smiles. He has to be at least in his late 70's or 80's. He's basically all wrinkles and his hair is nearly all silver except for a few black strands mixed in.

His smile widens to show his yellowing teeth. "I'm so happy I'm finally meeting you."

"Who are you?"

"My boy never introduced me," He says and clicks his tongue. "Adolfo Romano. Pleasure to meet you, darling."

It never really hit me that I'd never met Alessio's dad. I assumed with him being the don it wasn't going to happen anyways. I'd heard about him a few times through the house but he was almost like a phantom to me or just a name.

Putting a face to him felt so surreal.

He puffs oh his cigar, "A little star struck?"

He moves towards me again and blows a cloud of smoke towards my face. I cringe away from his closeness and cough.

A figure near him moves closer to us and I see the edge of a gun through the shadows.

"What do you want?" I cry out and try to rock against my restraints.

You'd think I'd be some kind of escape artist by this point.

"Well, you see..."He starts and looks back at someone. "It's more what I need from you, dear. Your family is unfortunately the cause of my late wife's death and my dear boy, Alessio, well he just can't seem to learn what is best for him and this family."

"I have nothing to do with that!"

He nods and his dark eyes run over me. "I'm aware of that but revenge is necessary at this point, darling. I should've taken care of this when we had the chance."

"I don't understand..."

"We've met before, dear." He smiles again. "I'm sure my brother filled you in."

I think back again to that night in New York when Tobias attacked me.

There had been a second man in the shadows with a heavy Italian accent.

It was him. Adolfo had really hunted me down at the same of twelve to avenge his wife. I was an easy target and I usually was always walking alone at night from the shop or school.

Who knows how long they'd been watching.

Mom always stayed home but my dad had been working from our home office for almost a year at this point. I could've been dead at any moment.

I had been living for years with a target right on my family.

He continues, "Forgive me, dear. It's just how this life works and it seems your father decided to wrap you and your mother up in this. So selfish of a man to try and hide his past from his loved ones knowing how deceitful his own father was."