My Tragic Mafia Life | ✔️

64

The realization came. Josephine said, "Wait—you guys know what happened? Why Dante was acting like that?"

Camillo smiled in a way that she knew was not good. "Because mommy dearest just put a reward for anyone who can find out who the killer is."

She didn't know. She thought of Dante, an eighteen-year-old boy tasked with finding the person of his brother's murderer. She'd no sooner assumed that Cordelia was taking advantage of the fact of what completely this task implied. Cordelia had so much hope—so much to leave everything to him. She trusted him. She believed in him. All for a year.

But hope was something that withered over time.

Now it made sense. That was the purpose of tonight's party. That's what she was going to announce. Before Dante interrupted her.

"What's the reward?" She immediately asked, already alarmed.

Camillo shrugged. "Anything. Absolutely anything you can dream of. If Dante's going to keep acting like a baby then maybe I'll find the killer myself and get my own alliance from Cordelia. At least one of them is consistent."

"Anything," Josephine repeated. "Does that also mean..."

Lucia gave her a shrewd look. "Mafia leaders can make your wildest dreams come true. Especially Cordelia, who's been raging like a bitch for nearly a year. She'd probably kiss your feet if you brought the killer to her."

That made a difference. With everything. Josephine held her mind transfixed on possibilities. Because she had a thousand other ideas on what a reward could be. But didn't dare say what.

She did not want to raise hope to the sun only to see it melt away.

Like Cordelia, hope was a thin line.

Josephine swallowed. "So she's getting other people involved." If she thought Jubilee Lane was crowded, now it was going to be full of fat uncles and greedy cousins. It was anyone's game for the puzzle that had not been solved for a year.

"Please, can you blame her?" Lucia said. "Dante can barely make one decision before crying to mommy."

Valentina nestled furthered into her blanket, nodding. "She doesn't think Dante can figure it out. I mean, who can? It's been a year already and he hasn't figured out anything."

"This changes everything." The words were out before she realized.

Though Luca did nod in agreement, no one else seemed fazed by the news. A thrill of cold ran through her system. She couldn't compete with relatives—not when time wasn't on her hands and all priorities were drawn away.

"Don't you guys get it?" She said to the others, excluding Luca. "If anyone even thinks that a Russo did it you guys are going to war."

"Please, nothing will happen," Lucia said.

"You don't know that."

Camillo disagreed. "We have Dante on our side to help us with whatever things the Valencios can do. For example, we can go see the crime scene. I don't think his mommy will be so thrilled to let anyone just waltz in. They'd probably need to put in a request. But we"—there was a hard emphasis on the word, where to branched to everyone in the room—"get the advantage because I managed to catch the heir."

Josephine still wasn't convinced. "Considering the shitshow you pulled off today, I say all bets are off the table."

"It happens." He shrugged as if the damage he caused today was no little than a scratch on their bond. If there even was one. "Dante will get over it. So will his friends."