That voice was different. With a furrowed brow and a clouded gaze, I forced myself to look at the person in the passenger seat. When the man turned around, my body was shaken by violent tremors and my sobs were silenced by the most grotesque of terrors.
I had never seen anything like that in my life.
That was hardly a man’s face anymore.
It was covered in cuts and bruises, but where a nose should have been, there were only two hideous holes. It was like looking at the face of a skeleton.
“W-Who are you?” I managed to say, my hands clinging fervently to the seatbelt.
The figure laughed, becoming even more hideous, terrifying.
“A good friend of Don Vicari’s.”
“Wh—Why?”
Another burst of laughter. Loud, hysterical, bordering on madness. “You didn’t really think he was going to do the dirty work himself, did you?”
I shuddered, my dinner rising in my throat. A whistling sound pierced my ears and made my skull throb.
No, no, no. He wouldn’t do something like that to me.
“You’re tricking me… Camillo would be incapable of it.” I dared to say, because my heart refused to believe it and, for the first time, my head agreed.
Then, the stranger gave voice to my nightmare. “You shouldn’t doubt it, Signorina. Don Vicari only killed Senator Jones personally because the matter concerned his brother and his cousin. But you were just hisputtanella. It doesn’t justify Don Vicari getting his hands dirty.”
Only I, Camillo, and Luca knew the truth about the senator’s murder. If that man was in on it too, it was because…
My chest rose and fell frantically. I tried to gasp for air, tried to keep my thoughts in order, but before I could do anything, my body doubled over and a torrent of tears poured from my insides.
I was collateral damage after all.
Chapter 49
Camillo Vicari
August, 2025
Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
Iwandered through the parking lot, my eyes scanning the area for the vehicle. It wasn’t unusual for Martino to move the SUV whenever a security issue arose; what was strange was that I hadn’t been informed. I wondered if Daisy had asked him to go somewhere. He didn’t like her very much, but I knew full well that my Piccola Furetta could charm even the toughest of men.
My phone vibrated in my blazer pocket, and I sighed, shaking my head and a smile tugging at my lips.
She surely charmed Martino.
As soon as I saw aprivate numberon the screen, my heart sank. Our security system was flawless and designed to block those kinds of calls. With dread pooling in my chest, I answered.
“Pronto?”
“Ciao, Don Vicari!” My breathing quickened and my fingers tightened around the phone. “We’re already taking Signorina Parker to the slaughter. Soon, you’ll have access to the cameras so you can watch from the comfort of your villa. As you can hear, Signorina Parker didn’t take the news well.” Daisy’s desperate sobs echoed from the other end of the line, and the world seemed to shatter beneath my feet. “Have abuonanotte, ‘Padrone’.”
He hung up.
I stood there, the phone pressed to my ear, frozen in the middle of that parking lot, until my teeth clenched and a roar of hatred shattered the night, dropping me to my knees. Sweat was pouring down my body as if I were standing in a downpour. With frantic movements, realizing the magnitude of what had just happened, I dialed Luca’s number.
“Don Camillo?”
“How could this happen, Luca?” I gasped, fear and hatred shaking me. The realization that Martino Accuri had betrayed me hit me with the force of a punch.