Balotelli-Bale Series Book #4: THE OTHER MAN PART 1

Chapter 39: Parents

A/n: New Chapter

"...a child may forget what was spent on them
but even when they grow up, they will never forget who was there for them when they needed it the most..."

Mancini's POV
"Signor? Do you have a minute?"

"Come in. What do you have for me?"

"The plot thickens." Russo chuckled. "The man Katya wants dead, his name is Jason Burke. He is this woman's husband." He placed a photograph of a beautiful young woman in front of me. Her eyes. It's always her eyes that does it for me. Put aside the innocence of her face, her nature, Keira is a beautiful young woman. She seems to be in my path and I can't help but feel that it means something.

"Now why would Katya want her husband dead?"

"I think Katya and Nicko are working together on this."

"Si. He likes this young woman."

"So much so that he assaulted the man. He was arrested for it and also accused of abducting Keira."

"Is he still in jail?"

"His grandmother bailed him out. Our source at the precinct where he was taken says that Keira told the investigating detective that her husband nearly beat her to death. According to her, Nicko saved her life. What's your move?"

"Do we know where this man is?"

"He is moving around a lot but our man is staying close. He was last seen in a casino in Las Vegas."

"I think I see a way to kill two birds with one stone. I have Katya working for me and I get to leverage Nicko to play my game." I smiled. "I want this man dead by the end of the week. Make sure that Nicko is implicated in his murder."

"I'll get on that."

This is the noose I'll use to hang Nickolas. I have been looking for ways to trap him and he is finally out of moves. I will have him exactly where I want him.

Marianna's POV
Nicko and I have had our share of disagreements. I can't say we are an exemplary pair. We bicker, we argue and we hood grudges. He's not easy to deal with. Tony understands me or better yet he knows how to yield. Nicko purposely fights me on everything. I hate to lose. He hates to lose. Losing is just not an option for either one of us. But it's not a victory either when a son is detached from his mother. I have been through so much with that boy. He doesn't even know.

It's because I love him more than I would like to win that I'm here today. I'm in Manhattan. I'm in front of his house. I have never been here before. For seven years he has lived here and I have never visited. It's a big house. It's not as big as the villa in Tuscany but it's a big house in an affluent neighborhood. I'm happy he has been doing well for himself. I'm also sad that Helena has fired him and disinherited him.

Nicko is a lot like Nate. They can't stay idle. When they are idle they are self destructive. Nicko loves to work. It's really hard to just find him lazing around or sleeping in. He wakes up early and he works hard. Tony is the lazy one. He has a big IQ but he can be lazy beyond what is normal. Still, he has his own work ethics that make money. I dint meddle as long as he doesn't ask me for a cent. If anything, he gives me money. I don't know why but I don't complain. Nick doesn't give me a cent.

I rang the doorbell. My heart is racing. When I told Gio I'm coming here, he laughed at me. He laughed so hard and told me I'll probably run away when the front door is opened. He doesn't believe I can give in and be the bigger person. When you're as short as I am, there's no room to be the bigger person. But I'm surprising myself today and it's because I love this boy.