A Mob Boss's Family (Book 2 Of The New York Mafia Trilogy)

19. Battling with love

As Francesco left the room, Antonio took a deep breath and walked to a bedside table and poured himself a glass of vodka while looking at Amaranta strangely. He drank the vodka in one go.

Amaranta sat down on her bed " Why do you look at me like that? Why are you still here? You heard him. You are free to go to chat up Georgina or whatever you were doing."

Antonio sighed " I don't know. Maybe I have stayed behind to take a good look at a woman who is lucky enough not to taste Francesco's wrath even though she deserves it. You have got to agree with me on this. Come on. Of all the information you could withhold earlier when he was interrogating you when you had arrived at the party, you failed to disclose his mother's location that you knew all along. You are alive. You are lucky."

Amaranta spoke " Well. I am lucky I am a Voltolini. As he mentioned earlier, I am only useful if I am alive. So are my bodyguards who are mostly related to the longest serving men in my fathers organisation. Francesco can use me and my body guards as blackmail to keep my brother away from his girl."

Antonio shook his head " Nah, that's not all. Maybe it helps that you are a Voltolini but Francesco wouldn't have acted so gently with you if you said anything about his mother on any other night."

Amaranta raised an eyebrow " Meaning?"

Antonio spoke " Tonight was Francesco's engagement night. His woman said yes to his marriage proposal. I have never seen him act so gentle and calm when his mother's name is mentioned. Please don't ever being her up. I think you are useful if you are alive and healthy too. Don't ever risk it. Tonight was just not any night. It was a special night. He showed you consideration because he was in a good mood. If it was another night he would have hurt you for withholding such personal news when you had the chance earlier on to disclose it. Ironically you were saved the pain because of Adele, who your brother is after and wants to remove from Francesco's life. So you are lucky you didn't get into trouble. Next time when you are asked to disclose all you know by a Rosario, you should comply."

Amaranta sighed and looked away " Why do you think I didn't say anything earlier? I know he has been looking for his mother for a long time. I didn't want to go there because I didn't know how he was going to treat the messenger. But out of desperation I took a risk. I wish he had found out by someone else like your father. I thought Piero was the expert in hiding things but hiding this piece of information gives a whole new meaning to the word expert. He is master of deceit. "

Antonio narrowed his eyes and walked to Amaranta slowly " Don't talk about my father like that. He wouldn't have hidden Francesco's mother's faith from him if it wasn't necessary. You don't know anything about my father."

Amaranta stood up facing Antonio who was towering over her. " Relax. I meant it as a compliment. What I meant was that your father is really smooth in operating whatever he does. Many people in my fathers organisation were shocked to hear he had taken early retirement. He was too young to leave the business but it could only mean one thing ..... It means that he feels he has left his business in the right hands. I think you can handle it. But I think it should be me warning you not the other way round. Now that Francesco has found out about your fathers betrayal, there will be hell to pay by Piero. Don't you agree. Now it seems to me, he has left you on charge of his organisation since he knows you can handle it and more importantly you can protect him. So time is up for you. It's time to face Francesco if he goes after your father. You know I am right . You have to act fast. You have to use your resources to protect your father or at least send him somewhere safe temporarily until things calm down. You can't let Francesco hurt him."

Antonio spoke " Why do you care about my father? It seems to me that you want to somehow mess with my mind so I confront Francesco or I don't know some outcome to weaken the Rosarios."