Finding Beauty in the Darkness - Nikki Ash Page 0,56
it doesn’t, but I go along with his question.
“No, I don’t want any part of this business.”
“Very well. Mr. Torino, I have put a call into Angelo Moretti’s attorney. He’ll be getting back to me with the specifics of the will and when he does, I’ll know exactly how many shares Aria owns.”
“She signed them over to me!” Anthony booms, his fist slamming down on the table.
“No, she didn’t. Weston did. What I want to know is why? There’s a couple pieces to the puzzle I’m missing. Maybe you would care to fill me in?” When Anthony doesn’t speak, Gio adds, “Keep in mind, your company and organization are at stake here. Now is not the time to stay tight-lipped.”
And with that, Anthony sings like a canary. “I built this goddamned company from the ground up! And what did Angelo do? He left his half to his daughter! A daughter he didn’t even know. They should have been left to me.”
“So, you what, had her kidnapped and forced her to sign?”
“No, that was all Hightower. When I approached him after finding out about the will, I offered him a finder’s fee if he could get his wife to sign over the shares. Five months later she died, and a month after that, Aria signed over her rights.”
“Where does your son fit into all of this?”
“He was keeping tabs on her…until her mom died. Then he took her and delivered her to the senator in exchange for her signature.”
My eyes go to Antonio. “You’re the one who kidnapped me?” My voice raises several octaves with each word I spit out.
“You didn’t really think I was in love with you or some shit, did you? You were nothing more than a decent fuck to pass the time with until we got the business of the shares handled.” No, I didn’t think he was in love with me. I sure as hell wasn’t in love with him, but damn, how did I misjudge his character so badly?
Gio stalks toward Antonio and grabs him by his shirt. He shoves him up against a wall and punches him straight in the jaw. Antonio’s face jerks to the side, his lip gushing out blood. Anthony’s guards, as well as Caesar and Rome, run into the room, prepared to defend their bosses.
“Let that be a fucking warning to you. Don’t speak about Aria. Don’t speak to Aria. Hell, don’t even look at her. I have the means and motive to destroy you, and I won’t hesitate to do so.”
“Giovanni, please. He is nothing more than a child.” Anthony tries to calm Gio, but he couldn’t care less. He keeps a hold of Antonio’s shirt for a few more seconds before he finally lets it go.
“If he’s in this business, he’s not a fucking child, and the moment he plotted against Aria and took her, handing her over to Weston, you brought him into this business, so teach your son how this business works before he gets himself killed. Now get him the fuck out of here while we discuss these shares.”
Anthony sends Antonio out, but the guards remain in the back. We sit at the table to discuss the selling of my shares, but if I’m honest, I’m not sure what is said. Numbers are flown out every which way, Gio threatens to call his attorney, Anthony tells him that won’t be necessary, and about an hour later they’re shaking hands and Gio’s telling Anthony he expects a contract to be sent over in the next forty-eight hours.
When we got done with the meeting, Gio tells me we have a few hours before we have to be back at the airport and pulls my camera out from his bag. “How about some sightseeing?”
I jump up and down and pull him into a hug, ecstatic that I’ll get to see some of New York. “Thank you! Thank you!” I clap my hands before grabbing my camera from him. “What should we see first?”
We spend the afternoon sightseeing. Gio takes me through Central Park where I snap pictures of the Shakespearean Theatre from the Belvedere Castle. From there we go to the Empire State building. I insist we take a selfie at the top and Gio reluctantly agrees. We have a late dinner in Times Square, and before heading back to the airport, we stop by the nine-eleven memorial pools. I take the most heartbreaking photo of the names that are engraved around the edges, of the people who