The Rocchetti Queen - Bree Porter Page 0,46

head up. His eyes roamed over the foyer, taking in the blood and coatrack, before resting on me.

I gave him a displeased look.

Alessandro bowed his head in apology but didn’t stop looking at his father like he was ready to kill him.

Toto, on the other hand, had not managed to cool down. He struggled beneath Beppe, expression furious.

“Let me up,” he ordered.

“Can’t do that, Uncle Sal,” Beppe said conversationally.

“You stupid bastard.” Toto pointed a finger at Alessandro. “Come and fight me yourself, you pussy!”

That was enough for my husband to charge forward. This time, my feet moved before my brain, and I found myself pressing a hand to Alessandro’s chest. I grabbed his chin roughly and brought down his eyes.

“Do not,” I breathed.

Alessandro stared at me. I felt more than saw him relax. His shoulders uncoiled; his muscles softened.

I looked to Toto, who was still furious.

“Call Aisling,” I told Oscuro. “Call her now.”

Oscuro yanked out his phone and quickly called her, his eyes moving to Toto, understanding why I wanted him to get Aisling here.

If anyone on this entire Earth was going to calm down Toto, it was going to be Aisling. Or, well, I thought as I watched my father-in-law struggle, she would have the best shot.

Suddenly, Toto got Beppe by the balls, causing Beppe to release him in pain. Oscuro dropped his phone, moving like lightning, catching Toto by the legs.

Alessandro started forward but I held him back. “It’s not worth it,” I reminded him.

Toto was struggling in between both Beppe and Oscuro, who held him in between them like a rotisserie pork.

Oscuro’s phone clicked.

“Hi, Mr Oscuro!”

No, no, I looked to Oscuro’s phone.

“Mommy’s not here right now,” said Nora’s little voice. “She’s with the doctor and baby brother.”

My head turned toward Toto.

My father-in-law had gone completely still, his jaw slack and eyes wide. No longer fighting, totally in shock.

The only thought I had in my mind was: I was right. Calling Aisling did calm him down.

“M r Oscuro?” Nora repeated, her question met with silence.

I swallowed, stepping forward, and picking up the phone. I felt Alessandro’s burning gaze on me as I said, “Hi, Nora, darling. Can you tell your mom to call me?”

“Hi Miss Sophia!” she chirped. “I beat Madison!”

“That’s lovely, dear. I have to go. But remember to tell your mom.”

“Okay, okay.” Nora hung up on me.

Slowly, I turned back to the men. Alessandro didn’t look angry or happy: more confused. Toto looked like he was experiencing every emotion known to man, to the point where his expression was scrunched up like he had just smelled a really bad fart.

Then, very slowly, Toto asked, “Who was that?” His attention went to Oscuro.

Oscuro didn’t speak.

“I asked you a question, boy,” seethed Toto. “You will do as you are told.”

“Oscuro does not listen to you.” This was Alessandro. He shoved his hands into his pockets, unbothered by the growing bruises forming on his skin and blood dripping from his nose. “He listens to me.”

Oscuro nodded.

Then, my husband asked, “Oscuro, who was that on the phone?”

“You were trying to kill your father a moment ago.” I stepped toward him. “And now you’re a pair of detectives? You couldn’t have found this camaraderie before destroying my house?”

Alessandro looked to me, humor briefly visible in his eyes, but vanishing behind his anger. “I thought we agreed no secrets, Miss Sophia.”

I bit my tongue, stepping closer to him. Oscuro and Beppe did try to give us a semblance of privacy, turning their heads away. While my father-in-law watched us like his favorite program on the television.

“Aisling asked me to keep it quiet,” I murmured softly to him. “It was not a secret I kept out of malice. It was at the request of Aisling.”

His eyes scanned my face. “And the doctor and baby brother?”

I sighed. “That was is a bit harder to explain.” I looked to Toto. “He deserves to know first.”

Alessandro set his jaw, his muscles twitching. “He killed my mother. Why are you so sure he deserves to know about Aisling’s baby?”

“I think it was the Corsican Union.” I told him all the facts we had at our disposal, everything I had heard from Don Piero to Dita to Eloise. “Plus, the fact her body was found on Pelletier land. Does that not strike you as odd? Why would your father dump her there?”

He looked to his father and said loudly, “You didn’t kill her. Why imply you did?”

Toto shrugged. “I thought it was funny.”

“Motherfucker, you thought—” Alessandro began to