The Mafia Killer’s Wife by Rosa Milano

Thirty-One

Amanda

Ishake my head. I can't do it. I'm not going to let other people make all the choices in my life anymore. I'm going to make a decision for once. For better or worse, I've got to warn him. I can't keep my mouth shut about this. How would I live with myself if he got killed and I could have stopped it? Does he deserve to die for what he did to Benito?

After what Benito threatened to do to me, I'm glad Ethan killed him.

I'm already typing. I don't want to ring him. If I hear his voice, I know I'll crumble. I know I'll beg him to let me come back to him. I don't want to be that weak. I don't want to be the kind of person who needs a man like that in my life. I want to be stronger than that.

So I type out a message and hover over the send button.

Men coming for you right now. Don't know how many. Sent by Don Mancini. Get ready.

Should I send it?This is the toss of a coin that will split my future into two different possibilities. One, the life I already know, let other people decide, stay out of it. Don't get involved. The other is the life he's told me I can have. Make choices. Live with the consequences.

Who am I? What kind of a person am I?

I hit send, holding my breath while I wait for a response. I don't get one. Someone hammers on the bathroom door. I almost jump out of my skin when I hear the thumping. "Come out," Dad says. "I know you're in there."

"Just a minute," I reply, cramming the phone into my jeans pocket. I flush the toilet and wash my hands, taking my time. The longer I drag this out, the more time Ethan has to prepare.

Dad hammers on the door again. "Out now or I swear I'll break it down and break your nose ten seconds later."

I unlock the door and walk out. "Hi, Dad," I begin, but I get no further.

He grabs hold of me and plunges his hand into my pocket, pulling out the phone. He scans through to the messages and then his face turns darker than I've ever seen it.

"I fucking knew it," he says, gripping my cheeks in his hand, squeezing my face until I wince in pain. "Snake in the grass, the women in my life. You working against your own father with that piece of shit, Ethan Gianni."

"Dad," I try to say but he's shoving me to the floor. I look up to find him typing something into the phone. He dictates as he types. "Just kidding. Thought I'd put the wind up you. Fuck you, Ethan. Rot in hell, you absolute scumbag." He drops the phone and stomps on it with his boot. "I'm doing this for you," he says. "Don't you get it? This is to save you from him, Amanda. He killed your fiance. Don't you even care?"

"Benito was going to do things to me," I get out in a wheeze, the words hardly audible. "Bad things."

Dad leans down to me. "So what? You do what it takes to get ahead in this life." He grins. "I'm going to go kill Ethan now." He frowns, looking at my hand. "What the fuck is this?" He sees the ring Ethan gave me, sliding it from my finger and examining it. "An engagement ring? You won't be needing that. Might keep it as a trophy. No, on second thoughts, probably worth a few grand at the pawn shop." He points a finger at me. "You are going to go to bed and in the morning you are going to come with me to meet Don Mancini. You are going to tell him you are sorry Benito died. You are going to marry him instead."

"What?" I ask. "You want me to marry Primo?"

"The Don's been down since his wife died. You can help cheer him up. I become a wiseguy tonight, Amanda. I make my bones and you do the thing you are supposed to do. You help your family. Now go to bed and not another word out of you. Got it?"

He grabs me and pulls me upstairs, throwing me into my room. The door locks a moment later and I hear him stomping away. I don't pause. I run straight over to the window.

Dad's smart but he's not as smart as he thinks. The window's unlocked and I've got his car key in my hand. It wasn't difficult to lift from his pocket while he was shoving me up the stairs. By the time he notices, I'll be long gone and I don't think I'll ever be coming back.

Maybe it's time to move out at last, make my own way in the world. Who cares if I'm poor or friendless as long as I don't have to stay here anymore.

It was the look in his eyes. I've seen it a few times before, but he keeps it well hidden for the most part. It's a look that says everything is a means to an ends. He'll do whatever it takes to get where he wants to be, on top. I bet if the Don told him to slice me up to make his bones, he'd do it.

As I climb out of the window, I make a silent vow to myself. If I get out of this alive and if I ever have kids, I will be a very different kind of parent.

I get down to the ground, and I hear my father opening the front door. I run for his car, hitting the button to unlock it on the way.

He sees me and starts yelling. I get the door open and slip into the driver's seat, trying not to panic. He's sprinting down the steps as I fumble with the key in the lock.

"Come on," I say to myself, finally managing to slide it home. I turn it and rev the engine as he throws himself onto the hood. I race off down the street as he spits venom at me through the windshield.

"Stop this fucking car," he yells. "Stop it or I'll kill you, Amanda."

I hit the brakes and he flies off, rolling into the street. I rev again and swerve around him, racing into the night with one thing on my mind.

I've got to warn Ethan.