Seven Days to Disappear from My Mafia Stepbrother novel · Chapter 12 of 32

Chapter 12: Stolen Money

Ugo walked in like the room was his.

He laid the lilies across the foot of the bed, right over Lucio's feet.

The two capos stayed by the door with their hands folded in front of them.

I knew them both from Sunday dinners and christenings.

Neither one looked at me.

"Zio," Leni said, "you can't bring flowers into a transplant ward. They carry fungus. You could kill me."

"Then don't sniff them, sweetheart."

Ugo turned and looked me up and down, slow.

"Well. Look what came back."

I didn't move.

"Two million dollars of family money walks out the door with the hostess's girl," he said, "and three weeks later she walks into the Don's hospital room like she's bringing grapes."

"It wasn't family money."

"It came out of the family's bank, sweetheart. Everything on the Hill is family money."

He turned to the capos.

"Isn't that right?"

They didn't answer, but they didn't disagree.

"Here's what's going to happen," Ugo said. "The girl wires it back. Every dollar. Today."

"Then she gets on her knees at the social club and apologizes to the men she stole from."

"I stole from nobody."

"And if she doesn't," he went on, like I hadn't spoken, "the capos will want to talk about a Don who lets a thief walk."

The pump on the pole beeped.

Then heels clicked in the hall.

My mother came through the door in cream silk and a triple strand of pearls, already crying.

She'd done her mascara to cry in.

It ran in two perfect lines.

"Oh, my baby." She held out both arms to me. "My poor little thief. She couldn't help it, she's always been fragile."

I stepped back.

She stopped with her arms in the air.

Her eyes went to the gold ring on the chain around my neck and narrowed for one second.

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