the queens of mobs

FRANCESCA

SHE HANDS ME a pregnancy test box after a few questions.

“Your husband requested an ultrasound when you fainted in Italy. Dr. Puddu sent me the reports. The embryo is incredibly tiny. You’re lucky it’s visible this early.”

“It’s not common, but it can happen. I want you to take a pregnancy test just to be sure, because sometimes there can be errors,” Dr. Colombo explains.

I press my lips together. “So, I might not be pregnant?” I try to hide my fear. I want to be a mother. I want to bring a child into this world and raise them as my own.

I want to shower them with all the love they deserve. I would fight the world for them.

She sighs. “Let’s hope you are. Early ultrasounds can sometimes be wrong. I just don’t want to take any chances.”

My grip tightens around the pink box. “How many tests should I take?”

“Three,” she answers immediately. “Pregnancy tests can also be wrong sometimes. It’s best to be certain.”

I stand up, adjust my black, off-the-shoulder sweater, and grab my bag. My gun is in there and I’m not about to leave such a lethal weapon with a stranger.

Dr. Colombo’s smile flickers for a moment before she nods. She’s nervous. I can tell. Her hand has a slight tremor and she stutters now and then.

I don’t think much of it. Many people react that way to me, being Antonio’s wife.

I pause mid-step and turn around. She freezes when she sees me watching her. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been working for my husband?” I ask, curiosity piqued.

“Just a couple of years. Two, to be exact,” she answers softly.

I nod and give her a small smile. Opening the wooden door to the bathroom, I step inside with my phone in my hand to send a quick text to Antonio.

“Don’t scream,” someone whispers, and a moment later I feel the barrel of a gun against the side of my head.

I drop my phone in surprise. I knew I should’ve trusted my gut and not gone inside.

“Mrs. Giordano, I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk. Please,” she pleads. “And keep your hands up. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Who are you?” I keep my voice steady and unwavering as I place my handbag and pregnancy box on the sink and do as she says. If the woman senses my fear, she could use it against me.

I can only see half of her face in the mirror. She’s wearing a mask and a hoodie. Who is she? Why does she seem so familiar? Her voice sounds a lot like—

And then it hits me. “Angelina Bianchi?”

Confusion laces my voice. What is she doing here, in enemy territory? If I tell Antonio, we would have the upper hand in the war, but I need to know why she’s here in the first place.

Invading our territory like this is risky. It could even be seen as an insult. If the Giordano Family can’t protect its Donna, it would be seen as weak.

~Family comes first.~

I let out a soft sigh when she nods her head. With her free hand, she pulls down the mask covering her face and removes her black hood.

Her hair tumbles out. I have to admit, the woman has put a lot of effort into changing her appearance.

She’s dyed her hair brown from its natural blonde, tanned her skin, and is wearing heavy mascara and baggy clothes to hide her figure.

“How’d you know?” Suspicion echoes in her voice.

I shrug my shoulders almost carelessly, pretending to let my guard down a bit. “Just a lucky guess. I remember us being the same height.”

She doesn’t buy it, obviously, but she doesn’t comment and I’m not about to tell her that her eyes gave her away.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

She furrows her brows. “Why are you so calm? I literally have a gun to your head.”

I’m suddenly grateful that Antonio put me through that test in Italy.

If he hadn’t, my reaction would have been very different, and that’s something I wouldn’t want our enemies to see.

“When you have an abusive, sick, and twisted husband who puts an apple on your head and shoots, you learn to get used to the fear of death,” I lie, looking into her eyes softly.

That was my father, not Antonio, but I need some of her sympathy. I need her to believe I’m a victim.

Pity and shame instantly fill her eyes. Angelina may be a strong, ambitious woman, but she also has feelings.

I had Googled her as soon as I heard about the war, and I was relieved to find that she came from a very sheltered family—a good family.

Her father didn’t abuse his daughter and the daughter didn’t have to pray for the safety of her mother. Angelina wasn’t raised in the Mafia, so her ideologies and feelings are different.

She’s more sympathetic, giving me an advantage. I know Angelina must pity the other women.

Her life was normal before she married Vincent Bianchi, so obviously she only learned about the Mafia afterward.

From seeing Don Bianchi’s gestures at the party, I know he treats her right as well.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Giordano,” she says. “I’ll remove the gun but please don’t scream. I just want to talk, I swear.”

I nod. “Okay.”

She pulls the gun back, but keeps it in her hand. I slowly turn around so I no longer have to look at her in the mirror.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, crossing my arms.

She licks her lips. “I don’t want to beat around the bush. This war is not right. And this war is not because of us!”

I shush her. “The doctor is outside. She will hear you.”

“Dr. Colombo is in on it.”

I knit my brows together. “What?”

~Damn traitor.~

Angelina lets out a sigh. “I got in touch with her and she understood my predicament. Dr. Colombo doesn’t want a war, so she agreed to help me with my plan.

“She has a family too, you know, who are part of the mob.”

I can’t believe she just outed her ally. I need to figure out a way to get her to spill how many of our guys are on her side.

~Stefano~.

~Ye~s.

He must be with her too. He was the one in charge of all the safety measures. He was the one who brought Dr. Colombo here as well.

He must’ve known there were two people here, but he didn’t tell me that. Angelina couldn’t have gotten into the warehouse without someone noticing.

~I’m going to kill~ ~you, Stefano. You bastard!~

“Angelina, spit it out.”

She sighs. “I just came here to tell you that Vincent didn’t order Raffaello’s murder. He wanted to get in touch with your husband first, but before he could, someone else killed him.

“Vincent had a tip that his father’s secret family might be in your territory, and he wanted to reach out to your husband.

“You have to understand. Vincent hasn’t even found his sister’s body yet. He has a right to be mad.”

I frown. The room suddenly feels cold as I realize that what she’s saying could be true.

I don’t know whether to feel relieved that there won’t be a fight within the ~Nostra Vita~, or stressed that things just got a whole lot more complicated.

“Raffaello had the crown on his face. It’s the Bianchis’ sign,” I say. “Vincent had every reason to kill Raffaello. Don’t think I’m defending what Raffaello did.

“It was wrong and honestly he deserved worse than what he got, but what happened was against the code of ~omertà~, and you know ~omertà~ is everything.”

Angelina squints at me. “Someone else could’ve drawn the sign.” That was my initial thought, and Antonio seemed to disagree.

“All I’m saying is that I don’t want innocent people dying in this ego war. Raffaello raped Vincent’s half-sister and then he killed her. He deserved to die and even you know it, but not at the cost of war.

“Your guys, my guys, they had nothing to do with it, and if your husband doesn’t stop this revenge cycle, things are going to get bloody real fast!” she snaps.

My anger flares. “Why don’t you tell your husband to call a truce? From what you’re saying, Vincent knows that Antonio didn’t have anything to do with what happened.

“If he had known, he would’ve punished his father himself.”

“Vincent wanted to punish Raffaello and give him a slow, painful death! It was his right and it was taken from him! Of course he’s mad and—”

“He’s not listening to you,” I finish her sentence in understanding. “You tried, but you couldn’t change his mind.”

Angelina nods. “That’s why I need you to talk to your husband. To somehow convince him that neither of us are at fault here.

“The Bianchis and the Giordanos were never enemies. We’ve always been neutral and it needs to stay that way. If the Outfit sees us as weak, they’ll attack.”

“Antonio will never apologize, because it wasn’t his fault. He knows that Raffaello needed to be punished, but not by breaking the codes,” I tell her.

~Omertà~ is everything for Antonio. He was raised to uphold it.

Finding out that Vincent didn’t kill Raffaello, that someone else did, means that someone is trying to start a war between the two crime Families. This changes a lot.

“Vincent wouldn’t apologize either, and honestly I don’t think either of them need to. Raffaello was the one who needed to, and he’s dead.

“My husband and your husband are both mad. They can’t think straight with their egos in the way.”

“Why did you think I would help you? I barely know you, Angelina.” I have every right to be suspicious.

Angelina shrugs. “You’re right. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but it’s a risk I was willing to take. Mafia wars are bloody and deadly.

“I heard they last for years and I don’t want my family dying in the process. You have a family too.

“I’m sure you don’t want to live in constant fear of never seeing your loved ones again once they step out of the house.

“I’ve seen how your husband cares for you. You may not know what happened after you fainted on that yacht, but I do.

“It was terrifying, especially when he threatened to burn the yacht down if anything happened to you. We had to turn the yacht around immediately so you could rest at home.”

I flinch as she grabs my hand. Her eyes beg me to listen, and I do. “Please try to convince your husband to consider calling a truce. I’ll try to convince Vincent.”

“Why should I trust whatever you are saying? How do I know Vincent didn’t order Raffaello’s murder?” I question.

“Because Vincent wanted to dish out that bastard’s punishment himself. When we found out about Valentina’s death and that bastard’s involvement, we were in Italy.

“Vincent was in Italy. There was no way Vincent could’ve gone back to America just to kill Raffaello and then come back within such a short amount of time. I have no reason to lie, Francesca.”

“You just outed Dr. Colombo, your partner in crime,” I interject. “How do I know that you’re not trying to weaken us?”

“I’m here for peace. Dr. Colombo knew the score when she agreed to help me.” She glances past me at the sink, a smile playing on her lips.

“Not many folks know you’re pregnant, and not many will. You’re about to be a mom. You don’t want your kid to be born in a tub of his dad’s blood, do you?

“I can see the future. Vincent and Antonio are both driven guys. They’d rather kill than kneel. They’re better as friends than foes.

“Vincent wants to know who stole his revenge. Antonio probably wants to know who killed his men.”

“We could be on the same team,” I realize aloud.

“If we can put our pride aside. Think about it. The Bianchis and Giordano Families, working together. We could find out who’s really behind this.”

I lick my lips. “Okay, Angelina. I don’t want war either. But if you can’t get Vincent to talk to Antonio, I can’t do anything.

“Just remember, the Giordano Family doesn’t kneel to anyone,” I warn her.

“Thank you.” She sighs, relief washing over her.

“You’re pregnant too, aren’t you?” I guess. Her words, her tone, it’s like she gets what I’m going through. We’re in the same boat.

She smiles, hand resting on her belly. “I know what you’re dealing with. I want a good life for my kid too. A childhood free from all this pain and suffering.”

“I get it. This war will only bring more trouble and chaos. It’s best to end it now.”

Angelina nods. “It’s time we took control.”

“How will you leave? How do I reach you?” I ask.

“Through Stefano. I know you’ve figured out he brought me here. But trust me, he doesn’t want war.”

Antonio won’t see it that way. Honestly, neither do I. Stefano had no right to drag me into this, even if his intentions were good.

“I’ll handle Stefano. Is there anything else I should know?” I ask.

Angelina bites her lip. I can tell she’s holding back. If she doesn’t spill now, how can I trust she doesn’t have a hidden agenda?

“I…we…I mean, I think Luciano Lambardi is involved. If the Bianchis and Giordanos are weakened by war, his family would be the strongest,” she suggests.

I purse my lips. “But how would he know where Valentina was? Unless there’s a mole?”

Angelina shrugs. “I don’t know, honestly. It’s just a hunch.”

“You need to go, Angelina,” I say, glancing at my watch.

She nods. “Thank you for hearing me out.”

I smile softly. “Thank you for risking your life to come here, knowing the danger you were walking into.”

Angelina returns the smile. “I thought you’d understand. When I met you, I knew you were a Donna who’d put her people first.”

We both jump when a knock sounds on the door. “Mrs. Giordano?” Dr. Colombo’s voice trembles with fear. She has every reason to be scared.

I startle before realizing it’s the doctor who’s betraying us. She knew Angelina was here and now she’s terrified of my reaction.

Angelina sighs in relief. I quickly turn and unlock the door.

My eyes widen at the sight of Dr. Colombo’s tear-streaked face. Something’s wrong. She’s shaking like a leaf.

“M-Mrs. Giordano, a-are you o-okay?” she stammers, then breaks into sobs.

I furrow my brows, but before I can say anything, Angelina pushes past me.

“Dr. Colombo, what’s wrong?” she asks.

Everything happens in a flash. One moment, Angelina’s standing in front of me, the next, she’s crumpling to the floor as a gunshot echoes through the room.

Dr. Colombo screams in terror and I go pale with shock. But I have to act fast.

I snatch my purse from the floor, pull out my gun, and aim it at the intruder.

I freeze when I see him leaning against the door, arms crossed, gun dangling lazily from his hand.

Then, he smiles. “Hello, love.”