Page 10 of Forgetting the Enemy
Chapter 4
Michael
“We got ’em, Pop. I just got confirmation that Alberto and Victor are dead,” I say, reporting to my father.
“Good, and his children?” he asks.
“I think Vince and Mia got out, but Zaira…” I trail off.
“Was she shot?” my father asks. I can tell he is worried for her.
“No, I think she might have fallen and hit her head in the chaos. I found her unconscious just outside the solarium. I checked, no gunshot wounds but a nasty gash to her head.”
“And?” he asks. He knows, but he wants me to tell him. I love my father. I respect him, and I would never lie to him. And he knows it. That’s why he so graciously allows me to run things before it’s official. I’m definitely ready. I’ve been groomed for this position all my life.
“She’s in the west wing,” I reply. He looks at me quizzically, encouraging me to go on. “I wasn’t gonna leave her there. I didn’t know where Vince was, and well, Pop… She was hurt and unconscious. There was total chaos, and I knew she would be safer with me.” Because he knows of my feelings for Zaira, I feel the need to justify my actions to him more so than normal. “So I brought her here. Once she gets the care she needs, then I will call Vince, and he can come and get her”
My father nods but doesn’t say anything. Is he angry with me? It’s hard to tell. I watch him intently as he comes around from the back side of his desk and walks toward me. Pulling me into a hug, he says, “You’re a good man, Mikey. Compassionate, caring, and always putting others before yourself. I’m proud of you, son. You did well.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
“So how is she?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked on her since I had her brought in. I wanted to come touch base with you first. I called Dr. Siegel as soon as we got back, and he has been with her though,” I reply.
“Before you go and check on her, I want a minute.”
“Sure, Pop,” I reply. He gestures for me to sit. I take the seat across from his desk.
“Michael, I may be an old man, but I know what you’re thinking.”
“What do you mean?” I reply. I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but I have a sinking feeling it has something to do with Zaira, again.
He sits in the chair next to me. “We need to talk about what you are hoping to achieve with Zaira. I know you, son, and I think you are hoping that by nursing Zaira back to health, you will win her love.”
“I’m not trying to achieve anything, Pop,” I say defensively. “She was hurt and needed help. That’s all it is.”
“Michael, don’t play that game with me. I can see right through you.”
He’s fucking right, and I hate it. “But—”
“I understand. I really do,” he says, not giving me the chance to finish. “But I need you to acknowledge that you can’t force her to love you. She will not fall in love with you because you saved her. It may happen in the movies, but it won’t happen in this situation. You killed her father and her fiancé.”
“Two men whom I doubt she will mourn,” I snap.
“That doesn’t matter. Whether she loved them or not, she will be angry and forever look at you as a killer. She will hate you. Maybe one day she might forgive you, and I hope she does, but you will always have their blood on your hands. You can never take that back.”
Again, my father is right, and I have no argument to retaliate with. When she is told what I’ve done, not to mention the fact that I was the one who actually pulled the trigger to kill them both, she will hate me. I never thought about the ramifications of my actions until this moment.Well, I’m fucked.
You can never take that back.My father’s words echo in my head.
“Pop, she does love me,” I say quietly.
“I know,” he replies. “But that was before she believed you were a murderer.”
He gets up from his chair, walks back to his desk, and picks up the receiver of the phone. Yes, my father is old school. He refuses to use a cell phone, so the house still has a landline. After pushing a button on the dial pad, he says, “Annie, please ask Salvatore to come in.” Salvatore Roman is my father’s consigliere and his closest friend. He’s been like an uncle to me all my life, and I love and respect him as much as I do my father. I already know he will remain consigliere when I’m Don. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
A minute later, Sal walks in. “Domenic, I heard all went well with the Bonitas.” He looks at me and says, “Well done, Mikey. You’ve done your father proud.”
