Page 4 of Marcello

I glared at him. “Why me?”

Fausto leaned over the table and folded his hands together. “Because I need someone who will be 100%, unquestionably loyal.”

“And why would I be loyal to you?”

Fausto reached inside his jacket.

I tensed, waiting for him to pull out a gun –

But it was something far worse.

He placed a small stack of 3x5 photographs on the table.

They were pictures of my family, taken from far away without their knowledge.

Mama shopping at street markets…

Edoardo hanging out with his friends…

Gemma exiting her high school…

And a final photograph, taken through a window at night.

My mother, brother, and sister together, eating dinner at the kitchen table.

The message was clear: Fausto and his thugs knew exactly where to find my family… anyplace, anytime.

I felt nauseated.

Fausto smiled. “I doubted pictures of your father would have quite the same effect. I’m pleased to see I was correct.”

I glowered at him. “Say I do go to Naples and do what you want. You’ll leave them alone?”

“Of course. They will continue to live their lives in complete safety.”

“Your people won’t hurt them?”

“There will be no need… as long as you do what I tell you to do.”

“What about my father?”

“We’ve already impressed upon him how important it is to comply with our wishes. He seems to agree. After all… he sent you.”

I hated my father even more than I previously had.

“Alright,” I said, defeated. “After I graduate, I can – ”

“No,” Fausto interrupted. “You won’t be graduating.”

I stared at him. “But I’m less than two years away!”

“I don’t care. Your degree is of no importance to the Camorra, and therefore it is of no importance to me.”

I wanted to kill him – but instead of getting angry, I went cold. “It sounds like you have it all planned out.”

“I do. You’ll leave for Naples tonight. The man who drove you here will – ”

For the first time, I lost my cool. “I have to say goodbye to my family!”