Page 43 of Nolan (The Doherty Mafia)
“If you can call it that,” he replied.
“You married her?” I asked.
Aldo’s face hardened again. I saw him shutting himself off—he wasn’t going to answer any more questions about her.
“I never married anyone,” he said, standing up from his chair. “And it’s time for me to go make a few phone calls, and time for you to go.”
He wasn’t even polite anymore. He may as well have directly told me to get out of his sight.
Apparently, mentioning a relationship between him and my mother had set off something in him, making him angry. I couldn’t figure it out and the less I understood it, the more suspicious I became.
Aldo’s men led me out of the house while he disappeared into some other room down the hall. He made it clear that our conversation was over. I wasn’t sure if we’d have another conversation ever again.
Even though he resisted answering my questions, it had become pretty apparent to me now that Aldo and my mother had been romantically involved. Maybe they’d even married. I didn’t trust him enough anymore—not enough to believe his story as the Gospel truth.
And how long were they together? How long had they been married if they were? How did I fit in that equation?
As far as I knew, as much as I’d been told by the people who were in charge of me—I’d been abandoned by my mother pretty much the moment I was born. So there was no chance that I’d actually lived with her or Aldo in that house. So was she having an affair? Cheating on Aldo? And I was the result of that affair and she felt like she had to give me up?
I was breathless by the time the men led me to the door. I couldn’t wrap my head around the different ideas that’d taken a hold of me. They all seemed ridiculous. Why did Aldo even come looking for me? If my mother had tried to hide me from him, she wouldn’t have made him promise to look after me.
Or was I just making all this up in my head? Was I just being paranoid?
But the one thing I knew with absolute clarity—was the fact I wasn’t going to betray the Dohertys. By now, I was sure Aldo had made up everything he told me about them. I didn’t have the full picture. I didn’t really know who Aldo was or what his business involved and he was a liar.
It had become clear that he sought me out after all these years for the sole purpose of using me as a spy. I didn’t know what I’d do next but, I knew I had to get out of here.
I didn’t look back as I walked out of the house and rushed to my car. Aldo had instructed me to park the car some distance from the house to avoid attention on him. So by the time I’d arrived back at my car, the house was out of sight. I breathed a sigh of relief that I’d even made it alive out of there.
But I didn’t notice I was being followed. I beeped the car door open and was about to step in when a pair of hands grabbed me, muffling my voice by pressing down on my mouth. I struggled and punched the air as I was being pulled. A bag was thrown over my head and now I couldn’t see anything. I felt completely helpless. No matter how much I struggled, the man who’d dragged me away was stronger and I knew I wouldn’t get away.
I knew nobody was coming to my rescue. Aldo had ordered this. He wanted me dead since I was no use to him. I’d failed my mission.
The man threw me into the trunk of a car and then I was driven away.
Twenty-Two
Nolan
Amelia had told me the name of the salon she worked at, so that was the first place I went after Colin left my apartment.
I needed to see her and find out for myself. I needed to look into her face to see if she was telling the truth. Even as I drove over there and parked across the street from the salon, I didn’t believe what Colin had told me.
Amelia couldn’t have duped me like that. Everything I felt for her from the moment we met had felt real. What about when she encouraged me to prove myself to my family? Was it all just bogus advice? It couldn’t be.
But before I even got out of my car and stormed into her salon, I saw her leave. Amelia looked like she was in a hurry; she seemed agitated as she got into her own car. I followed her.
Wherever she was going, it’d appeared she didn’t want to be found. I’d followed her for close to an hour before realizing she’d led me directly to Aldo’s new hideout.
