Share

Chapter 9

Author: Shirley
Another All Souls' Day came and went.

Dean took Lucas to the heavily guarded suburban compound to visit his mother-in-law.

They waited a full twenty minutes before the massive gates slowly swung open.

Dean stood on the rain-slicked porch, Lucas's hand in his.

Sofia, wife of the late Don Salvatore and now the last remaining head of the Salvatore family, stood in the doorway.

Her white hair was impeccably coiffed, and she wore a black cashmere cardigan.

Her first instinct was to have him thrown ou
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 10

    At six in the morning, the rain stopped.Sofia, wrapped in a wool shawl, stood just inside the gate. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looked more haggard than the night before, but her emotions had stabilized.She looked at the man before her. He was a man in his prime, yet his salt-and-pepper hair was plastered to his forehead by the rain. His custom-made coat was so soaked it could be wrung out, and his lips were blue with cold, but his back was still ramrod straight.Beside him, Lucas was bundled tightly in the coat, his eyes half-open.Sofia let out a long sigh."I spoke with Lucas for a while last night.""I know that to save him, you've spent the last few years breaking every rule you once lived by. You've flown in the top brain specialists from Europe, diverted the scarcest black market drugs, even gone to war with other Families for medical equipment…"Dean raised his bloodshot eyes but said nothing."I'm old," Sofia said, her gaze drifting past him to the gray morning sky. "

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 9

    Another All Souls' Day came and went.Dean took Lucas to the heavily guarded suburban compound to visit his mother-in-law.They waited a full twenty minutes before the massive gates slowly swung open.Dean stood on the rain-slicked porch, Lucas's hand in his.Sofia, wife of the late Don Salvatore and now the last remaining head of the Salvatore family, stood in the doorway.Her white hair was impeccably coiffed, and she wore a black cashmere cardigan.Her first instinct was to have him thrown out.But then her gaze fell on the gray streaking his hair, and then to the tall boy behind him with the vacant eyes.Her heart softened."Come in," she said, stepping aside."Ma," Dean said, his voice hoarse.The first thing Dean saw upon entering the hall was the black-and-white portrait of the old Don, Salvatore, hanging on the wall opposite the door. Beneath the frame were fresh white roses and an unlit cigar.A roar filled his head, and he was thrown back to an afternoon many years ago.Olivi

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 8

    He drove without sleeping.The car sped down the highway at 140 miles per hour. His second-in-command, Tommy, drifted in and out of sleep in the passenger seat, but Dean's hands never left the wheel as he drove south from New York without a break.He didn't swerve for the rain, the roadblocks, or the wail of police sirens.His coat sleeves were stained with coffee and ash, his face was covered in stubble, his lips were cracked and bleeding, and his eyes were shot with red, but he didn't notice.Three days later, he finally drove into the ruin of the southern borough.The streets were littered with the charred skeletons of cars and walls pocked with bullet holes.The church sanctuary was nothing more than a half-standing doorframe. A statue of Jesus leaned against the rubble, its face spattered with dark, dried blood.In the backyard was a row of fresh graves, marked with crosses for the volunteers who had died in the conflict.One of the white wooden crosses was crudely carved with a

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 7

    After that visit to the mold-infested slum, Dean was a changed man.He locked himself in his office, smoking one cigar after another, making call after call.The priest from the South Parish, the driver for the church's relief efforts, the Family's informants in the southern boroughs, even the federal agents on his payroll.But dozens of calls yielded the same answer: the area was a warzone. Two Dominican gangs had been in a bloody conflict over territory for three days and nights. There was no word from anyone, living or dead.His business fell into disarray. He signed the wrong accounts twice, gave the wrong time for a shipment.When Marcello, the Family's Consigliere, walked in, he found Dean sitting behind his desk, dark circles under his eyes.The old advisor closed the door behind him and sighed. "Dean, in this state, how do you expect to make a run for Underboss?"Dean didn't turn around, his voice rough as sandpaper. "I can't find her. There's no news. Not a word.""You know w

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 6

    Gone?"What do you mean she's been gone? Where could she and the boy have gone?"The foreman's voice was raspy. "It was the day you took those widows to the compound... Your convoy had just cleared the neighborhood when a church bus pulled up. It took her and the boy away.""The boys only found out later. The missus signed on as a volunteer relief worker. She went to the most violent, lawless borough in the South.""Impossible... Why would she go to a place like that..."Dean muttered the words, then, as if struck by a whip, he turned and sprinted down the street.He tore to the gray, crumbling apartment building, took the stairs three at a time, and kicked open the door to their flat.The hinges screamed.Inside, the weather stripping on the windows was cracked, letting in a cold draft.A large patch of blackish-green mold crawled up the corner of the wall to the ceiling. The old radiator on the floor was rusted black and completely cold.The mattress sagged in the middle, covered by

  • The Capo’s Sacrificed Wife   Chapter 5

    Three months later, when the familiar black Escalade drove back into the dockside slums, the news spread like a sea breeze through the entire neighborhood.Since escorting Hazel and the other widows to the suburban compound, Dean had been tied up in meetings at the clubhouse there, negotiating the Family's eastward expansion and handling political donations.Three months had passed without him setting foot back here.People stopped what they were doing, peering out of warehouses and small bars to watch the spectacle.Dean stepped out of the car, his hair perfectly styled with pomade, looking pleased with himself.Paige was hauling a crate of canned fish into a warehouse. Seeing the scene, she pursed her lips, her voice just loud enough for those nearby to hear."Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. The Capo's back to 'inspect his territory,' is he? Or just checking on another widow in need?"The comment was so brazen that a few of the older soldiers grabbed her leather jacket. "Pa

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status