Vendetta (26 page)

    
“He WAS my friend,” Mark corrected her. “He put my daughter in harm’s way, to accommodate his own agenda and I won’t ever forget that,” he said sharply.

    
Julie sat up now and faced him.

    
“I understand. I really do, and I know why you feel that way. I respect that, and I know it’s your choice to make, and I support you no matter what, but I do think you should talk to him, man to man. You‘ll feel better,” Julie said convincingly. “There. That’s all I’m ever going to say about it.”

    
She pretended to zip her lips.

    
“Good. I was just wondering if you were ever going to shut up,” Mark said smiling.

    
“Hey! You want to fight? I know how it get’s you going…” Julie shoved him backwards with both hands. Mark gently grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her close to him.

                                       CHAPTER 21

                            
              PRIDE

     Mark slowly walked in through the front doors of Angelo’s Restaurant. He didn’t quite know what to expect, but he was very determined to talk to Dom and hear his explanation. It would not consist of the usual pleasantries, like any old conversation the two of them would’ve had in the past.

    
Mark is a confident man and isn’t used to feeling this uneasy or uncertain, but walking into the restaurant seemed to comfort him somehow, and take the edge off.

    
The ambience seemed normal, like any other day. To Mark, it was exhilarating! He had definitely missed this place. The immediate faint smell of the wood polish used in the entry way seemed like a welcome card to his senses. The familiar sounds of food being prepped in the kitchen and old-school Italian music over the stereo system was more than just music to his ears. It was like Italian chicken soup for his soul.

    
He noticed a couple waitresses that were busying themselves with the silverware and napkins, arranging them at the tables. He politely nodded “good afternoon” to Sophia, who smiled up at him as she organized menus at the Hostess podium. Mark made his way past the bar, where Josh, the bartender was finishing up his inventory. Mark was glad he had hired him because he always had a great attitude, very up-beat and was always smiling.

    
“Hello, Mr. Anderson! How are you today, sir?” Josh was surprised and glad to see him.

    
“I’m wonderful, Josh! Thank you. How are you today?” Mark asked.

    
“Fantastic, Sir, thank you for asking,” Josh answered cheerfully.

    
“Good to hear it, Josh. Have a nice evening tonight,” Mark added.

    
Mark walked through the main dining hall and turned right, heading down the hall towards Dom’s office. He stopped and gave himself a moment before knocking.

    
“Please, come in!” Dom yelled as he looked up from the paperwork at his desk. Mark slowly walked in and closed the door behind him.

     
“Marko,” Dom was truly surprised. “It’s good to see you. Please, sit down,” Dom stood and gestured in front of him at the empty chair.

    
“Thank you,” Mark sat down and looked at Dom.

    
Here they were now… face to face.

    
“How are you?” Dom and Mark asked each other at the same time.

    
“I’m fine, thank you,” Mark answered.

    
“Good. Good to hear,” Dom smiled warmly.

    
Mark felt surprisingly better about talking to him. He wasn’t as angry as he thought he would be.

    
“I know you’ve come to discuss many things with me and that’s perfectly acceptable, in fact I look forward to it. With all due respect, may I just say something first?” Dom asked.

    
“Sure, by all means,” Mark said.

    
“First, I would just like to say that I am very glad that you have come to talk and I’m grateful for that,” Dom said sincerely.

    
“I don’t expect anything from you and I know I am not deserving of your trust, so regardless of what you say to me, good or bad, I will respect you and your feelings,” Dom finished nervously.

    
Mark felt alarmed. He had never seen Dom act so nervous before. There would have to be a good reason for it in order for Dom to be so outwardly sensitive.

    
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. And you’re correct, There are certain things I came here to say,” Mark cleared his throat.

    
Dom gestured with his hand, for Mark to continue.

    
Mark looked at Dom for a moment and steadied his voice.

    
He began speaking calmly. “I understand why you couldn’t tell me about Allie. I know it would have interfered with the investigation surrounding Lucy. I know now, that you had every intention of telling me, but because of miscommunication with your F.B.I. contact and my lack of availability, that never happened according to plan. With that said, I am still upset that you didn’t tell me BEFORE it happened,” Mark said adamantly.

    
Dom listened closely and respectfully nodded in agreement.

    
Mark fought off his agitation as he thought of what to say next.

    
“You led me to believe that my daughter had died, Dom.” Mark shook his head. “For that I will never truly understand how you could do that to someone, especially a friend, who was supposed to be like family,” Mark said bluntly.

    
Dom opened his mouth to say something and Mark held up his hand to silence him.

    
“Just listen, please. I’m not finished,” Mark said sternly.

    
“I’ve had some time to process this whole thing and try to think rationally about why I think you did it. There’s a certain part of me that wants to believe that you had nothing but good intentions towards us and you, being an informant, would have to comply with the Fed’s rules and demands. I get that part of it, but what I don’t get, is WHY? Why do they have you on such a short leash? Do I not deserve to know what they could possibly have on you, to make you be a part of something so deceptive?” Mark asked.

    
Dom stared at Mark. He was speechless.

    
Mark could see what appeared to be apprehension in his expression. He was holding something back.

    
“You’re an informant and you did what you had to... for what? What is it? What are the reasons why?” Mark anxiously awaited his answer.

    
“It’s very complicated Marko,” Dom said in a hopeless manner.

    
“Why can‘t you answer the question, Dom? Do I not deserve an answer?” Mark began to get impatient.

    
“I mean, how could you do that to me and everyone else and use my daughter as leverage for an F.B.I investigation? You know why I acted the way I did. My family is in witness protection for good reason, which, I’m assuming you knew already… correct?” Mark said sharply.

    
Dom lowered his eyes for a moment.

    
“That’s correct,” Dom said clearly.

    
“I practically went insane with grief and anger… I could have killed someone… and all for nothing, because it wasn’t real. It was a ruse and I was a fool,” Mark said finally.

    
Dom swallowed hard before he spoke again.

    
“I’ll tell you, Marko. I will answer your questions. I will tell you everything you want to know. The truth will be difficult for you to hear, but I will tell you regardless. You’re right, you deserve to know. You deserve to know everything,” Dom slicked the hair back off his fore head and rubbed his eyes.

    
Mark patiently waited, anxious to hear what he had to say.

    
Dom’s hands shook as he took out a bottle of wine from his bottom drawer and quickly poured it into a glass that sat on his desk. He drank it immediately. He turned and grabbed another glass from the cabinet behind him. Mark tried to wave off the unspoken offering, but Dom poured him a glass and sat it down in front of him anyway.

    
“Have a drink with me, Vincenzo,” Dom ordered. “You’re going to need it, for what you’re about to hear.”

                                    CHAPTER 22

                          
        GUARDIAN

     “Please, allow me to begin by simply saying, I am sorry for causing you such pain and anguish. My deepest, most heartfelt apologies go out to you and everyone else that were hurt. I feel so ashamed for hurting you in the process of aiding the Feds in this case. I feel such sorrow and shame, much more, than I am able to express to you now,” Dom said sincerely.

    
“Let me also state, that I will never, under any circumstances, do anything that will harm or compromise your family in any way, ever again. For what it’s worth to you, you have my word on that,” Dom said honestly.

    
“Thank you for saying that Dom, it‘s very much appreciated,” Mark said guardedly. “I accept your apology.”

    
Dom placed his hand over his heart and breathed in a sigh of relief.

    
“Thank you. That’s very good. That pleases me very much to hear. I appreciate your forgiving nature in these unfortunate of circumstances,” Dom proceeded.

    
“I’m now going to tell you some things that few people know. I feel that now is as good a time as any to tell you where I come from and how I came to be here. It will perhaps, answer some of your many questions and shed some light on my involvement with the F.B.I,” Dom explained.

    
Dom took a drink of his wine and continued.

    
Mark took a sip too. Maybe he was going to need it after all. The fact that Dom had referred to him as Vincenzo hit a nerve. He hadn’t been called that in a long time. Dom continued.

    
“Many years ago, I was a part of a crime family. It was a nicely operated organization, as far as things like that go. Unfortunately, things began to change as they always do and some members and I decided that we wanted to go another way. I personally, as well as a handful of others, didn’t like the road that the “family” was headed down. You see, many of us didn‘t want anything to do with the drug business, but this was not the case for “The Boss”. There was too much money in it for him to simply, give it up. He was more inclined to just get rid of us and continue his business relationships the drug dealers. Many close friends and their innocent family members were killed in cold blood, with no honor, or respect to their families. It was a massacre. It was so tragic… I couldn’t get over the betrayal and the loss of my own. I was overcome with anger, rage and grief… I went a little crazy, just as you were about to, Marko,” Dom spoke clearly and directly looked into Mark’s eyes.

    
“I was not a cold blooded killer and had never been provoked like this before. There was nothing stopping me. I wasn’t half as smart or as sharp thinking as you are, Marko. There was nothing anyone could say or do to stop me. I could not see reason. My need for vengeance was blinded to anything else but retaliation,” Dom swallowed hard and continued.

    
“I alone, murdered the men who had handled the hits on these innocents I speak of now and I was subsequently brought in by the F.B.I. a couple of days later. I wouldn’t make a deal until they picked up my sister and put her into Witness Protection. They promised safety and protection for her and a clean slate for me in return for my testimony in a court case to bring down “The Boss.”

    
“The way I saw things was, I was a dead man, in or out of prison… it was only a matter of time. I decided I would do it. I would turn “rat”. I was quite determined to bring them all down, regardless of what ended up happening to me. The entire crime family had been torn apart already and everything it once stood for had been long ago disintegrated.”

    
Dom’s forehead wrinkled. He had a look of pure disgust on his face. “I no longer cared. I felt no loyalty to them, anymore,” he said bluntly.

    
Mark was intrigued by Dom’s admission. Part of it seemed vaguely familiar, but then again, Mark was from an Italian/Sicilian family and in New Jersey, the idea of having old mafia ties and connections weren’t unheard of. It was common knowledge.

    
“So you were able to make the deal and go into hiding for yourself after the trial and they obviously brought you here,” Mark assumed.