In the meantime, I won’t twiddle my thumbs. I sent off a message to New York. It’s time to put Victoria in the hot seat. I’m sure Fontane won’t put her out on the street with nowhere to go; he’s still under the delusion that she’s his adopted daughter, after all. But I’m going to sever those ties with a sharp sword so that even he, as ignorant as he is, won’t be able to glue them back together.
“You’re up, Jimmy.” Time to come claim your little family, or what’s left of it once I put Becky behind bars for the rest of her natural life. She’s already facing a hefty sentence for the crimes she’d been arrested for. With a murder charge tacked on, she won’t be seeing the light of day again. As to Felix, well, let’s see how he handles himself, then I’d know which way to take this thing with him.
I have to remember to plant the seeds in Gia’s grandmother’s ear, that maybe it would be better for her granddaughter to be with her while all of this is going on. She’s going to need someplace to stay when this is all over and done. I’ve decided that the bosom of her mother’s family will be that place.
GABRIEL
For the next week and a half, I played chess with human pawns while she got sucked into etiquette classes and dress shopping with the women. I knew from experience how time-consuming these debutant balls are and used her distraction to line things up for just the right moment.
Just as before, I didn’t want her here when shit went down, so I had to be very meticulous. I had men watching Becky, who seemed to be having a crisis with public meltdowns and temper tantrums which only made her look bad. Either Felix had canceled her credit cards or had her on rations because she was staying at a mid-range motel, which I was sure to make known to the right people.
Since she didn’t want to be seen in her lowly state, she stayed indoors most of the time, making calls that went mostly unanswered. I couldn’t get a bead on Felix, who had kept to himself most of the first week and had only just started showing signs of life. Even when he was at home, all he did was stare at his wife’s portrait or watch the video I’d given him of his daughter dancing.
Victoria, on the other hand, was a mess. She’s not as sophisticated as her faux father, so she didn’t hide her displeasure nearly as well. She could be heard when not seen, throwing things around, screaming out loud out of nowhere, and cursing Gianna with her every breath. It was music to my ears and a delight to the eyes, listening and watching her unravel. It was the perfect setup for my next move.
Gianna was too busy to hound me for anything approaching sex, but she would skin me if I didn’t cuddle with her at night. She kept me up to date with all the goings-on, asked for my input on the different dresses and jewelry her grandmother and aunts had chosen for her to wear and filled my ears with her excitement while trying to hide her sadness over what was going on with her dad.
She’d been mad at him this whole time, refusing to even talk about him for the first few days after our visit, but I saw the cracks by the end of the first week. I guess some people are soft enough to forget the harm done to them when they feel an ounce of pity; me, not so much. In her place, I’d have set his ass on fire while he slept and tossed the other two off a cliff in a rotten carpet rollup.
She expressed her grief and disappointment by working my ass out on the mat when she found time, that is. Lancelot has been on my ass, sicced there by Pop, no doubt, watching me like he expected me to disappear in the night. I’d been taking care of my shit while organizing hers as well, and by the middle of the second week, just days before we were set to leave the country for France, I played my last strategic move.
“We should go see your dad before we leave.”
“Why? I can see him when we come back.”
“Okay.” If suspicion had a look, she gave it to me; amateur.
“That’s it? You’re not going to argue?” Typical, I give her her way; she’s not satisfied.
“Why would I? If you don’t want to go, you don’t want to go.” I kept tapping away at my computer keys as if I had no interest one way or another.
I figured, if she’s anything like the women in my family, which I’m sure she is, that my easy capitulation would get her to thinking and overthinking, and she’d come up with all the wrong answers, which in this case is fine because it suits my purpose. “Fine, let’s go see him.”
“Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“Now’s as good a time as any.”
“Okay, go tell Ma we’ll be back in a bit.” Ma has become very overprotective of her since Ella blabbed to Sheila about what went down the night Greta made her big reveal. At this point, I’m not sure which of my parents wishes to do Fontane the most harm.
She got up to go find Ma, and I picked up my phone and called the team that I had waiting. “Bring the package; you remember what I told you, right?”
“Of course. See you there.” I hung up and went to find her jacket and mine since she always seems to forget to wear one. We took her mom’s car, well hers now, and drove out without calling ahead.
Felix answered the door with a look of surprise followed by pleasure. I’m sure from his ramblings that he expected her to hate him forever. I’d overheard that during one of his self-flagellation sessions. He’d already mourned her without asking her one word about how she felt. I don’t think he called her once since she never mentioned it to me. But I know it was shame and fear that had kept him from doing so.
I learned one thing, though, from all this; she’s a bottler. She keeps her thoughts and feelings bottled up inside until the pressure becomes too much, then she breaks. I’m ready for the fallout I know is coming. I could’ve warned her about my plans, but since it’s my gift to her, I thought I’d make it a surprise.
“Hello Fontane, mind if we come in?” He moved aside without saying much just kept staring at his daughter. I spoke louder than needed because I knew it would get Victoria’s attention which it did. She came down the stairs looking defiant and ready for battle. I guess the last week and a half, she’d had time to think and came away with the idea that she’d been wronged. Sociopathic narcissistic twit that she is.
“I’m sorry, may I use the restroom?”
“Of course, it’s upstairs.” Fontane pointed up the stairs while Gianna looked at me like she was about to freak.
“I remember where it is, I think.” I squeezed her around the middle where I’d had my hand resting on her waist and whispered in her ear.
“I’ll be right back; he won’t let her bully you, not to worry.” I was confident of that much, at least, plus I wasn’t planning to be long.
I made my way upstairs, and instead of the bathroom which I had no intentions of using, headed for Victoria’s room. I knew exactly where to find her stash since Ella had done her job well. She’s another one who’d be starting a new job soon, thanks to the Russos. I walked across the hall and flushed the toilet to avoid suspicion too soon, washed my hands, and headed back down the stairs.
When I got back, Gianna was telling her dad about her shopping sprees in great detail, no doubt to piss off Victoria, who looked on as if she was ready to explode. I sat and listened, enjoying the female mind at work. I guess that’s sexist because some men react the same way, play the same games, but I never knew it was this much fun.