Of Mobsters and Men: Wild

12

Stefano's POV

     When I made it home that evening, Alessio handed me the envelope with the pictures he spoke to me about.  I furrowed my eyebrows as I pulled out the stack of photos and observed them. The first picture was of a younger Raelyn leaning against a brick wall. She wore a leather jacket and black jeans, appearing as a rebel.

     The second photo was of her sipping out of a Mcdonalds drink and holding a bag of food as she did a cute pose. I moved on to the next picture and it was of her lying on a bed sprawled out like a star.
     The next was of her sitting with her legs crossed and covering her face with a pillow. Knowing her, she was probably chuckling. Then the last was of her looking into the camera with an annoyed facial expression.

     The photographer of these photos was with no doubt, Vincent Vandal. It couldn't be more clear. I neatly put the photos back into the envelope.

     "Until this day, I used to wonder every day how my own cousin could just wake up one morning and decide to betray me." I said to Alessio, rubbing the side of my cheek and leaning against the wall.

     "Is that so?" He asked me, giving me his signature eyebrow raise.
     I chuckled in response. "Adriano didn't just decide out of the blue. He'd been planning to bring me down for a long time." I crossed my arms, thinking of all the shit that's been happening for these past few months.

     "Now that I know it's Vandal, I have a clearer picture of his motive. Either he wants me completely out of the picture and wants Rae, or this has nothing to do with Rae, and he just wants to deal with me." I explained to Alessio. "Those, are my theories." I added.

      I have no doubt in my mind it's one or the other.

     I looked at Alessio, awaiting his response. Among all the made men, Alessio was the one I trusted enough to confide in. He's also been the one I've trusted to protect my family. What a pity it would be if he of all people were to betray me.

    "It's because of your wife." Alessio started. I was slightly taken back by what he said. "What are you saying?" I asked him. Alessio was silent for a couple seconds before he spoke. "It's because of Raelyn that you couldn't finish the job. She told you she'd never forgive you if you killed him, didn't she?" He asked me.

     I tightened my jaw as he continued. "You couldn't do it yourself, so you gave that duty to Adriano."
     Alessio had hit the nail on the head. It didn't surprise me how fast he put everything together. Nothing could get past him which is the reason I entrusted the safety of my family to him.

     "Adriano allowed Vandal to run free. I thought I'd be done with him and now, he's come back to bite me in the ass. I'm not sure what kind of plan he had colluded with Vandal to end me, but knowing my cousin, it had to be a master plan. He was always clever, I'd give him that." I told Alessio, reflecting back on the genius Adriano had displayed while he was still living.

     "You made it seem like you killed her boyfriend, didn't you?" He asked me. I gave him a firm nod. "I knew I wasn't going to kill him in the presence of her. That would be too traumatic for her." I answered, my eyes narrowed.

     "You didn't kill Vincent because of Raelyn. Yet, she doesn't know. If I may ask, Why did you choose that tactic?"

     "Raelyn would've never fallen in love me if she truly believed I was the one to kill Vandal. Because she never saw what happened, she still has that bit of hope I didn't. I want to keep that hope alive."

*

     Raelyn stepped out of the bathroom with her robe around her and a towel on her head. She gave me a small as I put up the photos I've been looking at repeatedly since I got them.
      I knew when Raelyn first got these pictures, a wave of emotions hit her. I asked her earlier how she was doing and she insisted I shouldn't worry, but that smile of her didn't convince me at all.