BANGERZ 2: WORST BEHAVIOR (2015)

26. Ultimatum

"Oh, come on, I have much better qualities than that," Tony boasts. "Working for your boyfriend's father, for example."

"What?" Danny exclaims.

"Yes." My voice shakes. Honesty and cooperation are my only options. "But - worked. Past tense. He worked for Mr. McCann."

"But - I thought Mr. McCann was the owner of a weapons company."

"He is." That's all I plan on saying about it. But Tony's giving me a stern look that tells me I should keep talking. "But... he's also a crime boss."

"Crime boss? Tessa - you work for him!"

"I know. But only on the McCannics side. I had - have - nothing to do with the crime business. He would never involve me in all that."

"So you knew about this. Do you know what crime bosses do? And this man... you're telling me they worked together? Why didn't you tell me before?" he asks sadly, pleadingly. But he's still giving me that steady and implying gaze.

"It's not exactly information I could share, Danny," I whisper, pressing my fingertips to my temples. I hate this so much, and I realize that tearing us apart must be Tony's exact intention. "I told you everything I could, I promise."

"Not everything," Tony speaks up. "You left out the most important parts, Tessa. Why didn't you tell Danny I worked for Frank McCann? It would've saved us a lot of time. And it's part of the reason why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" I ask, knowing the answer but eager to stall.

A malicious smile spreads across his face. "To pay my respects."

A shudders works it way through my body. Yet I draw a deep, fortifying breath and conjure up the spine to play his game. "Your apology is long overdue, Mr. di Angelo. And I think that this is the worst way to go about earning our forgiveness."

Tony regards me, then gladly accepts my offer to parlay. "Forgive me. I was able to acquire the means only recently. Coming to you, for example. Your address wasn't common knowledge, and I had no reason to come after you, even when I did work for Frank. And surely you can understand that before I came, I had to calm down after getting... released from his business. Otherwise my visit wouldn't be this civil."

"And why is that?" I ask evenly.

"Well, think about it. I worked for Frank McCann for a very long time. I know how he operates, and how he handles his employees. Which means I didn't leave the business without knowing why I was leaving in the first place. I'm inclined - and justified - to take my anger out on your brother. After all, he's the reason I'm out of a job," he reveals.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demand, taking the question straight from Danny's bewildered expression.

"I've known what's been going on for a while now," Tony explains, in a reflective storytelling tone that's perverse from our shock. "Once Frank found out that Daniel here opened an investigation into your parents' death, I was next in line. I had the right to know every single detail about the business, especially any threats or concerns, since I was working with him closely. I was still his right-hand man then." He frowns, as if nostalgic for his glory days, but I only see dangerous ambition in it.

"But..." Danny trails off, no doubt getting increasingly confused by the conversation. "How did Mr. McCann find out about the investigation? Why would he care?"

Tony throws his head back laughing. "Tessa, Tessa, Tessa." He tuts. "You really left out the most important parts of the story, didn't you? It's giving my visit a lot more shock value, that's for sure. So thank you for that."