Day Seven
Arriving at the restaurant I hesitated once again. I knew driving the Lexus Alessio could very well know exactly where I was. Even though I had given Nash my answer, he still insisted we meet to go over things one last time.
I got out of the car and walked into the Chinese place once again. Last time I had been here Nash had showed up, cuffed me, and dragged me away. And today? Today I was walking in. I was hanging my own noose today. Should I get caught, it was all over.
Nash was in the same seat as he had been the last time we were here. I was grateful to see the table was looking rather squid free today.
He smiled when he saw me and waved slightly. "I'm glad you came."
"I told you I would." I sat down and we fell into silence as a waitress set two cups of soda in front of us.
"I hope you don't mind, I ordered our drinks already."
"As long as you didn't order me a squid again."
He chuckled. "So, you're sure about this?"
My, the mood at the table shifted quickly. "I'm sure." I nodded slowly.
Nash nodded knowingly. "You know Kate, I won't ask you again."
"I know."
He leaned back in his seat. He looked disappointed and I felt a little bad. But only a little.
"I'm sorry Nash. I knew who he was when I met him, I chose to accept him. It would be cruel of me to decide later that he wasn't what I wanted. After all this time? Three years and all of the sudden I don't love him because he is who he has always been? I can't do it Nash, I love him. I tried, I tried so hard to look at him as some sort of villain but I couldn't."
Nash was quiet for a few moments as he watched me. Finally he looked away and down. He pulled several manila folders out of a leather bag beside him.
I frowned. "You know, every time Alessio hands me a folder like that it's filled with bad news or incriminating pictures."
He smiled apologetically.
"Oh great, you too?" I groaned and slumped back in my seat.
He spread the folders out on the table. "This one here, this is full of files of mobsters who have been killed. Some who worked for Alessio, some who worked against." He slid the first folder over to me. "This one here, these are files upon files of men and women who have overdosed and lived to tell the tale on who their supplier is, I'll give you a guess." He slid the next folder to me. "These, these are the records of those who over dosed and didn't live to tell the tale."
"So you can't link them to Alessio." I said sharply as the folder was pushed towards me.
"No, I cannot. But it's a good indicator of drug use and the relations to all the mafia families." He hesitated at the next folder and then pushed it over slowly. "These are missing person's report with your Alessio's men as the leading suspect." He hesitated even longer at the next folder. "These here are assault victims. Both physical, and sexual." He pushed the folder over to me, and then tapped a few times on the last remaining folder. "And this? This is a folder of men and woman, all ages, who have been murdered by your Alessio's men. These men and women have no known ties to the mafia, meaning of course that they were simply innocents." He pushed the last folder to me.
I didn't dare look down at them.
"Go ahead Kate, look through. There's files and pictures. You need to see Alessio as a villain? Here he is, here he really is."
I finally glanced down and then back up. There were too many folders, why were there so many folders?
Nash was watching me expectantly. When I still didn't move he reached forward and pulled one of the folders back. "Here. I'll help you."
"Nash-"
"Sarah Mitchell." He slapped her photo down. She was clearly alive, that was good, but her face was badly bruised and there were obvious choke marks around her neck. "Twenty-three. Sexually assaulted and badly beaten by a group of four. Men who worked for the Genovese. She positively identified all of the men and every single one of them were acquitted. Three of them still work for Alessio. The fourth can be found in that first folder, dead via a rivalry. There's more pictures of her and the extent of her injuries if you'd like to see them?"
"No."
He dropped that folder and grabbed another one. "And look here, this girl just turned eighteen when she went missing. She was last seen in Utah of all places with one of Alessio's known comrades." He threw her picture down at me and I knew exactly where she had disappeared to but didn't say a word. He reached forward to grab the last folder and I put my hand on it to stop him.
"Enough."
My hand was on top of his and he looked up to me sharply. We glared at one another, battling for power. I didn't dare move my hand away first because I knew if I caved he would show me something even worse.
"He is a villain Kate."
"And I suppose you're perfect then!"
His eyebrow hitched up. "I never said I was."
"You're working with the mafia. How many people have you hurt or killed?"
He frowned. "I'm not like the rest of them."
"Sure seemed an awful lot like you were when you hit me."
"And then I saved you. I haven't taken any innocent lives."
His words didn't get past me. He hadn't taken any innocent lives. But he had taken lives.
By the look on his face he must not have realized his own words until he saw my face. "I told you I wanted all of the mafia's to be put out Kate. Whatever way I can accomplish that, I will."
"You saved me but you can't possibly have saved everyone. Where are all the files on the people your mafia has killed, huh? How many times did you stand beside then when an innocent was killed? How many drugs have you delivered? How many times did you play watch out while someone was being raped?"
He pulled his hand away and I did too with a gasp. What on Earth had come over me? Was I so hell bent on defending Alessio, even when I knew he was wrong that I was willing to throw Nash under the bus? I knew nothing about what sort of work he did in the mafia. Nothing. Yet here I was dragging his name through the mud, accusing him of all sorts of horrible things. And why? Because he was right? Alessio, my Alessio, was a villain.
"Nash I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." He said in a cold tone.
"I didn't mean any of that I just-"
"Of course you did! And you know what else, you're right. I've witnessed a lot. I started out delivering drugs and have worked my way up. So yes, I can see how you may think poorly of me. I've done wrong too, I've stood by, but never participated in more than my fair share of utterly fụcked up shit. But you bet your ass that I have records of all of this and the sons of bitches who are doing these things are getting put away. I'm making sure justice gets done one way or the other I can promise you that. Even when I have to take matters into my own hands. I'm not proud of the things I've seen or stood by for but at least I'm not just letting it go!" He motioned towards the table. "I'm not willing to let all of this go."
He glanced up quickly and swiped the folders to the side. "Our food is here." He explained in a mutter.
I nodded but didn't have a single word to contribute nor was I feeling too hungry. I looked down at the food in front of me. It looked actually normal. Rice balls and eggrolls with some sort of shrimp. I doubted anything would be able to make it past the lump in my throat.
Nash ruffled his hair with a sigh. "I don't mean to be so blunt. I mean, I do, but I don't, you know? I just think you should know Kate. You need to know. That is who Alessio is, who he really is. You should know things will just get worse the longer you're with him, the bolder he'll get around you, the less he will shield you from this life. You need to know."
I blinked through tears and swallowed hard, clearing my throat before I attempted to speak. "W-what would I have to...do?" I looked up at Nash through my lashes with my head still down.
"Not much Kate. Really, not much at all. We just need someone close to him to gather evidence and speak against him. You'd just tell me what you know, wear a wire a few more times, no more than three, alright? I want to keep your risk down as much as possible. We'd meet a few times over the next few months to discuss the things you know about Alessio, wear the wire, and then you would just go about your life. When the time comes and the police are ready to make their move we'd need you to testify in court."
"Testify?" I gaped and raised my head. "I'd have to testify?!"
"Well...yes Kate. You'd be one of our leading witnesses."
"You want me to get up on the stands in front of everyone and tell them what a terrible person Alessio is? In front of Alessio even? Oh God, I can't, that would kill him." I shook my head vigorously.
"Kill him? What about the people he actually did kill Kate? Don't they mean anything?"
"Of course they do!" I said just a smidge too loudly.
"Mothers, and fathers, brothers and sisters, cousins, daughters, sons. Your Alessio and his men are ruining lives Kate. You of all people should know this."
"I do!" I yelled. "Of course of fucking do. I know." I threw my hands over my face and slammed my elbows down on the table.
"Kate." Nash said in a more gentle tone. "Look at me Kate." I shook my head again. "If you say no today Kate, I swear on everything in this world I will never bring this up again. Not even in really crass jokes that we both know aren't really jokes but are personal jabs. I promise. Never again. If you tell me no now. But even if you hate me, and you never talk to me again after today I don't regret for a second throwing all of this in your lap. You need to know who Alessio is. How the hell are you supposed to protect yourself in your family with this guy in your life? When you start to actually see who he is, what he does, will you still be able to look him in the eye? You have to know what you're getting into, who he is, for your own safety."
I lowered my hands, making sure to wipe away the tears as I did so. "You're a real prick Nash, you know that? A real prick."
"I do know that. And I'm sorry. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't save and I wouldn't tell you all of this if I didn't think you needed to know."
"Okay." I said softly towards my food.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
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So I had a few people comment that they couldn't see the chapter...got on and BOOM. The chapter is gone. Completely wiped. Thanks wattpad! Lucky for me I write in Microsoft and transfer over so not actually lost.
SO LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN.
Some of you might be confused, The text she sent Nash was indeed "I'm sorry" she told him no but today he convinced her otherwise.
I don't remember what else I had posted in the authors note sooo...yep. Vote and comment and pray to the wattpad God's that they show mercy on my poor chapter and don't obliterate it again ;P