Chapter 75 Galdino
Dakota's P.O.V.
I think everyone in the room has stopped breathing as Galdino holds his hand out to me. What do they think we're going to do—pull out guns and shoot each other? He used my first name, so I'm using his.
"It's nice to meet you, Galdino." He smiles slightly as we shake hands.
"I wasn't sure you knew who I was since we had never officially been introduced," he says as he releases my hand.
"You look like Santino, only a little shorter. I'm sorry for your loss. I wanted to go to the funeral, but my family didn't think it was a good idea." I'm hoping my honesty will help convince him to talk to me privately. We have at least one hundred pairs of eyes currently watching us.
"Thank you. Do you think we could talk in private for a few minutes?" I look into his dark eyes and feel relieved. I'm not picking up anything that causes me concern. I've always had a good read on people, even when I was a kid.
"Sure." I follow him across the room as everyone continues to stare. I wonder what they would do if I talked like Bugs Bunny and said That's all, folks. He opens a door, and I walk in after ensuring there's no one else waiting for us. I don't want to walk into a trap. The room is an office. He sits in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, and I take the other one.
"Thank you for speaking with me. There are too many ears out there. I want to apologize. I don't know what my dad told you about me, but I had a vendetta against your family and wanted to kill all of you. Part of that was my dad's fault. He raised us to hate the Kondrati family. However, that changed when he realized your mom was the daughter of the woman he once loved. Your family was hands-off after that. When he died, I found a box with mementos of his relationship with Gloria, and something snapped in me. I realized there was more to life than a stupid vendetta." I'm more than a little shocked. This is not how I expected this conversation to go.
"I appreciate your honesty, and I'm glad you wanted to talk to me. I wanted to talk to you, too, and I'm going to get to the point. My grandfather was killed protecting me. For a long time, I thought it was your family who killed him, but then I started thinking about Santino's death. Was he murdered?" Galdino looks at me thoughtfully.
"I can appreciate why you thought it was me and my family. Yes, my dad was murdered. The coroner said he had a heart attack, but I believe he was poisoned. He was one of the healthiest men I knew. I also know he was looking forward to your eighteenth birthday. He had something special made for you." Galdino reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slender jewelry box.
I take it from him and hesitate before opening it. A single tear slips out when I see the charm bracelet inside. The charms are all people. Blondes on one side and dark-haired on the other. In the middle is a little girl holding hands with two men. Grandpa Sandy always said I was the only one who could bring two of the largest mafia families together and convince them not to kill each other.
"It's beautiful. Thank you." Galdino helps me put it on, and I smile.
"You're welcome. He talked about you all the time, and he loved you like a granddaughter." He smiles as he looks at my bracelet.
"I loved him like a grandfather. I'm looking into my grandfather's murder with the help of some of my family members. Would you be okay with me looking into Santino's murder as well? Only five of us know we're doing this. When we find the people responsible, I don't plan to go to the police." Galdino looks at me in shock and then chuckles lightly.
"Dad said you were cute as a bunny with the bite of a scorpion." I laugh with him. Grandpa Sandy used to say that all the time.
"I miss him." Galdino smiles.
"Me too. You can look into it if you want. We have done what we could, but we haven't found anything. I'm curious; after four years, how do you hope to find out who's behind their murders?" He stands and helps me to my feet.
"Some of the people helping me know their way around a computer. We're looking into my grandfather's business associates and rivals. My uncles and our parents have no idea what we're doing. I am going to get justice for both of them." Galdino holds his arm out to me, and I raise my eyebrows.
"I have faith that you will be successful. Please allow me to introduce you to the other families. You are the most powerful woman here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Maybe Sarah was right. I am the Mafia Queen.