Last but definitely not least, he’d learned about his sister, Carrie Montgomery-Hargrove, who was a social worker. Skylar knew all about Edwina’s blackmail scheme involving Carrie, and how her brothers, along with the private investigator Carrie had hired and later married, had brought Edwina’s extortion attempts to an end. However, that hadn’t been what had landed her in federal prison, where she was currently serving time somewhere in Oklahoma. Her incarceration was due to another federal offense—the details were sketchy--for which she was now serving a twenty-year sentence.
Skylar wasn’t sure how Dante had been able to access all the information he had so expeditiously, but there was no question of its accuracy. Over the years, the investigative and information network at his disposal was vast. After reading the report, Skylar felt as prepared as he could to meet with Logan, the oldest of his brothers. In addition to discovering that his siblings were successful, he’d also learned that their father, Jeremiah, had remarried almost a year ago, after remaining single for over twenty years.
Even with the mysterious meeting with Logan today, Skylar remained positive. His week was going great, both business-wise and personally. And he’d come up with a plan to deal with his absences from Haven. To avoid a situation like the one the week before, when people had begun filling Haven’s head with foolish thoughts about her not being good enough for him, he made a decision to talk to her every night before retiring. She would excitedly tell him about her day, and he would tell her about his. He’d come close to telling her about the call he had received from his brother and the upcoming meeting, but he wanted his time with Haven to be all about them. He refused to let any mention of Edwina soil their conversation.
Haven was excited when he told her that for the next two weeks, he had arranged his calendar so that he could work from the Ursula Hotel. That meant, unless some unexpected business matter came up that needed his personal attention, they would spend every evening together. She told him she had social functions this coming Friday and the Friday of her final week at the hotel. He thanked her for the information and said that he would plan accordingly.
When he heard the knock on his office door, he said, “Come in, Dante.”
Dante entered, dressed as a suave businessman. However, with his hair tied back in a ponytail and a single small hoop earring in his right ear, he looked very much like a Mafia hitman. It wasn’t surprising, since Dante’s great-grandfather, Aldo Alvera, had been just that for the Romano family in Italy. When Skylar’s great-grandfather, Sergio, was killed by an assassin’s bullet, so was his trusted bodyguard and occasional hitman, Aldo. The two had been set up and ambushed.
That was when Skylar’s grandfather Savino, who’d been in his early twenties, had made a decision. Instead of a quick and bloody retaliation, Savino had met with the remaining Italian Mafia families, the Brunos and Lombardis, and told them enough blood had been shed, and it was time to end the hatred, division, and quest for dominance.
Savino planned to move to the United States, get married, and begin a new life. However, he made it clear that if they chose to continue the feud, he had already contracted with a ruthless cartel to finish it for him. He’d put out a hit on each of them—and their families - which meant there wouldn’t be future generations of Brunos and Lombardis. They believed him and accepted the armistice he had offered. That had been close to seventy years ago, and the Brunos and Lombardis were still co-existing in Sicily in peace.
“You and Ricco are the only people my administrative assistant feels she doesn’t have to announce.”
Dante grinned. “Smart woman, that Patricia.”
“Whatever. You’re early.”
“Better early than late, Sky.”
Skylar nodded. His dad said that all the time, which was the reason Skylar was a stickler for promptness. “I readthe report, Dante.”
“And?”
“There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Yes. However, there are times when you have to trust your gut instincts about certain things. Trust me on this one, Sky.”
Skylar nodded at the exact moment the buzzer on his desk phone sounded. “Yes, Patricia?”
“Your one o’clock appointment has arrived.”
“Thanks. Please send him in.” Both Skylar and Dante stood.
“He’s early as well,” Dante noted. “That’s good. It means he knows the value of time.”
CHAPTER 21
Logan, Skylar, and Dante
Although the woman sitting at the desk had told Logan to go on in, as a doctor, he was a stickler for protocol, which deemed that he knock first, regardless.
“Come in.”
After drawing in a deep breath, he entered and glanced at the two men who stood waiting for him. One he figured was around his age of forty-one, and the other was younger. That had to be Skylar. He was proven right when the younger man stepped forward and extended his hand.
Logan took it and at that moment, an emotion he hadn’t expected ripped through him. He stared at the man who, except for his coloring, looked nothing like him. They both had Edwina’s almond-colored skin tone; whereas Lyle and Lance had inherited Pop’s darker one. Carrie was a blend of the two. The man standing before him had a mass of straight black hair that fell past his shoulders and dark eyes.
The plastic surgeon in Logan saw the pronounced mandibular angle, distinguished chin, prominent nasal bridge, heavy brows, and angular face. However, the bottom line was that, regardless of Skylar Kingston’s striking Italian facial features, Logan knew this was still his brother. A brother whoLogan immediately noticed had that same Lyle Montgomery dimpled smile.
“Hello, Logan. I’m Skylar,” the younger man said, still displaying that dimpled smile. “And this is my godbrother, Dante Avera.”
After shaking Skylar’s hand, Logan then shook Dante’s. “Nice meeting you both. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me.”
“Considering the circumstances, there was no way I could not,” Skylar said. “The subject of my birth mother is one that I only heard the full story about from my father during his final days. Up until then, I assumed my parents had divorced soon after I was born, and that my mother left, never to be heard from again.”
