“No,” he said. “You have been summoned to the main house for lunch. You and all of the women.”
“Who sent the invite?”
He opened and closed his hands. “Vincenzo sent word.”
“You spoke to him?”
He grinned at that, but it sent a chill down my spine. It matched the cold, hard looking coming to his face. “No. He fucking knows better. That’s why he took off after I got here.”
“But you’re coming to the luncheon, even though it’s only for the women,” I guessed.
He gave me a look that conveyed exactly how he felt. Torn.
“I’ve asked your mother and father to look after Mia.”
“You should stay with her. I’ll be fine with Rosaria, Carmen, and Juliette.”
“I have news.” He pulled me closer, almost on his lap. He held me so tight that I almost couldn’t breathe. “Burgess—” The way he said his name pierced straight through my heart, without him even finishing his thought.
“Burgess? What about him?”
“He’s dead.”
I pulled away from him, wanting to see his face. “Dead?” I whispered, then automatically looked toward the nursery. I could hear Eunice singing with the children.
Brando released me and then stood. He paced in front of the fireplace for a minute before he stopped, staring at it.
“A fire,” he said. “At the bar. He was strangled before they lit the place up. His gym next. Primo, the boxer, was almost killed but managed to get away. Our brownstone. They started a fire there too. No one was home at the time, so no deaths. Just minimal damage. The fire department got there in time to stop it before it spread.”
“Eunice?” I barely got out.
“She doesn’t know yet. The lead detective called Romeo. He’s a friend of Burgess’s. Didn’t want Eunice to find out that way, over the phone.”
Staying on the bed wasn’t an option. The need to run, to gather up my family and hide, seemed the only thing to do.
My head felt twirly and my body followed like a drunk when I stood. Holding my hand out so I wouldn’t collapse, I went for the wall, but got Brando instead. He steadied me and made me sit back down.
“I didn’t feel it,” I whispered.
He bent down in front of me, looking up. “A lot happened yesterday. You were concentrating on Mia. You can still feel her?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “You too.”
He was right. My worry for them beat all else. That had to be it. Why I didn’t feel this coming.
“What—what are we going to tell Eunice?”
“The truth.” He sighed. “Matithought it was best if your father was here. We’ll tell her as a family.”
“That man—Giulio Cesare. He did this.”
Brando nodded.
“He wants you,” I said.
“Only one way to get me. He knows it.”
“Me.”
