The receptionist eyed me as I walked toward her. “I’d like to see Mr. Sinclair, please.”
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked.
“I don’t, no.” I hadn’t thought to make an appointment.
“Your name?”
Before I could answer, her phone rang. “Yes, sir?” She listened to the voice on the other end and smiled. “Right away, sir.”
Standing from her desk, she smiled and said, “Please follow me, Mrs. Valentinetti.”
My breath hitched at the name. No one called me by that name because most people still didn’t know. But Sinclair knew. He’d been the one to help Salvatore and me.
I followed the older woman down the hallway to his office. She opened the door, allowing me to enter, and then closed it behind me.
“Madigan, what a pleasure it is to see you.”
Sinclair pulled me into his arms, and I felt my body relax against him. His hug was similar to my father’s. Parental, safe, loving.
He pulled back, his hands on my biceps. “What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping you might be able to give me some information.”
His hands dropped from my arms, and he gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat, dear.”
His desk was imposing, and when he sat in the chair behind it, I held back a shiver. I knew the rumors that had spread about this man and what he had done. What he expected in return for his time and effort.
But to me, he was my friend’s father. He’d become an uncle of sorts. The kind of family you didn’t talk about but knew would always be there for you.
“What do you need, Madigan?”
I smiled at his use of my full name. He was the only one who used it and instructed Dante to use it as well. And he did when Sinclair was around. Otherwise, Dante called me Maddie, like everyone else.
“I am looking for information about Valentino Valentinetti.”
Sinclair studied me, his gaze sharp and knowing. “Did your mother send you here?”
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “In fact, she asked me not to come.”
“She doesn’t trust me,” he said, his words sounding almost proud.
“It’s not that—”
“It’s quite all right. I count your mother a friend, though she may not agree.” He stood up from his desk and walked toward the far wall. Using a retinal scanner, the wall moved revealing a hidden door, and he disappeared behind it.
I stayed in my seat because if there was one thing I had learned about Crispin Sinclair; it was not to assume you were invited into his secrets. He kept them close, for his protection and his family’s. I was fortunate to be included in that family because of my relationship with Dante.
When he came back to the office, I asked, “How does Dante like Nebraska?”
Sinclair huffed. “He tolerates it for his daughter.”
I smiled, knowing Dante would do anything for his daughter. I’d never met her. He’d only learned he had a daughter in December of last year. But Dante was the type of person who loved with everything he had. The kind of person who would do anything to make the people he loved happy. Danny was a lucky man.
Sinclair handed me a large manila envelope. It was thick, and I knew everything we needed to know was inside. My hand trembled as I reached for it.
“Are you sure, Madigan?” he asked. “Secrets like these can tear worlds apart.”
“Maybe it’s time to tear apart those worlds,” I whispered, holding the file against my chest.
