Her body softened even more, her voice trailing off, weaker each time she spoke.“Anyway, I wanted that. To go somewhere far, and quiet. No phones. No people. Just him and me. I wanted to spend the whole day making love on that beach, to fall asleep naked under the sun, with my head on his abs...”
She stopped there. Her breathing slowed, deep and steady. She’d fallen asleep.
Without thinking, I brushed my thumb over her full lips. They were soft and warm. I wondered what they’d feel like undermine. The lust had sunk its claws into me and was driving me fucking wild. I dipped my head low and this time grazed her lips with mine. I didn’t kiss her, just savored the feel.
I didn’t know how long had passed when the door creaked open. It was Maxim.
“What?” I asked.
“I wanted to check if you killed the girl. You’ve been in here for an hour.”
His eyes flicked to Emily, still asleep in my lap. “Is she alive?”
I didn’t answer that. Instead, I gave him what mattered. “You’re flying to the States tonight. I want everything on her, especially her family ties in Italy. Even if her ancestors were nobodies from some forgotten village, I want names, dates, everything.”
Maxim frowned. “The party’s in three days. Tony’s clearly up to something. I don’t like leaving you alone right now.”
“This girl is the center of Tony’s plan. Think about it. What the hell would Tony want with a girl like her? He kept her around for three months to trick her into coming here. Whatever he’s planning, it’s tied directly to Emily.”
“So why not just interrogate her properly?”
“Because she doesn’t know. She’s got no clue what Tony’s up to.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I am. Trust me.”
Maxim shifted his weight, hesitating, clearly debating whether to speak.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Giorgio overheard something. Tony and Giuseppe were talking in Don Fernando’s office. Giorgio caught part of it. Giuseppe said something about a girl. Said she belonged to him. That she was promised from the start. It’s possible Tony brought her here to sell her.”
Heat surged to my head. I looked at Emily and I pictured what would happen if Giuseppe ever laid a hand on her. That face. That innocence. That body. That soul. He’d ruin everything.
“Tony’s the most powerful man in the Chicago Mafia right now,” I said, voice low, vibrating with fury. “He controls every state around it too. He built his empire on blood and fear, and you think he spent three months reeling this girl in only to sell her off to Giuseppe for pocket change? He can make that kind of money in an hour. No, Maxim. This girl isn’t some side deal. Her identity will blow his whole plan apart.”
“What’s your guess?”
It didn’t make much sense but it was the only thing that fit. “She’s connected to me.”
“What kind of connection?”
“I don’t know. But her eyes are too familiar.”
“She can’t be related to you. We dug through your entire family tree years ago. There was nothing.”
“Or we were looking in the wrong place. That’s why you’re going to the States. Now.”
Maxim agreed reluctantly. “Alright, boss. But Lorenzo stays here. I’ll take the jet, leave in an hour.”
I nodded. “Good. Take her out of here. Hand her over to that bastard, and get a doctor to check her arm. Then tell Lucia to visit me here.”
“Will do.”
After Maxim left, Brando walked in. Tall and broad-shouldered, he had all the physical trademarks of a Bruni. But his face was pure Carmen. And that alone was enough to make me dislike him. Not that it was the real reason.
The main reason was all those conspiracies plotted against me. And unfortunately, Brando, without knowing it or wanting to, became the final piece in this dirty game. A game whose whispers had started ten years ago, the kind that made me add Brando to my list of enemies. The things I kept hearing behind my back, Giuseppe and Carmen’s words, kept echoing in my mind.The next capo had to be Don Fernando’s legitimate son, and Brando was his only legitimate child.
