Page 73 of The Hidden Heir

Shivers run down my spine as I try to wrap my head around this. “But Stefano’s been dead for a few months.”

“Luca didn’t change the routes. I’ll give Stefano credit where credit is due. The man had great knowledge of the streets and which levers to pull in order to get our people through undetected. It’s just…” He pauses and sighs heavily.

I see the concern deeply embedded in his features while he carefully strokes his bearded chin. His eyes blink slowly, his gaze wandering down to Michael—but there’s no softness there, only concern. Doubt. The kind of doubt he hesitates to express, which, in turn, triggers my cat-like curiosity.

“What aren’t you telling me, Victor?”

“It’s what I’m not telling Luca. I’d rather let him suspect me or the two other men who might’ve had a hand in this than to consider the alternative.”

“Which is?”

He looks at me, and I can tell he can’t even bring himself to say it out loud.

“Stefano,” Victor says, finally expressing his biggest fear.

“But Stefano died. He was blown up, right?”

He nods once. “There was a body, yes.”

I’m compelled to sit up and take another sip of coffee, my blood suddenly rushing and nausea threatening to upend the entire moment. Victor has decided to trust me with something that has clearly been eating away at him for some time.

“The thing is, I could never confirm that the body in the morgue was Stefano’s. Luca couldn’t even go in to see him. He was understandably devastated,” he says.

“Are you saying you’re not sure Stefano died in that club explosion?”

“I’m saying it was always a small possibility. And I would’ve left it at that. But going over the information in Lanny’s files, Valentina… I can’t help but think about it some more.”

“Wait, if Stefano survived, where is he?”

He shrugs and shakes his head. “No idea. It’s just a crazy theory at this point. There’s nothing concrete to go on, merely the imagination of a tired, old man.”

“You said there are two other people whom Luca likely suspects, given the detail in Lanny’s files. Who are they?”

“Raymond Shelby and Tony Petrucci Jr., probably. Luca wouldn’t say, but they’re the ones I’d be looking into. Raymond’s been in the organization for almost as long as I have. We came up together. He took over the logistics after Stefano died. And Tony, he’s a second cousin and one of the few Petruccis still actively involved in the business. He took over the… let’s call it the bribery department. He’s the one keeping the wheels of the machine thoroughly greased.”

“Well, what are your thoughts then?” I ask, growing increasingly aggravated by the prospect of someone so close to Luca being capable of such heinous betrayal.

Victor offers a subtle half smile as he looks at me. “You know, Valentina. I do appreciate the trust you have in me, given that you don’t consider me a suspect at all.”

“Maybe you are; I can’t know for sure. But I see the way you are with us, Victor. The kindness in your eyes cannot be faked, and I know a man with kind eyes like yours may be capable of terrible things, yet you’d never put me or Michael directly in harm’s way.”

“I can’t imagine Michael growing up without his mother, if that’s what you mean.”

“It’s exactly what I mean. So, I don’t know about Luca or his security lieutenants and what they all think about it, but I’d just rather not worry about you, too. Now tell me about Raymond and Tony. What’s their deal?”

Victor leans down for a moment to help Michael retrieve a yellow cylinder that slipped away. He gives it back to my son, then watches as he gingerly pushes it through another round-shaped hole in his play box.

“Tony is a Petrucci down to the bone. He’s scared of Luca, to begin with. He simply wouldn’t betray him, because he understands the repercussions. Perhaps if Luca were dead or certain to be killed before he could get to Tony, maybe then Tony might consider betraying him. But frankly, I don’t think he has the spine for that. I don’t know, I’m not buying it.”

For some reason, I trust Victor’s judgment. Maybe it’s because of the way he speaks. Maybe it’s his experience in the syndicate and his lifetime’s worth of wisdom, but whatever it is, he inspires my trust.

“And Raymond?” I ask.

Victor frowns, a troubled look in his eyes. “Oh, how do I say this? Raymond can’t betray Luca. He’s not wired like that.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“I told you, we came up together. He and I, we’re cut from the same cloth. I went on to handle the administrative aspects of the syndicate, while Raymond stuck to the groundwork, but fundamentally, he and I are the same. We took bullets for each other, Valentina. He certainly would never betray me, and he knows that, in a sense, I’m as much a Petrucci as Luca himself. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this. Raymond cares about me, about us, and he cares deeply. This man will die before he would ever sell any of us out.”