‘I’m patching in Rafaelle. You both need to hear this.’
I sensed his heightened tension, but he waited as I dialled. Rafa had missed the last two races, citing having his hands full dealing with the Turks, who kept demanding more and more shipments from us. The money was good but we were having to bend over backwards to accommodate their level of need. Yalcin was also hella sore over having his consignment cut. And yeah, I’d been secretly glad not to deal with Rafa on a day-to-day basis.
That was all about to change.
‘You’re calling me after a race win,frate? The only reason you’d do that instead of being balls-deep in?—’
‘Rafa, Nonno is on the call. Behave.’
Dead silence for three seconds. Then he cleared his throat. ‘Hey, Nonno.’
‘Rafaelle,’ Orazio impatiently acknowledged his grandson. ‘Tell us why you called, Cesare.’
‘I’m flying back tomorrow. I need you both to meet me at my place. Bring Pops too.’
‘Why? You better not have done something stupid?—’
‘Maddelena was there the night Mama died,’ I interrupted. ‘Other members of her family too.’
Dead silence turned deadlier. Longer. The breath locked in my throat screamed for release.
‘What did you say?’ Rafa whispered, the words like ice daggers.
‘I… We will explain everything tomorrow. Six o’clock. My place.’
‘You don’t get to dictate where and when,’ Orazio snapped. ‘Bring her home. We’ll have the meeting here.’
‘With respect, no.’
His shock slammed into me from thousands of miles away. Rafa’s too. But I held my ground.
‘How long have you known this?’ Rafa demanded.
The question I was most dreading. I squeezed my eyes shut. ‘A little while.’
‘Since your little trip?’ he pressed.
‘Doesn’t matter. Tomorrow, six o’clock.Sì?’
Neither objected, but they didn’t say anything either.
I hung up with the stone churning in my gut. The cat was well and truly amongst the pig?—
A sharp cry had me striding back inside.
‘No! Giada, no! Give me the gun. Run, Giada.’
The words congealed my blood, turned me inside out as I tossed the phone away. On the one hand I absolutely loathed hearing them. Having to relive the night my mother died. Onthe other, it killed me that she was haunted. That her fucker of a grandfather had put her and her sisters in the position in the first place.
It made me want to hunt him down and drag him into a very, very deep hole filled with molten tar.
‘Run, Giada!’
Rushing to the bed, I flipped her over. Her eyes were scrunched shut, her breath choppy as she neared hyperventilation.
‘Wake up, Maddelena.’ I cupped her chin but she resisted, almost wrenching from my hold. I held her still, brushed a kiss over her mouth. ‘You’re having a nightmare,bedda. Wake up,’ I ordered.
‘Please! Go!’
