Page 39 of One Filthy Kiss

Guilt floods my chest; this is the father of the girl I was betrothed to when we were still at school. The father of the woman I should’ve spent the rest of my life with. It feels wrong to speak about Megan in front of him, but he needs to understand the full story if I’m to get the information that I need from him.

“Her mother was murdered five years ago. The body was never discovered, and there wasn’t sufficient evidence to convict the murderer despite witness claims that he abused the woman prior to her death. There was a baby girl involved. My …friend… is raising the child.”

The word ‘friend’ sticks in my mouth. Meggie is already way more than a friend, and I barely know her, but I force myself to continue.

“I have been trying to track him down with no success. His movements are erased, but I suspect that he still goes by the same name.”

Emiliano sits forward in his rocking chair, his feet hitting the wooden veranda with a dull thud. “Because men like the oneyou are searching for believe that they are untouchable when the law fails their victims.” There is an edge to his voice.

Mafia leaders might be killers, but we do not hurt innocent women and their children. We do not prey on the weak. In this we are on the same page: the world would be a better place without Steve Barone.

“He has been flying under the radar for five years, but now he has resurfaced. I need to find him before he commits another crime that he will almost certainly get away with.”

I produce my tablet, open the image of the charity event, and pass it to my companion. He studies it for a long time and, realizing how painful this must be for him, I wait patiently for him to retrace his steps to 2009. To a time when his daughter and my parents were still alive.

Finally, he hands the device back to me. “Perhaps we should go inside.”

I follow him through the house in which I made so many memories with Elisabetta. Pleasant happy memories that still live inside the walls of the house and in the hearts of the people left behind.

In his study, he sits behind the wide mahogany desk and gestures for me to sit opposite him. He opens another decanter of brandy and half-fills two heavy crystal tumblers. Then, he sits back and drains his glass in one mouthful.

This is the man I remember from my youth. The man who commanded respect without uttering a word, the man who, along with my father, was one of the role models who shaped my future.

“The man in the photograph is known as The Fish for reasons that I will let you figure out for yourself. He had connectionshere on the island. But everyone understood that he served only himself. Those who used him chose to keep it quiet because they understood that it reflected badly on them. He was a last resort, you understand.”

I understand.

Steve Barone was brought in when all else failed, and the reason his involvement was kept secret was because he gathered favors the way other people collected business cards. If he worked for a family, the family would end up working for him.

No wonder he avoided a prison sentence for the murder of Meggie’s mom.

A shiver crawls down my spine. Meggie has no idea of the kind of monster Amber’s father really is, and I aim to keep it that way. Nothing will be achieved by making her even more afraid than she already is.

“You say that he has resurfaced?” The older man studies me closely. “How did you find out?”

“He has made it known that he is looking for his daughter.” I clench my fists. The man has no right to call himself a father, when all he intends to do is hurt that little girl.

“I trust that you will keep her safe.”

“It goes without saying. The child has already lost her mother; I won’t sit back and watch her lose her sister too.”

“Be careful, Giovanni. Fish are slippery for a reason: they do not enjoy getting caught.” He pauses. “Does this have anything to do with my daughter’s death?”

I choose my words carefully. “I don’t know yet. But I promisethat if I find even a tenuous connection between him and the accident, you will be the first to know.”

I have my own theory about what happened that day. I haven’t been able to prove it yet, but I am biding my time. I am a patient man. When I have the proof I need, the people involved won’t die, I will personally make sure that they suffer every day for the rest of their long, wretched lives.

Emiliano nods slowly. “It is admirable, Giovanni, that you wish to seek revenge for my daughter’s death, but I ask a favor of you. From one Don to another. Will you leave her killer to me?”

Her killer. I have offered him a fragile lifeline after fifteen years of grieving and accepting a future without Elisabetta’s beautiful smile, without grandchildren, without an heir. Taking Steve Barone down, should I prove him guilty, would bring Emiliano Calderone closure, but I fear it won’t be that simple.

“It will be my pleasure.” I swallow my brandy and track the burn as it goes down.

My father’s old friend might not have given me any concrete leads, but I feel one step closer to hunting down Amber’s father and teaching him a lesson he will never forget.

It is difficult to believe that he produced such a beautiful child. Or perhaps her beauty lies in the love that she gets from her sister.

I miss Meggie. I left New York less than twenty-four hours ago, but I miss her easy smile, the way she pronounces my name ‘Gee-oh’ in her British accent, the feel of her naked body pressed up against mine. It is as though our bodies were madefor each other, and apart, it is like missing a limb or forgetting how to breathe.