Arabella’s eyes flashed. “Perfect!”
“How did you slip past your security detail?” Emanuele asked, giving his brother a firm shove.
“I’m just that good.” Arabella tossed her hair. There was no missing the way she snuck a look to the side.
Oh, boy….
Linking her arm through mine, we began to descend the staircase. It took balance I didn’t have to maneuver the skirt one-handed and not fall flat on my face in the pointy, tippy heels. Being distracted with the impending chat about the don didn’t help. By some miracle, I made it down without breaking my neck.
Once we were safely on the ground floor, I pulled Arabella to a stop. “I should probably tell you something.”
The younger woman looked at me expectantly. “What is it?”
“Your godfather had a heart attack.” I braced myself for her grief and added, “I don’t think he’s going to make it.”
“He didn’t have a pulse,” Joey muttered dryly, and I wanted to smack him for being so blunt.
Arabella pulled her arm from mine, pressed her fingers to her lips, and whispered, “Davvero?”
I frowned.
Luigi helpfully inserted, “Yes, it’s true.”
Eyes gleaming, Arabella crossed herself. “Finally!”
It was plain as day that there was no love lost between the girl and her godparents. But the outright delight scrawled across her enchanting features was a surprise.
“Arabella?” I breathed.
A frenzy crossed her face, and she took off running down the hall. “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s get back to the house!”
We looked at one another before following the newly minted adult. It wasn’t until we were safely packed into the back of Luigi’s SUV that I was able to piece together anything sensible from her rambling.
“You know you robbed Nico.” Luigi broke our conversation from the driver’s seat.
Arabella shrugged, though the mobster couldn’t see her. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The supplements? You had me bring you a higher dose,” he muttered, tapping on the steering wheel. “Don’t play dumb now, missy.”
I rounded on the woman. “You said you were helping the don!”
“You assumed; I didn’t correct,” Arabella responded, dropping her gaze to the floor. She worried her bottom lip.
I gasped. “You poisoned the don?”
When she lifted her gaze, her eyes were soft and searching.
“He shouldn’t have made me his ward,” she said quietly. Under the hushed tone was a bite. “I didn’t want to live with them, and I’m fairly certain the Grimaldis are the reason my parents died.”
“That hasn’t been proven,” Joey said from the passenger seat. “It’s a pretty safe bet that was a real boating accident.”
With a flip of her hair, Arabella huffed. It was an act. I saw the pain she tried to hide.
“Well, he’s dead now. You don’t have to do what he wants.” I patted her hand reassuringly.
She fell silent and didn’t speak again until we pulled up at the main house.
“I’m leaving,” the girl declared.
