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“Never. Though, the last time I was at anything concerning the family was the Christmas before Rosalina gave birth to Rocca,” she whispered those words and my heart ached.
I remembered the party. “You were a little girl.”
“Ten,” she replied. “You were so happy. I had the biggest crush on you and your wife. So weird to say as much now.”
I sighed. “So much has happened to both of us since then.” The wound of grief closed over time, but never healed completely. Stephanie and I shared a connection. A bond no one should ever have to claim or endure. Death did one of two things to a person, destroyed them, or made them resolute. I almost fell victim to mine. Stephanie had become resolute, determined to save herself and her brother.
“What do we do now, Miceli? Where do we go from here?” She wrapped her arm around my middle, snuggling closer to me.
“Now we work together,” I said. “We’re going to take down every person who was responsible for the death of my wife and your family.” Then I’d claim the head of the table and change the face of the Syndicate of Families forever. In between, I’d figure out the simmering attraction between Stephanie and me.
“I’d like that.” She sighed. Her eyes fluttering shut before her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.
I don’t know how long I lay there with her before I got up to leave. She was injured and traumatized. Kyle would want to see her as well, since he’d been the one to fight their attackers to protect her. As I left the room, I spied the person of interest in the kitchen making food, I suspected, for both of them.
“How are you feeling, Kyle.” Again, the name was odd on my tongue. I’d become so accustomed to using their fake ones, saying their proper names was weird. He went rigid standing there. He grasped the knife in his hand, as if ready to fight, if the need should arise. “Stephanie told me everything. You’re safe here. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” Yet, now that I had one answer, I had more questions.
He went back to work, keeping his back to me, a sign he might have some trust in me, at least for the moment. “How is she?”
“Scared. Hurt. Upset,” I said. “She’s worried about you and what will happen next. I’m sure something both of you have discussed before.”
He nodded. “Sounds about right.”
“You did good today—protecting your sister.”
“I’d do it again, if I have to,” he said. “I’m going to need more training.”
I grunted. “We can arrange that.” I pointed to Stephanie’s room—Fuck, just being able to say her name, and know for sure who she was, settled some odd pang within me. “Your sister is sleeping.”
“I had a feeling she might. Today was harrowing.” Kyle finally faced me. “Anything I should be worried about?”
I shook my head. “No. She seems fine. I told her if she wanted to see the doctor, I’d have them come here. She agreed. I think for now, that’s safer.”
He concurred. “All right. If you find anything out, keep me in the loop. They were my parents, too.”
“I will.”
Leaving the cottage was hard. Stephanie was a wreck, so was Kyle. The day should have been an adventure for them, one I could have nagged her about when she came home in her car instead of the Land Rover. She finally let me in so we could fix the sticky situation they were in. If it connected to mine, all the better. I, like her, didn’t believe a damn word in the media about her father stealing money or what Soren was led to believe. There would have been a bigger stink within the family about it.
So, what was it?
As I stepped into the main house, my phone rang. Soren’s name appeared on the screen. Good, I needed to talk to him, too. “Just in time,” I said in greeting. “I have some information for you and another job if you’re up for it.”
“Oh, yeah?” Soren stated, a bit surprised. “Well, I have information for you too, and you won’t like it.”
“Shall we meet then?” Whatever he had to say, I had a feeling it had to do with Stephanie and her brief run in today.
“I’ll come to you. This evidence is fresh. If you catch my drift.”
“I do. I’ll be here all night. Whenever you’re ready,” I replied.
“Already here.” He chuckled. “Tell your men to let me pass.”
I nodded to Benny, who relayed the information to whoever was out in front of the house. After everything with Stephanie and Kyle, I couldn’t take any chances. “See at the door.”
