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“One more thing.” He lowered his voice but then shook his head like he decided not to say it.
“My time is valuable,” I warned.
“Just watch Tieri, okay?”
“Meaning?”
“He’s had his eye on Sienna ever since she and Mariano came into the office that day. When he learns she is fair game, he might make a move.”
“Let him.” I turned on my heel and left, leaving him to do his job and me to burn off some rage. The less involved in our plan the better.
* * *
The workout did nothing to help, and now I was just sore as well as pissed. I’d showered and dressed, but my muscles screamed beneath my suit, and I wished I had another way to work off my tension. I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned over the fireplace with my hands on the mantel. As much as my heart was wounded by who Sienna was, it was no fault of hers, and I still felt that familiar craving to find her, strip her down, and bury myself deep inside her. No matter what was happening, when we were together, I felt I could figure anything out, but now…
Stop.
My fingers tightened and I ground my teeth, feeling the anger pump through my veins. It was almost painful. My body craved hers, and my head was slipping. I needed to find a better outlet.
“Son?” Papa’s hand landed on my shoulder as I stared into the fireplace.
I wondered if I should just toss the notes into the fire and ignore the truth. No…I couldn’t. I would be betraying our family’s motto. The wordloyaltycarved in the crest above the wall caught the light, and fate told me what I needed to do.
“What’s happened? Are you all right?”
“No,” I shook my head slowly, “I’m really not.”
“Elio, no one would blame you if you needed to take a vacation, clear your head.”
I reached over and pressed the white noise button we often used when we needed to speak privately. Papa looked at me, questioning the reason for the privacy. I studied his face and held up a finger to give me a moment. In spite of the fact that Gain had told me that Mariano’s parents were out in town this evening, I wasn’t taking any chances. My actions told Papa that I was about to disclose something very sensitive. I nodded at Francesco, who had just entered the room, to come closer.
“First, Francesco, I’m sorry.” I felt the need to apologize. It wasn’t something I did often, so when I did, they knew I meant it. “I may not fully understand your reasons for doing what you did, but if you hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have someone I truly love. Are we okay?”
“We are.” He shook my hand but held on to it as he stepped closer. “I want to say the storm has passed, but I don’t believe it has. Please understand there are still a few more secrets lingering around that I don’t have the answers to.”
I saw red but recognized he was coming to me with something before it smacked me in the face later.
“All right.” I tucked that information aside and focused on what I needed to share.
“Papa,” I looked into his eyes and knew my face spoke volumes, “here.” I pulled out the two small notes and handed them to him then watched his face scrunch in confusion.
“This is the photo and note from years ago, the one you found on your car?” I nodded. “Okay, I recognize that one, but what is this one?” He held up the other small piece of heavy paper. “It looks to be the same card stock.”
“Sienna found it.”
His head jolted up to mine. “Where?”
“The back of Nonna’s car.” A series of emotions washed over his face as he digested what I was saying. Papa was a smart man, and I didn’t need to say too much for him to put the pieces together.
“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have showed you if I wasn’t.”
“Son, are you aware of what you’re saying?”
“Yes, I am.” I cleared my throat uneasily. “I would never accuse anyone in our family, especially my nonna, if I didn’t feel certain. I tread carefully. I knew we were all hypersensitive on this topic. Think about it, Papa. Since Elenora showed up and started creating waves, suddenly Nonna breaks her strike of staying cooped up at Uncle’s house, after nearly a decade.”
“She has been spotted a few times in the city,” Francesco commented. He had said nothing to this point, only stood quietly, listening. Listening was a big part of his job within our family. He spoke slowly and knew to tread very carefully with Papa, too. After all, Nonna was his mother and the matriarch of the family. “If it truly was her and she did try to keep you from leaving all those years ago to find Sienna, do you think she knew who she was all along?”
