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They knew. My family finally knew the truth, and the burden was no longer on my shoulders. My uncle would make sure Dad was punished for his crimes.
“Thank you,” I whispered, tears pooling in my eyes.
“It’s not over yet,” Conner cautioned me. “What I need from you is to stay put while I handle this. All of us are coming together to pull this off, so I won’t have any men available to protect you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, but please call to update me when you can.”
“It may be a few hours, but I’ll be in touch.”
“Be careful, Conner.”
“Fuck, you’re sexy when you’re sweet.” His voice dropped an octave.
I grinned. “Focus.”
He grunted, then the line went dead. I chuckled, but the laughter quickly dissipated as the reality of the danger set in. Conner was going to plot with the Donatis to take down my father. Dad wasn’t as powerful as them, but he was experienced and had connections. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.
I wasn’t overly religious, but I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer that Conner and Sante would be okay.
Going back to the living room, I wondered what the hell I could do to distract myself. I’d planned to scavenge the fridge for lunch, but that wasn’t an option now. My stomach was entirely too disgruntled with nerves to eat. Deciding TV was my best bet, I curled up on the couch and began to scroll for a movie that might hold my attention.
Ten minutes into a murder mystery on Masterpiece Theater, my phone rang again. It was Sante calling from the burner I’d given him. All my senses pricked with alarm.
“Sante?” I answered, muting the TV at the same time.
“Em, I need to talk to you. Can you meet up with me?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It needs to be in person?” I asked, hating the strain I heard in his voice.
“Fuck, I don’t know. I just really need to see you. You told me to talk to you if something was up.”
“What if you came here?” I asked reluctantly. I knew Conner wouldn’t be crazy about me inviting Sante to our home, but I knew my brother, and he was more distressed than I’d ever heard him sound.
“Yeah, I guess that works.”
I gave him the address before we ended the call, hoping it wasn’t a mistake. I didn’t think my brother would set me up, but I’d been wrong about my father in the past. People were unpredictable.
On the other hand, I liked knowing that if something went down today, my brother would be far from the action. Just to be safe, though, I retrieved the handgun Conner kept in his nightstand and put it in my purse. I’d make sure to keep it near me when my brother arrived, and I wouldn’t let him in if anyone came with him.
Confident with my precautions, I sat on the sofa in silence, chewing my nails to the quick until the front desk buzzed to notify me of my brother’s arrival. They confirmed he was alone, and I gave permission for them to send him up.
He looked terrible when he arrived. Shadows darkened his eyes, hinting at sleepless nights. Even his ordinarily curly hair was matted and dull. What made me most uneasy was how he avoided me when he entered. No hug. No eye contact. Sante was completely overcome by whatever he had to tell me.
“Thanks for seeing me,” he finally said, peering at me hesitantly.
“Of course. You’re always welcome here.” I placed a comforting hand on his arm. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
He took a deep breath, seeming to gather his courage. “I think something’s going down today.”
“Does it involve Conner?” I asked, assuming this had something to do with him meeting the Donatis. I kept pushing when he didn’t answer right away. “Please, Sante. If Conner is in danger, you need to tell me.”
“Dad knows he’s meeting with the Donatis. He thinks they’re conspiring against him. I don’t understand why, but it’s serious. I’ve never seen him like this.”
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“I think he’s planning something, but…” Sante continued.
“But what?”
