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I nod, brush my hand down Isabella’s back and place a kiss on the top of her head. We’ve been mingling for almost two hours. She’s been giving me details on every guest as they’ve arrived, and I’ve let her, even though it’s not necessary anymore. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t tell her this morning that my memory has come back. Maybe because I wanted to see her in action tonight. It’s amazing how much information she keeps in her brain. Over the past two days, she’s filled me in on every member of the Family expected to attend the banquet, their roles, family members, and dirty laundry. People would be shocked if they were aware how many details of their lives were stored in Isabella’s pretty head.
“Why did you send Rosa to her friend’s house for tonight?” Isabella asks. “She was so excited about the party, especially the cake.”
“I didn’t want her here in case something bad happens,” I say.
“It’s a party, Luca. We have a ton of security. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
I look down at her and brush my thumb along the line of her chin while my lips curve into a smile. “We’ll see.”
Isabella’s eyes widen. “What are you not telling me?”
Several excited shouts come from the other side of the room, and we both look toward the commotion near the door.
“Shit!” Isabella grabs my hand and squeezes it. “What the fuck is Davide Barbini doing here? He wasn’t on the guest list, and I strictly forbade the guys at the door to admit anyone who’s not on it.”
“It looks like Lorenzo brought him in,” I say and watch my underboss standing next to his nephew while the people gather around to chat with the newcomer.
“I still don’t understand what the hell Davide is doing in Chicago,” she whispers.
“Yes, quite interesting, don’t you think?” I smile and take her hand in mine. “Let’s go say hi.”
“What!” she whisper-yells. “Damian was only able to share some general info on him. What if he mentions something that happened when the two of you went to school?”
“I’ll improvise.”
“You’ll improvise?” she snaps. “Are you crazy?”
I stop, turn her toward me and lift her chin with my finger. “Trust me, tesoro,” I say and place a kiss on her lips.
The group with Lorenzo and Davide has moved to the center of the room, where more than a dozen round tables have been set. As we walk in their direction, I cast a glance at the corner where Marco is standing, and when our gazes connect, I give hima discreet nod. He tilts his head, speaking into his headpiece, and in my peripheral vision, Emilio locks the front door and blocks it with his body.
By the time we reach the center of the room, two of my security guys are positioned at each exit point. Just as I instructed. It might be overkill since this is a no-weapons-allowed event, but I don’t want to risk it.
“Davide,” I say and clasp him on the back. “I’m so sorry we didn’t get the opportunity to catch up the other day. Let’s eat and you can tell us about your life in Italy.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but I push onto his shoulder until he sits down on the chair.
“You can join us, Lorenzo.” I turn toward my underboss. “If I remember well, you said you have something important to discuss.”
Lorenzo smiles and takes a seat next to Davide. The quick calculated look the two of them exchange doesn’t escape my notice. Isabella doesn’t say a word, just keeps squeezing my hand and doesn’t release it even when we walk around the table and take our seats opposite them.
“I hear you had an accident two months back,” Davide says. “I hope it wasn’t anything serious.”
“Not at all. A mild concussion. Some burns and scratches.”
“You were always thick-headed, Luca.” He smirks. “Remember that time when we stole your father’s car and headed to Luigi’s? When we crashed not even a mile after we left the grounds?”
Isabella’s hand squeezes mine under the table and I can feel her fingers are trembling. I recline in my chair and cock my head, regarding Davide, then turn my gaze to Lorenzo. He’slooking at me with an evil glint in his eyes and a barely visible self-satisfied smile on his lips. Yes, it looks like I was right in my assumptions.
“You don’t remember?” Davide continues, but I keep watching Lorenzo, whose smile is getting wider by the second.
We are so fucked.
I keep my eyes glued to the table in front of me, trying to think of a way to get us out of this fuckup. Why doesn’t he just say he remembers and be done with it? I can then try changing the direction of the conversation afterward.
“I can’t say I remember that, Davide,” Luca says next to me, and my head snaps up.
Why did he confess that? I turn my gaze on Lorenzo and find him smiling. He doesn’t look surprised by Luca’s answer. In fact, he seems... excited. The realization sets in, and I squeeze Luca’s hand with all my might. How the fuck did Lorenzo find out about Luca’s memory loss?
