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“He won’t know, because he’s in danger.” I approach him in fast steps, but if my sudden movements alarm Lazlo, he doesn’t act on it. Instead, he observes me closely when I’m a step in front of him. “I’m not sure what else to tell you to make you believe me, and I’m probably wasting my time, but know this, my mother was happy in Italy and with my stepfather, but sometimes, I saw her crying alone. Sometimes, she would hug me and tell me she wished it was different. The day those men came and killed her and Papa, I wished it was different, too. I know someone hid me and smuggled me to the States, but I have no idea who it was or why they did it. All I’m certain of is that it had something to do with you and the Rozettis and that Luca could’ve been working with them…”
I trail off when he releases the utensils and reaches a hand toward me. I’m about to flinch back when Lazlo wraps his fingers around the pendant that’s peeking out from my coat.
His eyes widen as he runs the pads of his fingers across the surface with infinite caution. “How did you get this?”
“Mom gave it to me.”
“I gave it to Rachel. She said it was a precious gift and she’d hand it down to our child if we had one.” He stares at me with what seems like awe. “You…are my daughter.”
“I believe so, yes.”
“And I never knew you existed.”
“I think someone tried hard to make it so you wouldn’t.”
“Or somepeople.” His expression tightens. “Did you mention a Luca?”
“You know him?”
“Luca Rozetti.”
“His last name is Brown.”
“It’s fucking Rozetti. He and his family have tried every trick under the sun to destroy me, but I never thought they would go so low as to hide you from me.” He stands and strokes my face. “My daughter. My blood.”
I swallow at the tone of his voice, at the way his eyes soften as if he’s finding a long-lost treasure.
“I should’ve found you sooner. If I had known Rachel had you, I would’ve followed her.” He taps the scar on his cheek. “I should’ve sensed something was wrong when she gave me this.”
“Mom did?”
“Yes, though it was a bit of an accident. She didn’t take my engagement to my current wife well and held a knife so I’d leave her alone. I was trying to disarm her when she cut me. That was the last time I saw her.”
“How come you…didn’t hurt her for it?”
“I hurt her enough by choosing another woman over her. You, however, I didn’t know about. If I had, it would’ve been different.”
“Would you have married my mother?”
“No. But I would’ve raised you.”
“That must be why she chose to stay away.”
I can tell he doesn’t like my response, but he doesn’t press the issue.
“How did you know?” He pauses, narrowing his eyes. “Did Adrian figure it out and kept you from me?”
“No, no he didn’t.”
“Then who told you?”
“Luca.”
“Filthy Rozetti.” He curses under his breath in Italian.
“What’s your problem with them, anyway?”
“We always have territory wars. However, they made the mistake of killing my father, so, in turn, we’re killing all of them.”
