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I wish I could dwell on that revelation and cherish it, but neither of us can. Not yet anyway.
“I’m back,” I say, walking into his office.
His head pops up from his computer screen, our eyes connecting, and both of us silently telling the other, we’re sorry for this mess that isn’t even either of our fault.
“What if he’s shipping it inside the wine?” Eric doesn’t waste time as he enters, taking a seat in front of D. I sit down on the couch and Justin takes the seat next to E.
“Like how he’s managing to get dope in under the radar?” I ask for clarification. Drago is convinced he’s still smuggling it into the US, even without Diaz in the picture. No one has seen or heard from Brandon Marino, Diaz’s second in command, but D suspects he’s laying low, keeping out of sight.
“Makes sense. Why else would the old man suddenly buy a well-established winery in Italy? He needs to change his methods up so that he doesn’t get caught. He’s gone this long getting away with his crimes. He can’t allow himself to become predictable,” Justin weighs in.
Drago steeples his hands together. He’s not looking at any of us, but I see the gears turning in his head. He’s thinking and weighing if it’s plausible. It is. It’s smart too—for a criminal anyway.
“What if the bottles are specially made to conceal anything he wanted: drugs, money, information. The ‘what’ is endless. It’s the how that we need to find out, and then we need to connect it to him,” Eric says.
“There was a shipment that docked an hour ago.” We all look toward the door and Luca steps inside, easing the door closed but not all the way shut. “Like a few weeks ago, it wasn’t on the schedule to show up.”
“You noticed it on the cameras?” Drago asks, and Luca nods.
“It got randomly stopped by the shipping patrol before it docked. They radioed it in and Rebecca told them it was an oversight on our part. I had the communication changed when I installed the new equipment, so they had to call me too. Rebecca doesn’t know that,” Luca reveals.
“We need to get down there before it gets transferred onto a truck. If this is legit, then he won’t chance us holding the inventory in-house. He’ll have something scheduled to ship back out today,” Drago finally speaks.
“I agree,” Justin says as I nod my head.
“That’s all well and good, but I want to know what we’re doing to protect CC. He already has one Acerbi, my nephew. If he has an end goal, then you better bet your ass he knows she isn’t his daughter. Someone needs to be with her at all times.”
“What do you mean, I’m not his daughter?”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
DRAGO
Luca’s face turns to surprise before he whips around to face our sister. The door to my office is wide open and she’s standing in the opening with her hand on the doorknob.
“Caprice. Shit.” Luca sighs and then looks to the ceiling.
“CC,” I call out.
“I’m not dad’s daughter? How is that possible?” She cranes her neck, her eyes going to each of us until they finally stop on me. “How?”
“Your mother had an affair,” Bri tells her when I remain silent. My eyes flick to my woman momentarily, and then I snap them back toward my sister.
I can only imagine what’s going through her head. I didn’t want her to find out, but she has, and now the best thing any of us can do is be honest with her.
“He’s not my father.” Her hand goes to her cheek and then covers her mouth. I need to stand up and go comfort her, but the guilt I feel in my chest keeps my feet rooted against the chair where I sit.
“I didn’t want you to know. I certainly didn’t want you to find out like this,” I admit to her. She looks so betrayed. If I were in her shoes, I’d feel the same way. But what choice did I have? This wasn’t what I wanted for her. I’ve only ever wanted to protect her and Luca. It’s been my mission for so long now that it’s all I know how to do—or it’s what I thought I was doing.
“So, you lied to me? You kept it a secret?” She cocks her head, thinking, then glances at our brother. “You all lied to me.” Shaking her head, she lets out a tired sigh. It’s evident on her face that Luca’s part hurts her more, and that’s exactly why I’d never planned on telling him either. They’re best friends. He shouldn’t have been placed in that predicament.
“Sis,” Luca whispers, sounding defeated. It’s evident on his face, that he hated every minute of keeping something from Caprice. I feel like shit for putting him in this situation. But I still stand by my decision that it’s better to be hated by those you love than to lose them to the acts of an evil person. I’ve always had the drive to protect those that mean everything to me. Gabriel and our unborn baby take top priority to everything in mine and Bri’s life now. But I’ve been caring for my siblings for years, and I always will.
“What else have you all been lying to me about? Keeping from me?” Her angry eyes move until they land on J’s. They seem to be having a silent conversation amongst themselves. If you weren’t looking between the two of them, one might miss it, and it makes me pause.Is there something more that I’ve missed?
“Caprice.” Her name comes out like a sigh on his lips, his eyes softening. “I swear I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t need to know,” I say, continuing to look between the two of them. “When I asked you to look after her, to do whatever it took to nestle yourself in her life, I didn’t feel it was necessary information.”
