AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lombardo rubs his furrowed brow. “Alright, Julian, but there’s one problem. Caroline toldmeshe didn’t recognize the three men she saw,” he says slowly. “Your mother certainly would have known Rizzo. She would have known Aldo Bernardi, too. It doesn’t makesense.”
“My mother had a secret,” I say slowly.
Leo looks down quickly, the dawn of understanding in his eyes. He knows. And when I glance across at Sandro, he gives a slow, small shake of his head.
I understand the message. If I tell the truth here, it might raise awkward questions I’d rather weren’t asked.
“My mother…was terribly short-sighted,” I say.
“That’s true,” Sandro says at once. “She had very bad vision.”
“I never saw her wearing glasses,” Lombardo says. But he sounds confused, not disbelieving.
I’ll have to improvise. Convince. “Ciro refused to let her. He didn’t like her in glasses, or contacts, either.”
There’s a nod of agreement among the three older men, because there’s a ring of truth to my lie. Ciro took an overbearing interest in my mother’s appearance. Tried to control her image even after death. But there’s only one person whose reaction matters to me.
Leo.
I hope he remembers what I told him earlier.Whatever happens tonight, I do love you. And I hope that he remembers his reply: that he loves me, too.
Because the question is, how much?
He’s a Bernardi, after all. He was raised to be proud of that, raised to follow orders, to back his father no matter what. If Aldo Bernardi ordered Caroline Castellani killed, what of it? As a Bernardi, Leo should accept it.
He should blindly accept his father’s wishes despite the fact that Aldo despises him. Despite the fact that his brother almost killed him—wouldhave killed him, if not for me.
If not for the son of Caroline Castellani.
As I watch him take everything in, I think of how much I used to hate the connection that Sandro had with Jack. One look at each other, and they knew what each was thinking. Their silent communication irritated me, made me feel like an outsider. I envied that connection. Wondered how it felt.
Now I know. Because as I watch Leo, I can read every thought that runs through his head, as clear as if he’d said it out loud.
Sandro turns to him, eyebrows raised. “You—Lion. You knew nothing of this?”
Leo looks at me before he speaks. “I knew nothing of it,” he says at last. “My father never whispered a word. But if it’s true…” I hold my breath for a moment. “I won’t stand in Julian’s way,” Leo finishes. “Let him seek his vengeance.”
“You would put my brother before your own Family? Your own father?” Sandro’s question is neutral, no inflection at all, and I wish I could tell as easily whathe’sthinking.
Does he think Leo is a rat, turning on his kin? Or...
“Yeah,” Leo says. “And I’d put Julian before anyone else as well. He saved my life. And more importantly, I love him.”
There’s an astonished murmur from the inner circle members. The color works its way up Leo’s cheeks, turning him red. He doesn’t like being the center of attention, not like I do, so I draw it back to myself.
“I’m pretty sure Aldo Bernardi wanted Roxanne Rochford killed for the same reason,” I say loudly, pulling all those wide-eyed men back to the matter at hand. “She overheard him on the phone, talking to Rizzo about me. Rizzo must have told him that Sandro had allowed me to investigate my mother’s murder. Aldo decided he couldn’t take the chance that she might not spill what she’d heard.” I give a cold laugh. “He’d already removed one inconvenient young woman years ago. He wouldn’t hesitate to remove another.”
Leo’s smile looks like it’s hurting him. “But he failed,” he says, his voice thicker than usual. “And Roxy is still alive. Thanks toyou.”
I could point out that Sandro and Jack are just as much to blame for Roxy still being alive, but Leo seems to think it’s a good thing—and I don’t mind taking credit when it’s offered.
“And Vinnie Esposito?” Vito asks. The old man seems very entertained by events today. All he needs is a bowl of popcorn.
“Rizzo had been following me. He killed Vincenzo himself, after seeing us have an argument.” I hadn’t noticed Rizzo there that night…but of course, I wouldn’t. And no one in The Cellar would ever be suicidal enough to admit that they’d seen him, either. “Rizzo lured me to the corpse. Hung around to take those pictures. When Sandro stood by me, Rizzo sent men from one of his old crews at the port. He couldn’t send someone from his current territory, of course. Too obvious.”
“Cunning,” Leo agrees. “Like you said that day. And looking to save his own ass. He woulda known my father would throw him under the bus if it got out,” he adds, with a hollow laugh. He crosses the room to me, leans over, and kisses me on the forehead. “I’m sorry about your mom,” he whispers.
I want, very much, to be alone with him. I’m about to suggest it when Sandro dashes my hopes.
