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Neither of us knew what to say. Disbelief morphed into a volatile combination of rage and resentment. Emilio had discovered irrefutable proof that my brother wasn’t dead. But had he betrayed his family? He’d supposedly been killed making a diamond delivery. My brother would never steal from his family.
If he had, the woman had to be the reason. For months, I’d been searching for the killer of a man who wasn’t dead.
“Why would he let us believe he was murdered?” I asked Ant not expecting an answer to the rhetorical question. We wouldn’t know until we spoke with Luca.
We’d buried the memory of my brother. If he’d aligned himself with Mia Thomas, I couldn’t stomach the man he’d become. Had my brother become my enemy?
If so, my brother really was dead. I didn’t know the man who could deceive his family.
“My father died believing his son was murdered. I’ve had an appetite for vengeance for so long, I can’t spit the taste from my mouth.”
“Luca wouldn’t kill your father.” Ant leaned forward. “If he was anyone else, I’d want him in the basement and let Stef extract the truth from him.”
Could I torture my brother for the truth?
“But this is Luca,” Ant said. “You haven’t always gotten along. You both allowed Giada to come between you.”
We had, but Savio had healed any lingering hurt between us. “He’s taken her name.” We could continue to hypothesize why, but never know the truth. “I want to talk to him. Maybe he’s in trouble. If he’s betrayed us, I’m the one who pulls the trigger. No one knows but us. I don’t want Anna and Savio to have to grieve again.”
“I’ll need Emilio. He can track their movements, find an opportunity where he’s vulnerable. Might take a couple days.”
Troy, one of Orlando’s crew, came into the kitchen, took a mug from the rack, and poured a cup of coffee.
“You’re up early,” Ant said.
“I’m taking your girlfriend to the airport.”
I paused with the cup halfway to my mouth.
“Fuck,” Ant said with a laugh. “You’re pissing the boss off early.”
“No disrespect intended. Miss Giada warned me that you were possessive over Francesca. She said you’d slit the throat of anyone who spoke her name.”
“Take a breath, boss,” Ant said. “Giada is a cunt. She likes to stir up trouble.”
I leveled my gaze on Troy. “Francesca is a family friend here for the wedding. She’s returning to Italy. If my wife hears you refer to her as my girlfriend, I won’t have to slit your throat. She will. You’ll feel the razor’s edge of her blade before your next breath.”
“I won’t make the mistake again.” Troy sat next to Ant.
“No, you won’t.” I stood and headed out of the kitchen. “Ant will be accompanying you to the airport.”
Troy swallowed hard. “Fucking hell.” His voice quivered.
“Calm the fuck down,” Ant said. “I’m not going to kill you…yet.”
A small smile tugged on the corner of my mouth. Ant would have the legal documents ready for Francesca to sign before she boarded the plane. She wouldn’t be returning to the estate but would land at Milan Linate Airport, and our association would be over.
I paused at the bottom of the stairs as Francesca froze on her way down. Our eyes connected. For a moment, we stared at each other. I moved first, approaching her.
Tears slipped onto her cheeks. She brushed them away with her fingertips. “Goodbye, Marco.”
Relief washed over me as she hurried past. I didn’t need another battle. My concern over the Irish seemed insignificant when measured against the revelation of Luca.
Chaotic thoughts twisted in my mind. I wanted Luca in front of me, wanted to demand an explanation of why he’d make his family suffer his death while he fucked around with a submissive whore.
Regrets burned like acid in my gut. I had betrayed Luca. I’d fucked Giada. I thought about the man I’d been. Jealous of Luca’s freedom to live outside the scrutiny of our father. Orlando was pampered, too pampered to get his hands dirty. Stefano relished the kill. He lurked in the shadows, drawing strength from the darkness.
I was groomed to be just like my father. Then Allegra had crawled under my skin. Without words, but with her fierceness, she’d dared me to be different. She forced me to bend.
