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“But you were able to get past it?” I demand impatiently.
“Partially, Sir. Just enough for me to know that whoever owns the laptop belongs to either one of the De Luca family members, or one of the families that work for them. And they would be someone higher up the chain, not just a footman.”
I lean forward. Now that is an interesting piece of information. “Do you have a guess on which family or team member?”
“I don’t want to give you false information, Sir. My guess is that she’s the daughter of one of the higher ups in Don De Luca’s team.”
I sit back, mulling that over. It’s certainly possible, but it doesn’t sit right with me. I look over at Dante, who has the same expression. “Try and break through so we can find out for sure,” I order firmly. “And make it quick. If she does belong to the De Luca family or one of their men, we need to know so we can be ready.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll try and have an answer in the next couple of hours.”
“All information is to come to me,” Dante orders. “Immediately.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Dante hangs up and then looks at me, gaze pointed. “Want to bet that the rumors are correct and she is the daughter of De Luca? And if she is, are you sure we should keep her here?”
I look at the screen briefly, mind turning with the possibilities. If she is Leonardo’s daughter, then there is a very good chance he’ll start a war to get her back. Though, if my men value their lives, he will never figure out where she is. Besides, Leonardo would never win in a war against me, and he knows it. Which is exactly why he’s never tried to overthrow me before. I have connections he can only dream of, and no matter the firepower he has, I have more. Still, is a woman a reason for a war?
Before I would have said no, and dismissed the idea, but sitting here, watching her, the answer isn’t clear. Anger burns at my gut. At her for making me think like this. I should never let a woman have this much power over me. Ever. They are nothing more than property. A pretty thing to have around and see to the matters that I have no interest in in this world. But something tells me that with her, that’s not going to be the case. I hate it. I despise it, and I think briefly of having Dante take her back. None the wiser. Then she will be out of my head and no longer my problem.
Except, she is mine, and her fate now rests in my hands. I will never allow another man to be around her. To control or hurt her.
Finally, I look back at Dante and say, “If she is, then we’ll deal with it, but until then, we continue as normal.”
“Are we sending her back if she turns out to be a De Luca?”
My fury builds at his question, but I force it down, giving him a cold, dark look. “No,” I bite out.
He arches a brow at me as he says, “Alright. I’ll let you know what I find out. You want me to wake you if you’re sleeping?”
“I want to know immediately, no matter the time of day.”
“Done,” he says. Then he gets a thoughtful look on his face. “You know, if we want to know, we could just fingerprint her. See if she comes up.”
I shake my head. “That would alert everyone to her presence here. And if there is no record of her, then there is no fingerprint to check. De Luca, if that is who she is related to, would have made sure of that.”
“Do you think that she could be an illegitimate heir? It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that they want her as a bargaining chip, but they can’t let people know she exists until they’re ready. Especially if she’s not a pure De Luca.”
“Assuming she is a De Luca, it’s possible. And would explain why she’s been hidden away. But the question is, who does she belong to? She’s too old to be a daughter of one of the sons.”
“Are we sure there aren’t other girls?” Dante frowned. “I mean, if she is a hidden daughter of either Leonardo or Giovanni, then that means there could be more.”
I wave him off. “One, maybe two, would be possible to hide, but not more than that. There are far too many people who like to talk, and word would have gotten out long ago. Not to mention, Giovanni would never have been able to keep it a secret if there was more than one or two. He’s too hot headed and would have let it slip. Though, now he’s obviously looking to make a move, he could be letting it slip, even without his brother’s permission.”
Dante nods. “I don’t get the sense that she’s Russian, or even Irish. So it’s possible she belongs to one of the other families, but they’re far more open about the women in their families.”
“Irish are big on family, and they would have married her off as soon as she was of age. Russians probably would be the same, but she would probably be back in Russia or in another family here in the States they want to strengthen ties to.” A thought suddenly strikes me and I reach into my desk and pull out my file on the De Luca family. I make sure to keep updated records on all those I need to keep an eye on. I flip it open and go through all the information I have, but can’t find what I want. “I want pictures of De Luca’s wives,” I order Dante, looking up at him. “No, make that I want pictures of both brothers wives. Any and all.”
Dante pulls out his phone and sends off a message. “Done. We’ll get the information shortly.”
Before I can say anything else, a sound stops me, making my head swing to look at the screen. I hear a soft moan, though it’s fairly faint, and see that my little mouse has moved from her position to curl in on herself. Anticipation fills me. “It looks like my guest is awake. Get me the information. I’ll be back shortly.” I stand, shrugging on my jacket and rounding my desk.
“You want assistance in case she gets the idea to fight?” Dante asks, his face cool, but his eyes bright with amusement at the idea that a little woman such as her could take me down.
“No.” I walk out of the room, without looking back, knowing he won’t dare disobey me. Not that he won’t watch the cameras, but that’s fine. I won’t be giving him anything to see.
As I walk down the hallway, I never noticed how well my home suits me. It is large, with a gothic feel. The pointed points, the dark walls, the elaborate carvings in the staircases, walls, and decorations. My mother had the place designed and built long before I came along and updated it over the years until she died. My father never bothered with such things, leaving it as is. I wonder how my little mouse will feel about it?
