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What bomb was he about to drop on her?
And in front of all these people?
Her heart was racing so fast, she could hear it beating in her ears. What now? He pulled her chair out and knelt before her.
“I’ve had our houses watched since the brunch. My first cousin and some of our men moved into mine the day after, and nothing suspicious has happened there. I called Chief O’Malley for an update and found out someone had raided your home, searched high and low for something, but left without whatever it was they were looking for. Do you have any idea what it might be they hoped to find?”
“I… I don’t know.” She sucked in her lip and bit it gently. What could they have been looking for? Her father had weapons, cash, and many other relics. It would be hard to narrow it down. “Where in the house did they look?”
“Everywhere. They looked everywhere.”
“They didn’t take anything?”
“Nothing. It was clear they weren’t after cash or weapons. They walked right by those.”
“We have some family heirlooms, but most of them are protected elsewhere. The expensive items are in safe deposit boxes.” She had a gut feeling there was something more. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“What?”
“You’re keeping something from me, I can tell.”
A look crossed his features, confirming her gut instinct was correct.
“What is it?” she demanded, shooting to her feet. “Shane, tell me right now. What did they take?”
“They took a photo of you off the wall, a recent one.”
Frankie noticed the looks exchanged between the men. There was something else.
“And?”
“Sweetheart, they burned down your house.”
“What? Why? Why would they do that? They murdered my entire family, so why would they burn down my home?” Her heart hurt. Her house was more than four walls made of wood and nails. She had grown up there. It was where all her memories had been made and all her things were kept. It was where her nonna taught her to cook and to weed a garden. It was her sanctuary, the place she went to feel safe, her escape from the rest of the world. It held all she had left of her family, and now it was gone, too.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“No! No, I’m not okay! Why did they burn down my house? That’s where my nonna’s diaries were! Where all my family’s history was, our family tree and lineage. All the stories my nonna told me about my family were recorded there.”
“Frankie, this might be nothing, but what room were her diaries in?”
“Mine. I had a sitting room right off of my bedroom, with a bookcase dedicated to all Nonna’s books. My family, they just… they just didn’t care about it as much as I did. I loved her stories. Why?”
“They started the fire in there. They doused the sitting room thoroughly with fire. Frankie, is there something about your family’s past that would threaten someone else? Something thatwould occur with the wedding, maybe? Something that would put a target on your family’s head?”
“Target on my family’s head?” The words tumbled out of her mouth. “Family’s head… The tiara! Oh my God! I bet they were after the tiara.”
“What tiara?”
“It’s several hundred years old and was made for the illegitimate prince of Italy’s bride. My great-great-great-grandfather was the illegitimate son of the king. The king favored him over his legitimate son and gave him lands, titles, and money. My mother gave it to my sister to wear at the wedding.”
“Do you know where they keep the tiara?”
“I… yes. It’s kept in a safe, a large walk-in safe hidden inside the family mausoleum at the family cemetery, but unless you know the secret room is built in, you would never know it was there.” She covered her mouth with her hands. She couldn’t believe she had just said that in a room full of strangers.
“It’s okay, Frankie. You can trust us,” Jay said.
“Yes, we would never violate your trust,” Mitch agreed.
