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Leo nods slowly. “Okay.”
I draw a deep breath. “Is it true that your father, Alessandro Ursini, is the head of a criminal organization?”
Leo doesn’t answer.
“Is it?” I demand to know.
“Yes.”
So Sergio was right, which means he’s probably right about the other things, too. But I have to know for sure.
“And you’re part of it, too?” I ask Leo.
“Yes.”
Damn it. I should have left him to rot in jail.
“And my father?” I ask next. “Did he know about the true nature of your family business, or were you keeping secrets from him, too?”
“He…”
“He figured it all out, didn’t he? He was smart, after all. And a good man. He was going to report you to the authorities, wasn’t he? That’s why you killed him.”
Leo shakes his head. “That’s not true.”
“Liar! You said so yourself. The person who killed him works in your company. You probably know who it is. You’re just covering up for him because he’s part of your rotten family.”
“You’re wrong,” Leo tells me. “Yes, the person who killed your father probably works for the company, but I don’t know who it is. Why would I waste time asking someone to try and pull security camera footage for me if I knew who it was?”
“So you could fool me,” I say. “You just wanted to make me think you’re on my side. But there was never any footage, was there?”
“I told you, the person I asked to get the footage…”
“I don’t believe you,” I cut him off. “You know who killed my father.”
“I don’t!” he argues.
“But I’m sure your father does. Surely he knows everything that’s going on in your organization. He’s the godfather, after all, right?”
Leo draws a deep breath. “Listen to me, Jodie. Your father knew everything about the organization.”
“Liar!” I yell at him as anger bursts in my chest.
Why on earth would he work for the mafia? He was a good lawyer. A good man. Why would he choose to protect and defend criminals?
“It’s the truth,” Leo tells me. “My father…”
“I don’t want to hear about your father. He’s a monster who let his son die.”
Leo’s eyes grow wide.
Oh yes. Sergio told me about that, too. I always thought that Antonio drowned trying to save a kid. That’s the story I was told. Now, I know Antonio died because his father insisted he join one of their “family outings” and ended up getting shot in the head.
“That’s not entirely true,” Leo says.
“Don’t lie,” I tell him. “I know he didn’t drown and you know it, too. You knew it all along and you never told me.”
“Well, I’m telling you now,” Leo says. “Antonio didn’t drown, but it wasn’t my father’s fault he died.”
I snort. Yeah, right.
“It was mine,” Leo confesses. “Antonio would still be alive today if it wasn’t for me.”
My eyebrows crease. What?
“I was the one who was supposed to go on that operation,” Leo explains. “I insisted on it. My father simply allowed it. Antonio wasn’t interested at all. But he was worried about me, worried I’d get hurt, so he got me drunk and he took my place. And he died. He wasn’t supposed to. He was just waiting in the car, but the car blew up. He burned to death. There wasn’t even anything left of him to bury.”
I gasp. Is that why he said he knew how I felt when I was watching my father’s house burn down?
Wait. Am I buying Leo’s story?
“It was my fault,” Leo says again. “So you have every right to hate me. God knows I used to hate myself, too. There was even a time I wanted to kill myself. You know who talked me out of it? Your father.”
My father?
“That’s right. He knew the truth. He comforted me. He was there for my father, too. He’s not just our lawyer. He’s part of our family.”
“And yet, you killed him.”
“Someone did,” Leo says. “A traitor in our midst. The same one who ratted us out the night Antonio died. We’re still trying to find out who he is, but you can be sure that when we do, he’ll pay. Dearly.”
A lump forms in my throat.
He means it. I can tell he’s being honest. But can I believe him?
I swallow. “Give me one reason why I should believe you.”
Leo steps forward. “Because I love you.”
My breath catches. What?
“I love you, Jodie Nicholson,” he tells me. “I think I always have. That’s why I was always trying to get your attention, even if it meant I had to resort to playing pranks. That’s why I pretended to be Antonio at that party, simply because I wanted to have the pleasure of your company. That’s why I could never resist you. That’s why I’ve been jealous of all the men trying to get close to you. That’s why I’ve been trying to protect you. It’s all because I love you.”
