Hudson handed out the wireless comms Jesse’s team had gifted us last night. “These are much better than our other ones,” he told my father. “You don’t need to tap anything to talk.”
I checked the security camera in the kitchen. “Two SUVs are waiting outside the gate.”
“They’re going to be okay.” Dad wrapped a reassuring hand over my shoulder, referring to Maria, my mom, and my sister.
I gave him a hesitant nod, hoping he was right. My hand hovered over the controls, waiting for the order to let in the vehicles.
“Now,” Constantine said, and I opened the gates so the two black Suburbans could roll through.
After, I grabbed my rifle, knife, and a second pistol, and we went downstairs to the study and hid the weapons in easily accessible locations, and my dad and brother did the same. Then Constantine and I left him there and went to the foyer to greet our “guests.”
I still had no idea if Giovanni was complicit in anything, but I’d consider everyone a threat until they proved otherwise.
“You think our theory’s right?” Constantine asked while waiting by the double doors.
“I guess we’re about to find out.” The doorbell rang, and my mother’s cousin was the first face I saw in the security camera by the door. I tensed at the sight of the others there. Nico and his wife, Alice, were just behind him. Giovanni’s wife was MIA, not a surprise.
Constantine gave it another second, then slowly swung open the door and stepped back.
Giovanni was a few years older than my father. His black suit matched his hair, and I knew he’d have one or two pieces holstered beneath his jacket, regardless of the reason for our meeting.
“Constantine. Lorenzo.” Giovanni offered his hand, and the three diamonds in his wedding band glinted as our palms met.
“Alice. Nico.” I mimicked Giovanni’s greeting when offering my hand to them next, trying not to forgo the plan and kill everyone right there.
Nico was a year or two older than me. Same dark hair and eyes. But his hair was a bit shorter, and his eyes were colder.
And then there was Alice, a spitting image of her mother, standing there with confidence in her red pantsuit. Her black hair was up in a tight bun, and her green eyes moved back and forth between us.
“My father’s waiting for us in his study.” Constantine walked ahead of them, and I hung back behind them all, ensuring they didn’t make any preemptive moves.
From Hudson’s vantage point on the yacht, he’d be able to zero in on our targets in the study. And if we gave him the signal, he’d be the one to take out Bianca’s killer.
“Where’s the rest of your family?” Giovanni asked once downstairs.
“They’re somewhere around here,” I answered as we entered the study.
Dad remained by his desk, not standing to greet them. His hello was a tip of the head, a harsh look in his eyes. “Sit.” He motioned to the couch facing the bay window by the bookshelf. The men quietly sat as instructed, but Alice remained standing. “So you’re here to apologize?” Dad asked as Constantine and I flanked his sides.
Nico sat taller, hands going to his thighs. “I was unaware my men were taking side jobs, and they’ve been dealt with, I can assure you of that.”
“And that’s the story you want to stick with?” Constantine asked, jumping a bit ahead of schedule.
“I’m sorry?” Nico unbuttoned his suit jacket and arched his shoulders back.
My gaze shot over to Alice as she tipped her head, assessing us. “You know,” she murmured a few seconds later.
“What do they know?” Nico looked up at her, and he was either truly clueless or a stellar actor.
“That you were fucking Bianca,” Alice said, her tone still absent of emotion.
“You were what?” Giovanni quickly stood, his back to the window now, eyes targeting his son-in-law, and I not so patiently waited to see how this would play out between them.
“He was having an affair with a Costa,” Alice went on, confirming the theory I didn’t want to be true.
Giovanni focused on Nico, a hand hovering near his hip, as if he were about to break leather and draw his sidearm.
Nico peered our way, recognizing we were the main threat in the room, not his wife or father-in-law. “He didn’t really kill her, did he?” he asked, his tone softer than I’d expect. “The man you all murdered back then, he didn’t do it?” Realization crossed over his face, and his hand at his side curled into a fist. Breathing hard, he turned his attention on Alice. Before we knew it, he had her pinned to the wall, a hand circling her throat. “What’d you do?” he hissed.