I snorted. “It shows.”
He smiled, then tipped his glass to his lips. “Blair’s family is more connected than the Wellingtons. My father forced me to marry her before I’d graduated from medical school.”
Most of the men in my family were doctors. My grandfather owned Wellington Pharmaceuticals, a company that had been in our family for over a hundred years. Pops had high hopes for Aiden, but he was an artist and would never change.
“I understand,” I sighed. “I just wish I had a choice. Luca is awful and has been for the last ten years. He’s a bully and a monster. I think he enjoys torturing me.”
“If you had a choice between Marcello and Luca, who would you choose?”
“Neither,” I said without hesitation. “They’re both mean.”
“What if I gave you a choice?” Pops tilted his head to the side, inspecting my face for a reaction. “Would you think differently of this arrangement?”
My lips parted in shock. “Do I have a choice?”
“The more important question is do you want one?”
“Yes, but I hate the Salvatores. They know what happened to Aiden. After Luca kicked me out of Devil’s Creek, I could never marry him. I trusted him with Aiden’s life. I hope he rots in Hell.”
Pops patted my knee with his hand. “Do you remember why he asked you to leave town?”
I held his gaze, and my heart hammered in my chest. I took a deep breath, then another one. I closed my eyes and focused on finding my center. Blocked out the painful shit that made me feel out of control.
Whenever Pops asked me questions like this one, I panicked. Because that meant I forgot something, another repressed memory. My doctor said they would come back. But it had been nine months, and all I had were my nightmares to keep me company.
“Because I flipped out,” I guessed.
A few nights after Aiden disappeared, I confronted Luca at his estate. It was after midnight, and we were on the patio by the Olympic-size pool. He wore a navy blue suit with a gold silk tie. As usual, he looked incredible while I was driving the Hot Mess Express. I had paint on my clothes and hair and hadn’t slept in two days.
We started fighting. Tears spilled from my eyes, blurring my vision. I slammed my fists into his chest, pulled something from his pocket, and then there was… blood.
Then nothing.
Just blackness.
“You underestimate Luca’s feelings for you,” Pops said with confidence.
And just like that, something clicked in my brain, bringing me back to the present. My nose tipped up at the tarragon in my grandfather’s aftershave. I curled my fingers around his wrinkled ones and sighed.
Pops.
I was safe next to Pops on the couch. No one was in danger. My heart rate steadied to a normal pace. Moments like this happened often. Slivers of the past flashed before my eyes, and then bam—reality.
“Luca Salvatore doesn’t have feelings,” I said.
“I know he pushed you away, and you took that as an offense, but he keeps tabs on you. He cares about you, Alex. If Luca hadn’t watched over you for the past nine months, I don’t know where you would be right now.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He turned away, avoiding my gaze. “Nothing. I’m just thankful he worries about you as much as I do.”
“Luca only cares about controlling me.”
“We can use this situation to our advantage.” Pops cupped my hand with both of his. “Keep your eyes and ears open. Those Italian lessons will come in handy the longer you live in that house.”
The Salvatores spoke Italian and used it when conducting their illegal business transactions. I always knew when Luca was doing shady shit by the language he chose. He had a bachelor's degree in international business and an MBA from Harvard University and spoke seven languages fluently. But Italian he reserved for his criminal underworld dealings.
“Do you think they killed Aiden?”
He lowered his gaze to our joined hands and sighed. “My private investigators have been looking into the Salvatores for months.”
“Aiden was afraid of heights. He would never jump from that cliff, not unless he wanted to kill himself. I saw him that morning. He looked a little tired, maybe on something, but he wasn’t unhappy.”
“Aiden’s addictions were getting worse.”
I scowled. “He wasn’t an addict.”
“He had a problem, Alexandrea. You never wanted to admit it.”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
Pops squeezed my hand. “I agree Aiden would not jump. If he’s still alive, we will find him. This is our chance to uncover the truth.”
I trusted my grandfather more than anyone. My parents never gave a shit about me, but Pops was always my shining beacon of hope. I had already lost my brother to the Salvatores, and I would not let them take my grandfather from me.