“But if she was in love with you….” My voice trails off as I try to put the pieces together.
“We had a few accidents, but I had decided that I wouldn’t sleep with her again until I had your father’s approval. He was my best friend and I wasn’t comfortable betraying him. She wasn’t happy about it, we fought often.”
“You think Antonio?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I’m trying to find a logical explanation and it’s the only thing I can come up with. I absolutely lost my shit with her last night after we left the wedding. Biggest fight we’ve ever had.”
“What did she say?”
“She denied it, swears there was nobody else but me.”
“You don’t believe her?”
“Who fucking knows?” He sighs sadly. “I’m gutted. It was bad enough knowing that the woman I loved fell pregnant to another man. But to find out there was someone else, a third person…and that he got to give her the child that I desperately wanted.”
“Fucking hell.” I sit back in my chair and let out a deep exhale, we both fall silent, this is one fucked-up situation. “She hates me.”
“She really does.” Lorenzo smiles.
I smirk, for some reason amused.
“She’s a good person, Giuliano. Regardless of what you think you know of her. She is a good woman who was put in a bad situation.” His eyes hold mine. “And if you hurt my beloved Francesca, I will kill you with my bare hands.”
I give him a sad smile. “I’m sorry she’s not your daughter.”
“Not as sorry as I am.”
12:30 p.m.
“I don’t like this,” Alex splutters as he swings on his chair. “Can’t he just tell you over the phone?”
“Nicolai’s message said that I have to meet him at the town market at the fruit store at one p.m., he knows who the mole is and to come alone.”
Carlo fusses around loading my gun and Val walks into the office and throws me a bulletproof vest. “Put this on.”
“I don’t need that shit.” I roll my eyes. “I’m meeting him at a public market.”
“Yeah, you fucking do. We don’t know who’s going to be there. This could be a setup, you could be walking straight into a fucking trap.”
I roll my eyes and put the vest on underneath my shirt. “It’ll be fine. I’ve met with Nicolai plenty of times before, there’s no issue. Stop being drama queens.”
Carlo hands me my gun and I tuck it into the holder under my arm and then I put my suit coat over the top, I hold my two hands out. “Happy?”
“Better.” Carlo nods. “We have six men on the ground already and we’ll be around the corner, text us the name straight away so we can order the hit.”
“I want him dead before I get back to my car. You got that?” I reply.
“He will be, don’t worry.”
I pat down my pockets to make sure I have everything. “Let’s do this.”
The market is busy and bustling and I head toward my destination, the fruit store. I glance around at the people surrounding me, busily shopping for their produce on an average Saturday afternoon.
I walk into the fruit store and see Nicolai from behind, he’s putting apples into a plastic bag as he pretends to shop. I pick up a basket and walk over to the apples as I pretend to do the same. He glances up as he sees me and gives me a subtle nod.
“What have you got for me, dear friend?” I ask.
His eyes flick around and it’s obvious that he’s nervous. “Lombardi has your yacht.”
That fucker.
I clench my jaw as I put the apples in the bag. “How did he know about my fucking yacht?” I mutter under my breath.
A loud whistle rings out.
A woman’s scream in the distance.
Nicolai stumbles back and clutches his chest, he reaches for me as he falls to the ground. Blood is pooling in his shirt.
He’s been shot.
Fuck.
I fall to the ground on my knee beside him. “Nicolai.” I grab his hand. “Stay here, stay with me. It’s okay.” People are screaming, running for cover, and my eyes flick around at the surroundings. “Who did this?”
He’s bleeding out, I can see life slipping away from him as the blood pools around. I put my hands over the bullet hole on his chest to try to stop the bleeding. “Call an ambulance,” I scream as the blood begins to squirt up onto me. “Nicolai,” I stammer. “Come on. Hold on, don’t go.”
“Fran…France….”
“Who?” I ask in a panic.
“Francesca,” he whispers in pain.
I frown as the earth beneath me moves. “My sister?”
He nods.
No.
“What about her?”
His eyes close. “Trust…. I….”
“What about Francesca?” I cry, adrenaline is pumping hard through my veins. “Nicolai, don’t die,” I beg. “Tell me.”
His head drops, his eyes go blank as they stare into space.
He’s gone.
I sit back onto my heels, covered in blood. My heart banging hard against my chest.