“Maybe,” my father answered as he rubbed his head, “but we did yearly background checks on Sienna, and nothing ever came up. Certainly nothing that ever hinted at who she was.”
“Alessia’s prints wouldn’t have come up in any database.” Francesco glanced apologetically at Piero to gauge his reaction to his words. “Elenora and I covered all the bases years ago when we changed her name to Sienna. Those were the good old days, when you could be erased and live as another person.” He gave a dry smile.
“Then maybe Mama didn’t know.” Papa sighed, not wanting to believe it.
“Then how was it she came to the house before Sienna even got there to tell us the news?” I challenged. “How did she know who Sienna was?” I moved to the bar and poured myself a stiff drink. “None of it makes any sense.” Francesco picked up the notes and studied them.
“Actually,” Francesco tucked his hands in his pockets, “she may have known something. Elenora used to tell me about an older lady who she’d seen watching her before in a restaurant and somewhere else. She noticed her because she held a bright-white set of rosary beads. The first time she noticed her was when she met Noemi, and the second was right around the time we broke up. I didn’t pay much attention, just figured it was one of the elders vetting Elenora because of who I was to the family. But now I wonder…”
“Do either of you have any other proof?” Papa tried to make sense of it all, and I understood his frustration and pain.
I lowered my voice. “When I confronted her about it weeks ago, she slipped as she denied it. I never told her where the note was left, but she knew where it was. I don’t think she even realized she outed herself.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming my nerves. “And then today I saw her meeting with The Finder.”
“The Finder? As in the man you worked with as the Santoro Brother?” I nodded at Papa. “What did she want with him?”
“She hired him to keep an eye on me and Sienna.”
“What?” His hands dropped to his sides. “I know she’s stopped running a lot of things by me since the night all this came crashing down, but I can’t imagine that she would go that far.”
“She’s watching us. She’s making sure I stay away from Sienna.” I felt instantly hot with the thought of someone trying to run my life. “Whether or not I’m with Sienna, it’s no one’s business but mine. I won’t be her puppet. I work my ass off at this job, and I’m damn good at it. I will answer to no one.”
“The nerve of her.”
“She threatened me, too, and forbid me to see Sienna.”
“Really?” I saw his change in mood and knew we were now on the same page.
“At the risk of overstepping here, Piero,” Francesco rubbed the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable, “this isn’t the first time your mama has played dirty.” I watched my father’s face twist as something came to him. “Let’s not forget about the night before your wedding.”
“Papa?” I stepped closer, and he avoided eye contact with me.
“Pardon me.” One of our newer soldiers stood in the doorway.
“Did you return the favor?” I snapped, hoping at least one thing was going right.
“Yes, Savage is dead, and Lynch and Grant both know it.”
“Good.” Cavalier and Savage were taken care of. “One less fucker to deal with. “Make sure the girl gets home.”
"Yes, Jordon already is home.”
Good. “You’re dismissed.”
“Of course, boss.”
Papa looked at me and tucked the notes into his pocket. “Well, it’s sad, but I guess it’s a good thing Sienna is tucked away right now. She doesn’t need to be caught up in this mess.”
I pressed my lips together and blocked his way as he went to leave.
“What is it, son?”
“You should know I went to see Sienna at her hotel.”
“And?”
“You might want to sit down for this.”
Ugo played his part well, making a point to ignore my nervous small talk and my obvious sighs whenever I asked too many questions about nothing. I needed to play the nervous, lost child from years ago, at least at first. Later, I would allow myself to gain confidence. He needed to portray an annoyed ass who had little time for me. The hardest part was we had to appear as if we were strangers.