“I’m so sorry, Francesco.” My heart broke for him. It killed me thinking what they could have had.
“I’m sorry, too.” He reached over and squeezed my hand then moved it back to his lap.
“It’s strange, though.” I stopped myself as I reached for the door handle. Something just hit me out of the blue. “How was it that Noemi could be at the Coppola house carrying Bosco’s baby and not be kicked out by Rosa? I mean, she crossed the forbidden line, right?”
“Something tells me that Noemi was feeding them information in order to stay there.”
“Seriously? How do you figure?”
“Because we’d have known about Noemi’s pregnancy long before.”
“Wow.” I shook my head, trying to process everything, but more than anything, I was very happy I hadn’t been raised in that kind of an environment. “You should know that Noemi said to look up a Dr. Finley in New York for proof. I’m not sure if you’d want to do that, but I thought it was only fair to pass it along.”
“Grazia.” He wouldn’t look at me.
“The lies get tiring, don’t they?” I let out a heavy sigh and wondered what hornet’s nest I’d just kicked over in Noemi’s world.
“They really do.” He cleared his throat, and I knew he needed a moment alone to digest everything. “Sienna,” his tone was chilling as he picked up his phone, then he held it up and squeezed tight as he thought, “kill who you wish, but Rosa’s mine.”
“Just drag it out, for all of us. I’m going to give you some space.” I hooked my purse on my arm and stepped out of the car. The cool air felt good on my head, so I took an extra minute for myself to swallow back what might have been.
Elio met me at the door with a puzzled expression.
“Where were you?”
“Getting one last word in before we leave.”
“With who?”
“Noemi.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “Why?”
“She played a bad card, and I wanted to show her I’d come back swinging.”
“What’s wrong with Francesco?” He nodded toward the car.
“Just give him a moment.” I motioned for him to come inside. “We both got hit with a blow, one that will take him a bit longer to accept.”
“And what was that?”
“Mama was pregnant with Francesco’s baby when she first arrived at the Coppola house. Apparently, Rosa found out and ‘took care of it’ in New York.” I air quoted.
“What?” he hissed, looking back at the door, worried for Francesco. “He had no idea?”
“No. Neither of us did. Yet another thing my mama took to the grave.” I saw Andrea speaking to Donte. “On a different note, I planted a lie with Noemi. She thinks I know the truth about her secrets, and I know she’s about to crack. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Good.” He pulled me in for a hug, and I buried my face into his chest, needing him right now. “Let’s go home. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
Syndicate Tour
Grosseto
Sienna was just as I knew she would be, amazing with everyone who came out to meet her. I thought back over the day. My second cousins, who ran the Grosseto syndicate, were skeptical of her at first, but by the time dinner was through, they were laughing and inviting her to join them for drinks on the terrace.
“Thanks for keeping an eye on her while we’re gone, Francesco. We shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“I won’t let her out of my sight.” He smiled, and Sienna grinned back at him.