“Lucien Russo has vanished into thin air,” Amadeo says.
“Expected as much. He’ll reappear once we’re gone.”
Amadeo nods. “Dominic’s men will keep an eye on that. But that’s not priority right now.”
“Dandelion.”
He nods. “I want her out of this city. Out of his reach.”
She’s due at Brady’s office at the end of the afternoon to sign the paperwork that will transfer her inheritance.
Amadeo told me about what he’d learned. Described the video he’d seen, and I can imagine the ones he didn’t. We’re now scrolling through page after page of Russo’s undeveloped properties to find the one where those men had taken her. I swear Russo owned half the East Coast.
“He’d have had her guarded,” Amadeo says. “No way two men could just get to her.”
We need to find out their names, but we’ve been through death notices and police incidents for a month around the time she was admitted as an inpatient of Tilbury, but nothing matches what we need. Although it’s not surprising. I’m thinking Russo had the bodies disposed of and everything neatly covered up.
“She always seemed a little off, but do you think it’s been worse since what happened in Naples?”
“Yeah, I do. And it makes sense. Let’s get the paperwork signed today and get her back to Italy. She’ll stay at the Ravello house. I want to find out what happened exactly. Find the property and see who had access.”
“Who had access to what?”
We both turn to find Vittoria standing in the entryway of the dining room. It’s an open floor plan so no doors.
“You have to stop creeping up on people, Dandelion,” I tell her. She’s showered, wet hair braided on either side of her face. She’s wearing jeans and a close-fitting T-shirt with a pair of Chucks. No makeup on her face. She is stunning.
“I’m not creeping,” she says. “You two were so involved in whatever you’re looking at you didn’t hear me.”
She walks toward us, and Amadeo closes the laptop as we both stand. She looks at it, then at us. “Who had access to what?”
Amadeo looks her over and nods. “You look well rested.”
“Well fucked you mean.”
“Well fucked,” he says, smiling.
I watch the two of them. I’m not jealous, per se. I was, but it’s gone. But they have something I don’t. Those rings on their fingers.
When I shift my gaze to Vittoria, I see she’s watching me. I’m not sure if she’s conscious of the motion as she turns her wedding band around while holding my gaze.
“Once I sign the papers, I’ll fly home?”
“Home?” I ask, surprised.
She shakes her head like it was just a mistake. “To Italy. To get Emma.”
“To get her?” Amadeo asks.
She shifts her gaze to him. Her smile vanishes. “You said after I signed, you’d let us go.”
He said what?I look to my brother, curious about his answer.
Amadeo sighs. “I want to be sure you’re both safe, Vittoria.”
She shakes her head. “No. We had an agreement. You said you’d set us free after you get what you want.”
He said what?