Page 54 of Doll Face

She tried to make sense of it. “What am I looking at?”

“Over the past several years, Matteo has been making trips to New York and meeting with an Arab billionaire named Amir Deeb al Essa, selling unmarked flawless diamonds.”

Gianna remembered her trip with him to the city. Remembered their romantic cruise where she saw the Statue of Liberty. He’d used their date to do criminal activity.

“Where’d he get the diamonds?”

“That took a long time to track, but it looks like they were uncut conflict stones smuggled out of Sierra Leone. Four times a year, a jeweler named Roberto Garcia travels to Antwerp, then heads back to Chicago.”

“Pockets lined with diamonds,” she guessed.

“Pretty much,” Seth said. “Eventually, they’re sold to Amir Deeb al Essa. It’s a brilliant way to fly under the radar while raking in millions.”

It pissed her off that Matteo had used their romantic getaway with her as a way to cover his ass.

“Where did the money end up?”

“That’s the thing,” Seth said. “Half that money up and vanished.”

“So, that’s what Pietro meant. We need to find where that money is.”

Seth frowned. “Well, this is the part you’re not going to like.”

She raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“It was stolen by your friend,” Seth said. “The one who died.”

Just when she thought her heart couldn’t hurt any more, hearing his name made her heart ache. “What did Tommy do with it?”

“That I’m still tracing, but at least we know where the money Pietro mentioned came from. And since he’s not the don, that’s called embezzlement.”

“I think bad guys just call it stealing.”

Her cell phone rang, flashing an unknown number. While she debated if she should accept the call, it fell silent. Then started ringing again.

She picked it up. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Matteo said.

“How’d you get my number?”

“I have my ways,” he replied. “Just like I’m sure you have yours.”

There was something in his tone that sounded off. “Okay.”

“Will you have dinner with me this evening?”

He managed to surprise her. “All right.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven sharp.”

“Sounds—”

He hung up on her, and a bad premonition hit her. Something was going to change this evening.

****

Matteo laid his hand on her back, escorting her into the restaurant. The low lighting set an intimate mood, while small candles added to the ambiance. The maître d’ gestured to a private table in the back, with heavy curtains giving them a measure of privacy. Matteo held her chair out, and then helped push her toward the table. When he sat down, the maître d’ handed them both a tablet before leaving. A server showed up, wearing a long black apron over a monochromatic uniform.

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