Page 97 of Twisted Obsession

‘There’s a storm blowing in.’ I explained the noise on the line. A sudden thought ran through my head. ‘Do you think they would land in Sicily? To avoid the weather?’

‘If you’d have asked me that a few hours ago, I would have said it was possible, but now…’

‘Why?’

‘If Valentina is in fact Ricco’s woman, she knows he won’t be able to meet her there, not without risk. After making numerous enquiries, I finally discovered who the child was that was stolen all those years ago from the Sicilian family, the Ricolletis…’

‘Lorenzo…’ I guessed.

‘Correct.’

‘So, Ricco took the Ricolleti child, and pretended he was his nephew,’ I added, as another chunk of the jigsaw fell into place. ‘That means Riccos ‘ndrine is the Lombardis—how did we not after all this time realise this?’ I smacked my palm down against the arm rest.

‘Because until now he has never done anything to make us think he was anything other than my grandfather’s loyal soldier. He even fought against his own blood in the last war.’ Salvatore’s voice raised in strength and anger. ‘He is a Lombardi, by maternal line. He was cast out a long time ago. The woman he loved was married off to the now Ricolleti under boss, as part of the families joining together, and Lorenzo was their first born. Knowing first-hand how reprisal drives you on, I can only assume he stole him as vengeance.’

‘So, from early on he showed his true colours, by stealing a child. Our families have unknowingly been harbouring a child kidnapper for all these years.’

‘One who was just waiting for the time to make his move,’ he added.

‘I think he has had made many subtle moves against us, using others by feeding their weaknesses.’

‘Him or Valentina?’ Salvatore hit the nail on the head as we both sifted through the facts.

‘That I can’t answer—the fact you were born before her own sons must have secured Valentina’s hatred of you and your mama. Now, she has been banned from Calabria by you… I mean there’s enough hatred there.’ I shook my head at my reasoning. ‘It was evident when your grandfather announced you as his successor, that she’d been coveting the position of being the Don’s wife, and you’d taken that away from her. She would feel disparaged. But Ricco has no real home apart from Calabria, he is displaced. Both by blood and love.’

‘Correct,’ Salvatore agreed.

‘And that makes him a dangerous fucking bastard,’ I added.

‘After I told Lorenzo who he was and refused to honour the promise of him marrying into my family because of it, he attempted to raise his gun to me. He’s so fucking brainwashed by his “uncle”.’

‘Does he still live?’

‘He does.’ I could see him in my mind’s eye nodding just the once, before he carried on. ‘He was taken away to be held in a secure place, before I send him back to the Ricolletis, but not before he bargained with his life and gave me the names of the men in Palizzi who he instructed to kill Alessio.’

‘You have them?’ I couldn’t help the eagerness in my tone. They would suffer for what they’d done to my brother and family.

‘I had them. Now, though, they no longer exist. They are dust, earth to earth, ashes to ashes. Our family ways are steeped in traditions. Traditions outsiders don’t understand. But we do.Our laws are as sacred to us, as God is to those who believe in religion. Women and children are to remain outside of our dealings, as are the men in the role of consigliere.’

‘Agreed,’ I conceded, before I released a sigh at his swift act of retribution.

‘And so here we are, Dante Giordano, with our two families now bound by blood. Facing a mutual enemy.’

‘Bound by blood,’ I repeated. ‘And by love for our women.’

He made no response, but I knew he’d heard me, and I also knew he would take all the time he needed to decide if I would get the woman I loved, his sister. Because I would have done the same.

‘Dante,’ Marco interrupted.

I refocussed on the man sitting across from me, who had been listening to my phone call and looking at his own laptop.

‘Ricco is in the air,’ he divulged, without looking up.

‘Salvatore, Ricco is in the air,’ I sighed, understanding I was stood on the precipice of either the beginning or the end of my life.

‘He’s heading to Sicily!’ Marco imparted loudly. Just then my phone started to blow up. Marco shoved his laptop to one side and stood before snatching it out of my bag. I knew without asking it was the men on the boat I’d secured reporting in.

‘Va bene… I understand.’ He nodded as he listened. ‘It’s confirmed, they are heading for Syracuse,’ he communicated to me.

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