Page 7 of Deadly Sins: Greed

Daniela nodded. “I can’t imagine why anyone stumbling upon the scene would make the call and then leave. When paramedics arrived, no one else was around.”

It was reasonable to assume the man responsible for the attack had made the call.

But why?

Falcon bristled and repositioned his body, centering himself in the middle of the doorway, blocking it so no one could get by.

“Falcon, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Angelo’s headed this way,” he said.

“Who’s Angelo?”

An older gentleman looking to be in his early seventies approached the doorway. He was accompanied by two men, one standing on either side of him.

Falcon’s eyes narrowed, his disposition resembling an overprotective Rottweiler, protecting his domain and all who resided in it. “Why are you here?”

“You know why,” the man replied. “This doesn’t need to get ugly. You going to stand aside so I can see my grandson?”

His grandson.

Arms crossed, Falcon considered Angelo’s request. “How do I know you’re not responsible for what has happened?”

Angelo looked at his guys like Falcon was joking and then shook his head, disappointed. “YouknowI’m not, Falcon. We called a truce.”

“Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t go back on it if it no longer suited your needs.”

Angelo wagged a finger in front of Falcon’s face. “I’ll let your stupidity slide this once since you don’t know how these things work. But I will warn you—be more cautious about what you say.”

“Why? Because you say I should?”

“I have one boy in surgery fighting for his life, and the other mourning the disappearance of his father. Don’t mess with me. Not today.”

Daniela placed a hand on Falcon’s arm. “Enough. We’re all here for the same reason, right? Let Angelo pass. It’s okay.”

Falcon grimaced, but moved to the side, allowing Angelo and his sidekicks to enter the room.

Angelo placed his hands on Daniela’s shoulders, then kissed her on both cheeks. “Let me look at you. Sei bellissima, Daniela. It’s been too long.”

Upon hearing the flattering sentiment about her beauty, Daniela’s cheeks reddened, and she cracked a slight smile, the first since I’d arrived.

“How have you been, Angelo?” she asked.

“Not bad ...well, not until this happened.”

Angelo glanced around, his eyes meeting mine. We’d never met face to face before, but it was obvious he recognized me, and even more obvious that he wasn’t thrilled I was there. He turned his back to me, faced Daniela, and said, “What’sshedoing here? She’s not back withhim, is she?”

“Sheisn’t with Giovanni,” I said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“I called Sloane,” Daniela said. “I wanted her here.”

He shook his head in disapproval. “You should have talked to me first.”

She shrugged. “She’s smart. Wicked smart. We need her help.”

“We don’t need anything.” He flicked a hand in my direction. “This is a family matter. It’s best if you return from wherever it is you came from. We’ll take it from here.”

“I’ll remain, thank you. I don’t need your permission.”

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