Page 54 of Lily

“It’s most definitely a coincidence, but you’re right. It’s all connected,” Stefano informed them.

The man who had introduced himself as Boyd Lampros repeated his name and gave a nod.

Diane waved toward the next man. He introduced himself. “Axel Dunbrack. I was working undercover investigating suspected trafficking in a cult for the FBI in Wyoming when my current girlfriend was sold into the trafficking ring we’re investigating. I spent eight months looking for her. When I found out about this case here in Denver, I came down to look at the pictures in hopes Nora would be found. She was Jasmine, but you know that. I’ve transferred to this office to help with the investigation.”

Stefano nodded and turned his attention to the final man in the room. “You must be Roberto Moretti.”

The man nodded. “I changed my name to Robert Suthers many years ago, taking my mother’s maiden name, but yes. That’s me.”

“You own the chain of clubs called Roses and Thorns, and your father was friends with Damon’s and Gemma’s fathers. All three men were murdered.”

Robert’s brows went up. “You do know a lot.”

“I didn’t know about the tattoos and their connection to you until I saw the one on Roselia’s thigh. But a lot snapped into place when I figured out the connection.”

Diane spoke next. “I remember you well, Stefano. You were one of the brightest agents I’ve ever met—an amazingly skilled hacker. Tell us where you’ve been for eighteen years and why.”

She was going to get right to the point. Not surprising. This was what he was here for. Stefano leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands. For better or for worse, it was time to come clean. He would do this for Roselia and all the women past and future who might fall prey to Santo’s trafficking venture.

“As you know, I was the undercover agent working as a bodyguard for Gemma’s mother, Francesca. I was hard-working and devoted to the FBI, but I fell for Francesca and lost my way. We didn’t know anything about trafficking back then. My job had been to gather intel on Gemma’s father, Salinardi Romano. What I learned before my, uh, untimely death was that Salinardi was certainly the head of his own mob family. He was dealing drugs and arms, but I saw no evidence of human trafficking.”

“What happened the day of the boating explosion?” Diane asked.

“I had gone out with Francesca like I always did. I was stuck to her like glue. Her husband was paying me to guard her because he knew someone wanted her dead. Luckily, he told me that very morning he suspected Antonio Santo was stalking her. Salinardi didn’t tell me why, but after the explosion that took Francesca’s life, I lost my mind. It wasn’t one of my finest hours. Nor were the next eighteen years. My only goal was revenge.”

Diane frowned. “You faked your death to avenge Francesca’s murder?”

“Yes. I told you, it wasn’t my finest hour. I’ve had a lot of those. I realize now I wasn’t even in love with Francesca. I was enamored with her. We had good times together, but it wasn’t love. That didn’t really matter. She didn’t deserve to die, and I set out to destroy Santo for having her murdered.”

“Do you know for a fact he did?” Boyd asked.

“Yes. It took me three years to heal from my own wounds from the explosion, to get physically fit, develop a new identity, and then infiltrate Santo’s inner circle. I started working for him fifteen years ago, climbed through the ranks, and became his right-hand man. I handled nearly everything of his. I did not, however, know anything about human trafficking. Santo kept that tight and separate from his financial dealings, which were my expertise.”

Stefano glanced at Damon and then Robert. “I’m sure you’ve suspected he had both of your fathers killed, too, and you’d be right. It would seem that he either tried to talk all three of the other mob families into joining his venture, or they found out and turned him down. Either way, he couldn’t tolerate the heads of those three families giving him the finger, so he took out Damon’s father, Vincenzo Albertini, and Robert’s father, Giordano Moretti, a week apart.

“Years before that, he’d had a confrontation with Gemma’s father, Salinardi Romano, and murdered his wife as a warning. As I’m sure all of you know, especially Damon, the vengeful Santo was never pleased with Romano. As the ultimate final fuck you, he had the entire estate murdered and took Gemma prisoner. I have no idea how many people Santo trafficked over the years, but I believe that particular venture he set up with Jovani Russo began with Gemma.”

“That is the story Russo tells,” Jagger confirmed. “We’ve interviewed him dozens of times. I believe he’s telling the truth when he says he had no idea who he was working for.”

Stefano nodded. “I believe that also to be the case.”

“What were you doing for fifteen years?” Diane asked, bringing them back on track.

Stefano slid the envelope he’d brought from his glove box across the table toward Diane. He smiled as he said, “Ruining him. I’ve gradually stolen the bulk of his wealth and moved it to offshore accounts.”

Everyone gasped.

Stefano nodded toward the envelope. “All of the account information is in there. The man may be powerful, but he put far too much trust in his right-hand man. I was very close to finishing my task and walking away when Roselia was kidnapped.”

“You were in a relationship with her?” Boyd asked.

“No. Not exactly. I was in love with her, but she was so young, and I was focused on my task. My life’s work. Ruining Santo. I slept, ate, and breathed Santo’s ruin. I was solely focused on revenge for a woman I hardly knew in retrospect. But I didn’t care. It became a bit of a game. I was obsessed with taking down Denver’s primary mob king.”

“And then what would you have done?” Jagger asked.

“Does it matter now?” Stefano nodded toward the envelope in the middle of the table. He was giving them the account information. All of it. He’d never siphoned off a single dime.

Diane sighed and rubbed her forehead. “So what happened when Roselia vanished?”

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