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“Believe it or not. In the simplest of ways. I wasn’t certain where to begin. So, I started with a facial search. Hell, I didn’t even use our specialized software. I did a regular Voogle search. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I ran across a picture on the sixth page… thank you for being a public figure, by the way. It took hours of pouring over picture after picture of you.” Darsh made a face of discontent.

“You’re welcome.” Emmanuel embraced the moment of levity.

“Anyway. I recognised a Sicilian landmark in the background. We discussed how, while you docked in Sicily, you never went ashore. I clicked the photo, and it led me straight to him. His social media footprint is small, but it was just enough.”

“What are the highlights of what you have learned so far?” Emmanuel was certain Darsh had a comprehensive report, but he wouldn’t be able to wade through it… not now.

“Someone went through a great deal of trouble to erase the fact that you two are twins. They went through all that trouble and yet handled both your records in the same way. Two newborns with sealed files. Missing original birth certificates. It’s going to take me a while to get through all of that red tape.”

Emmanuel had a good idea of who that someone was. What the hell had he done? Bought him or some shit? One thing was for sure, he had to wait to confront him, because if you didn’t have all the facts, Larson Scott would weasel his way out of explaining, and then ensure they never found the truth.

“What I know is that you two were born in a little city on the border of Ontario and Quebec. They recorded both of you as single births.”

“How is that possible?” Ivy asked. Thank God for his wife. Her voice was the beacon he could hold on to as it drowned out the thudding in his eardrums.

“That is what I’m going to get to the bottom of. On the day they came into the world, the number of children born doesn’t match the number of mothers who gave birth. Again, powerful hands at work, altering information?—”

“What else have you learned about this… Leonardo?” Emmanuel asked.

Ivy reached over, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it.

Darsh gave him a peculiar look.

“Tell me what I should already know?”

His friend nodded. “He was raised by a single mother in British Columbia. From what I can tell, they moved around a fuck ton. He was an exceptional student. Fluent in three languages. Oh, he played football, and he was the backup quarterback for his high school. He went to university on an academic scholarship. Full ride. Then, after university. He moved to Italy and lived there for fifteen years. Ever since, he has split his time between Vancouver and Italy. He has a mid-sized business. Bachelor. He’s never been married. No other children.”

“Okay.” Emmanuel wasn’t sure what he expected to hear, but it wasn’t enough. He hated being at a disadvantage. This man knew about him. They needed to be on even footing.

The instructions he gave to Darsh in front of Ivy were to try to find out what he could. Afterwards, when Emmanuel had a moment alone, he gave more detailed instructions.

“Hey Darsh. I need to find out everything about Leonardo Baldi. All the details, please. Find all the fucking skeletons. Any and all weak spots.”

Emmanuel breathed a sigh of relief. There was an outlet for all the pent-up emotions that he was feeling.

“Shit. I get a feeling when this is all over. I’d hate to be him.”

“Don’t waste any worry for him. He shouldn’t have fucked with my family. I don’t care who the hell he is. The price is going to be heavy.”

“I would hate to be him.”

“When I’m finished with him. Leonardo is going to hate to be him, too.”

“Emmanuel, should I be worried?”

“Not at all. Nothing is free. Fucking with my family comes at a price. If it’s something he can’t handle. That’s too bad. He shouldn’t have signed up.”

“Fair enough.”

“I’m serious about this. I want to know it all. Especially what role the Journee woman played in this. Everything! Even if you have to call Ash.”

Even as he said it, he realised his request sounded slightly unhinged. Calling Ash was like asking the devil for a favour. Well, not exactly. The devil used to be an angel. The same couldn’t be said of Ash.

“Emmanuel, calling my brother into this isn’t the best idea.”

“I don’t care. I will deal with the fallout later. Bring Ash on if needed. I want to know if Leonardo had a hangnail in 3rdgrade.”

“For all our sakes, I will do my level best not to involve my brother. You were just talking about prices… dealing with Ash comes with one too.”

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