Page 47 of Code Name: Dante

“What? If you have an idea, please share it.”

“It’s manipulative.”

I laughed out loud. “As opposed to what she’s doing?”

He smiled. “Well, there’s that.”

“Here’s the thing. If the questions I had were merely in response to gossip or things that had happened years ago that would have no impact on my future, I would understand her saying that some answers are best left unknown. But that isn’t the case. There’s a reason your brother had me spied on all my life, and I need to know what it is. It isn’t just curiosity.”

“Agreed.”

“So what’s your idea?” I asked.

“Act as if you’re letting it go. Don’t ask another question of her.”

“Ah, I see. So if I stop pursuing it—her—it’ll make her crazy.”

“You know her better than I do.”

I chuckled. “It feels like you know her better than you think, given your suggestion is the only thing that might work.”

“She likes to be in the kitchen.”

I studied him. “Yeah?”

“It’s where she’s most comfortable. Where her mind is open.”

“Which are you, Alessandro? Mafia son, DOJ informant, or psychologist?”

He chuckled. “Navigating the first two required I excel at the third.”

“Do you have any theories? I mean, we know I’m not biologically related to your brother. Thank God. Err, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“But given I’m not, why would he have so many photos of me and from different times of my life?”

“I haven’t been able to come up with a theory that makes sense. Honestly, I haven’t been able to come with one thatdoesn’tmake sense either.”

“Same. So, what other secrets are there? My mom. Your mom. I suppose there could be some mystery tied to your family’s compound on Great Sacandaga Lake.”

“Alice found a DNA match for me in the criminal database,” he blurted.

My eyes opened wide. “When?”

“Right before I found you and your grandmother in here.” He hesitated. “I did intend to tell you.”

That he felt the need to explain worried me. If that was the case, why hadn’t it been the first thing he brought up once we were alone? The firelight cast shadows across his face, making him look older, more troubled. Whatever he’d discovered clearly weighed on him.

“Joseph Rossetti,” he finally said. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “According to the results Alice found in the criminal database, he was my biological father.”

I sat up straighter, turning to face him fully.

“They were—are—one of the major crime families in New York,” Alessandro explained, his voice tightening. “Bitter enemies of the Castellanos for generations. And apparently, I’m one of them.” His voice was controlled, but I could hear the strain beneath it. “The DNA evidence was collected during an investigation into organized crime activities around Great Sacandaga Lake. Murders specifically. Also, he had a distinctive birthmark—identical to mine.”

I reached for his hand, threading our fingers together. His grip was almost painfully tight, but I didn’t mind. “So, your mother…” I trailed off, unsure how to phrase the question.

“Was obviouslyinvolvedwith him.” He shuddered. “And now, I wonder if that’s why she disappeared. Did she run to protect me? Did something more sinister happen?” He shook his head. “Every answer just leads to more questions, none of which my brother would answer if I asked.”

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