Page 132 of The Hitman's Secret Baby
His nostrils flare, just slightly, before he draws back his hand and slaps me.
The sound cracks through the room like a branch snapping clean.
My cheek stings, but I smile. I want him angry. I want him off balance.
He wipes his face with the white cloth napkin tucked under his cuff. Folds it neatly.
Places it back in his pocket.
"You have a flair for the dramatic," he says, standing again. "I was hoping we could skip that part. But fine. If you insist."
I breathe slowly through the pain. "Who are you, really? Who is Alessandra?"
That stops him.
Giovanni turns away, walking to the far wall where an old chair leans against a crate.
He sits down carefully, one leg crossing over the other, hands steepled under his chin.
"Alessandra is my sister," he says at last. "Cristiano's wife. A woman who plays her part well. Too well, perhaps."
"And you? What part do you play?"
He looks at me, his face unreadable. "You don't need to know that much, princess. Only that I learned survival the hard way."
His smile returns, and it is disconcerting, wild, and makes my skin crawl.
"Alessandra was smarter than me, in some ways. She married well. Charmed Cristiano with her eyes and her innocence. But I told her, years ago, that being a Salvatore wife would never be enough. If we wanted real power, we had to destroy the name from within. Not all at once. Slowly. Patiently."
I struggle against the bindings. My wrists chafe. "And what do you have to do with the Gottis?"
"Cesare Gotti is not a ghost. He is a man with unfinished business. Years ago, he offered Luca an alliance. Intelligence routes. Smuggling channels. Even a marriage to one of his own. And Luca refused. He humiliated him."
Giovanni's fingers tighten slightly.
"But Cesare does not forget. He bled quietly for years. Rebuilt what was left of his empire across the sea. Waited for the Salvatore throne to rust from the inside."
He rises again, steps toward me. "And then he found me. Or maybe I found him. Does it matter? I had the access. Alessandra had the proximity. The cracks were already there. All we had to do was press."
There is an odd, almost manic edge to his words now, making it apparent that for reasons unknown to me, he worships Cesare Gotti.
He kneels again, eye level now.
"We turned captains. Redirected shipments. Leaked whispers to the street. Let the city doubt Luca's strength. We weren't trying to kill him. We were trying to make the world forget why they feared him."
My heart pounds against my ribs. "Why me? Why now?"
Giovanni tilts his head. "Because you upset the balance. Your return stirred Enzo. Stirred Luca. Suddenly, the family is watching again. Suddenly, the lion remembers his claws. That was not part of the plan."
His voice drops. "And I could not risk you finding what you found."
I swallow the bile rising up my throat. Giovanni continues speaking, his face completely unbothered. "You are leverage now, Aria. Nothing more. Something I can use to ensure Enzo does not look too closely at the wrong things."
I laugh, hoarse. "You think he won't?"
Giovanni shrugs. "That depends on how much he loves you. And how much he is willing to risk to keep you alive."
The door creaks behind him. I can hear shouts somewhere, and my instincts tell me I am still in the estate.
