Page 101 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Don
“What?”
“Find out if that’s true,” Marco tells Roman, who nods.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my gaze bouncing back and forth between them. “Why wouldn’t it be true that some of my father’s men are worried you’d blame them?”
Marco gives me a look like I should know why. “Someone is trying to sow distrust between our families.”
“Yes, I know,” I say, feeling like I’m missing something.
“What happens if I believe Antonio or someone in his business set me up? Maybe because they think I’m trying to take over his business and they want to stop me.”
I glare at Marco for bringing up my past accusation of him. “I understand now that it’s not the case.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but that doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t believe it and tried to get rid of me.”
Okay, I can see that reasoning. “But why question whether my father’s men are really concerned about what happened last night? Unless…” When I realize what they’re suggesting, I’m shocked. “You think Frank is just saying that knowing I’ll tell you and then you’ll question my father?”
He shrugs. “There’s a traitor in our midst and it’s not a soldier. It’s someone with access and knowledge.”
“Frank? No.” I shake my head. “That would be like saying Roman was a traitor.”
“No one seemed worried about it last night,” Roman says. “I worked the cleanup with Bianchi and Aiello, both Monti men. Neither of them seemed concerned.”
Frank? No.
“That said, Frank did take out at least one of the men,” Roman finishes.
Marco shrugs. “Makes for a good cover. We don’t suspect him now.”
“This is crazy.” I stand. “Frank is loyal to my father. He might want to hurt you, but he wouldn’t do anything that could come back and hurt my father, and what you’re suggesting would. He doesn’t want to bring La Corona down. He wants to protect my father.”
Marco arches a brow. “From me?”
I remember Frank’s warnings, how he still seems suspicious of Marco.
But I don’t want to throw him under the bus. “From everyone.”
Marco nods as if he’s accepting what I’m saying, but it feels like he’s patronizing me. “I need to speak with Roman.” It’s a dismissal.
I purse my lips at him. “I’m going to figure out what heinous crime you can do that will make Blackwood salivate to arrest you.”
Roman snorted. “Have fun with that.”
I exit Marco’s office feeling annoyed, but also, a little worried. What if Marco is right?
After all, Frank’s warning has successfully sowed irritation between and Marco.
But no.
Frank has been with my family forever. Everyone is on edge, which makes it easy to see boogeymen where there are none.
I go upstairs and unpack the clothes I just brought and then find my paperwork.
I bring it down to the library, curling up on the leather sofa to craft my approach to Blackwood.
I break for lunch, only to discover Marco is out.
He doesn’t return home until late, and I’m back in the library, this time reviewing business contracts for my father.
