Page 80 of Sins of the Son

“What did you learn?”

I turned to look at him. “That this goes way beyond some school prank that got out of hand.”

CHAPTER 28

CESARE

It took forever getting rid of the body.

Even though it was suicide, it would lead to questions and an inquiry, scrutiny we didn’t want. So we decided it was best to just get rid of it. Usually these things were planned in advance so you didn’t have to deal with all the bullshit in the same evening because it was so fucking time-consuming.

Instead of heading to the villa, I went home first to wash off all the blood, grime, and dirt.

It wasn’t until early in the morning that I finally could check on Milana.

I found Papà and Amara outside on the veranda, despite the slight morning chill. Amara was wrapped in a blanket and sitting on his lap. On the round marble-topped table in front of them were the remnants of their breakfast, a platter of fruit, some fresh brioche, and a pot of plum jam. As well as various illustrations. Amara was updating the look of our wine labels and obviously had been reviewing artist submissions with my father.

I exchanged a look with him and nodded, letting him know without saying a word that the body had been taken care of in the usual way.

I gave Amara a kiss on the cheek in greeting. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m going to grab an espresso and go see Milana. Is she still in bed? Which bedroom did you put her in?”

Amara leaned up and adjusted the blanket over her shoulders as she looked first at Barone and then at me. She cleared her throat. “Milana isn’t here.”

I had already turned to head into the kitchen, only half listening to her response. When I processed what she'd said, I pivoted on my heel and faced her, frowning. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly. Did you just say she isn’t here?”

Amara looked at my father, who remained strangely silent, and responded, “No. She isn’t.”

Trying to keep a rein on my fast-rising temper, I asked, “Do you mind telling me where the hell she is?”

I had already been to my home, so I knew she wasn’t there. She hated the cottage, so it was unlikely she was there either.

Amara rolled her lips between her teeth and shook her head.

I raised my eyebrows. “You can’t be serious.”

She shrugged.

“Papà?”

My father at least had the decency to look slightly chagrined. “Amara felt….”

Amara interrupted. “We felt….”

My father began again. “We felt that given Milana’s current state of mind, it would be cruel not to give in to her request to return to a place where she felt safe and at home rather than stay at the villa.”

“Given what is going on, you just let her leave here?”

“I put a guard on her.”

Amara gave him a shocked look. “You didn’t tell me that!”

He stared back at her askance. “You can’t honestly think I was going to let her just stroll off the vineyard grounds without at least a security detail?”

Her brow furrowed. “Actually, yes, I did.”

He tapped the tip of her nose. “You are so adorably naïve.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “I’ve had a very long night and I’m fast losing patience. Tell me where my girl is.”

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