Page 81 of The Secrets We Keep

“Actually,” Sienna said, pushing away from Luca and crossing to the laptop, “it might give us exactly what we need. May I?”

Bending over the machine when Maeve nodded, Sienna brought up a window and typed in a long string of code, the neon numbers and letters filling the screen.

“Before it happened, my uncle asked me about upgrading security at the compound and the office. I gave him proposals for both. It looks like he implemented the one for the office but cheaped out when it came to the compound. Instead of redoing the entire system, he added a second one.”

“And that helps us how?”

Sienna grinned, typing in a final command and hitting enter. A box popped up. The controls to her uncle’s internal security system.

“They had to be linked, and that link is a weak point.” She turned the laptop around to face Matteo. “Now we have access to the internal cameras and the alarm system.”

“You can do that, and you wanted to use yourself as bait?” Alexei wondered, eyebrows raised.

“She’s been dead set on sacrificing herself to kill him since she got back,” Luca said.

Sienna crossed her arms over her chest. “When I saw my recommendations implemented at Gallo Industries, I just assumed he’d done the same to the compound. I didn’t even think to check,” she added, reclaiming her seat next to Luca when he held out a hand for her.

The room fell silent, all eyes shifting to Matteo, his elbows resting on the desk, fingers steepled. His eyes were intent on the screen, a frown creasing his brow. She knew he was methodical, meticulous, a planner. But with revenge so close, her fingers itched to claim it. Whatever he decided, she would not be left out of it.

“I’d have liked to blow up the train first, tied it all with a pretty bow.” Matteo swept Sienna with a look somewhere between irritation and disdain. “But since that’s off the table now, we’ll have to make the best of the seeds we’ve already planted.”

“What seeds?” Luca wondered.

“When I was in Rome yesterday, I had lunch with an old friend. A journalist. I let it slip that I was worried about Gallo’s mental health. It hasn’t been a good quarter for him. Profits are slipping, and the government has lost faith in his ability to honor their contracts.”

“Clever,” Carina said.

“We commiserated about what a shame it would be to see a man such as Gallo tumble. I then, of course, asked them not to print anything that could damage him.”

“Of course.” Dom shook his head and chuckled.

“But for some reason, we’ve had two other reporters call to ask to speak to you about Gallo and your thoughts on how he might weather this particular storm.” Maeve bit back a grin.

“So if he up and killed himself, the story with your worries would go to print and explain everything away?”

“My anonymous suspicions. Yes,” Matteo confirmed. “Dom, can you put together an op? He thinks he’s bested me by blowing up my inside man.” Matteo slid a look to Sienna. “Woman. I’d rather not let him celebrate for long.”

Dom nodded. “If I can get the layout of the compound and the placement of the cameras from Sienna and Maeve, I can have something for you in an hour, maybe two.”

“I can get that for you.”

“And I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Maeve said.

“That’s all for now, then.” Matteo motioned for them to go. “We’ll meet—”

“Actually. There’s something else. A condition.”

Matteo raised a brow at Sienna. “I hardly think you’re in the position to be giving me conditions.”

“Really? Because without me, you wouldn’t be anywhere close to getting your hands on Gallo Industries.”

Luca squeezed her fingers while Matteo sucked his teeth.

“What do you want?”

“Take out whoever you need to however you need to at my uncle’s compound. But Nero Gallo is mine. I get to put the bullet in his brain.”

“It has to look like a suicide, or the whole thing is pointless.”

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