Page 82 of The Secrets We Keep

“I’m aware of that.” Sienna turned to Alexei. “You can show me how. But I get to pull the trigger. I want my face to be the last one he sees before I send him to hell.”

Matteo considered her for a long moment, fingers drumming on the edge of the desk. “Fine,” he finally agreed. “We’ll sweep the house and take care of everyone else. And you can pull the trigger on your uncle.”

“Lucky you,” Carina mumbled. “He never agrees to anything that easily.”

“Sienna,” Matteo began as everyone rose from their seats and headed toward the door. “If you fuck this up for me, I’ll make sure you’re the one who pays for it.”

“I’ve been planning this for too long to fuck it up now.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Armed with access to the security system and Sienna’s knowledge of her uncle’s habits, they built a solid plan in under an hour. With complete confidence in his security, Gallo sent his men home at nightfall, leaving the compound vulnerable. Bad news for him, good news for them.

One team would slip into the villa through the courtyard and take the winding staircase usually used by the staff up to the third floor. Dante first. His bedroom was closest to the stairs. Then Stefano and his wife down the hall.

They’d use silencers so they didn’t tip off her uncle before they were ready to deal with him, but they’d be dead all the same, and the suicide note would explain the rest. Alexei’s handwriting wasn’t an exact match to her uncle’s, but it was close enough that no one was likely to ask questions.

She’d watch through the security cameras from the car to make sure there were no surprises, and when her uncle was the only one left, she’d get what she came back to Sicily for. His blood on her hands.

There was no reason it shouldn’t go off without a hitch, but that didn’t stop the butterflies from doing loops in her belly on the drive. Three years of loss and pain and heartache hinged on this raid. If they weren’t successful, her uncle would never pay for his crimes, and she’d end up dead or in prison.

“You okay?” Luca whispered against her ear, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“I will be. When it’s all said and done.”

Turning her, he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, each cheek, and finally, her lips.

“I swear you’ll get what you need, and you’ll get to come home with me. I’m going to fuck you in Palermo before we sleep.”

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a greedy kiss. He gave her what she asked for, hands sliding down her back to cup her ass and pull her against him. All she’d ever needed to get back on solid ground was Luca by her side.

“I want to be alive after this.”

“You’re alive right now,” he reminded her, giving her ass a squeeze.

“I want to be Sienna Gallo again. Back from the dead. I want the world to know what my uncle did to my family.”

“How?”

“I have proof he ordered the hit and paid men in power to keep it quiet.”

“I thought all of that was back at your apartment.”

“I’ve been carrying around a flash drive with the files on my keychain.” She laced her fingers through his, squeezing. “We can send it to a reporter to break the story.”

“They’ll want to do interviews. Drag the whole thing out into the light of day and make you relive it over and over again.”

“I already relive it in my nightmares. What’s a few interviews?”

“All I’ve ever wanted to do was give you everything you’ve ever deserved. As long as you’re sure this is what you want, I’ll support you.”

“Thank you.” She gave his lips a quick peck. “Besides, when it all comes out, it only strengthens the suicide claim.”

“I can see the headline now. Beleaguered businessman faced with a failing company and accusations of murder takes his own life.” He huffed out a laugh.

“May he rot in hell.”

“That’s the idea.”

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