Page 56 of The Proposal

“Edoardo?”

“Yes.”

“My honest thoughts?”

“No, lie to me, fucker. Of course, I want your honesty.”

He blows out a long breath. “I’m not a fan.”

My head snaps in his direction. “You’re not?”

“No.”

“Elaborate.”

“Why? Has something happened?”

“I’m not sure, but my gut tells me we have a rat on the inside.”

His eyebrows jump in surprise. “You think Edoardo has betrayed the family?”

“It’s possible.”

He cracks his tattooed knuckles. “I’ll fucking kill that cunt myself if he has.”

I chuckle. “You’ll need to get in line.”

“No offence to your father, but I always thought Edoardo was a bad influence on him … a bit of a snake. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Funny, my brother thinks the same.”

“Mind if I ask why you’re focused on Edoardo in particular?” he presses, his tone a mix of genuine interest and the kind of edge that comes with someone who knows better than to ask too many questions.

“There are several reasons. Did you know he was the only one out of all our men who never reached out to me after the shooting?”

“Hmm,” he hums.

“I became even more suspicious of him when he recognised Arabella. He claims my father showed him a photograph of her, but I’ve practically turned the house upside down, and I’m yet to find the image.”

“Is there a chance he may have met her when he was in Italy?”

“You know what my father was like … he never took anyone with him when he was doing his bidding. Not even me.”

“Hmm,” he hums again, but this time, it sounds more like a growl, as if he’s processing something deeper.

“If Arabella had met him somewhere along the line, wouldn’t she have recognised him when he came to the house?”

The frown lines on Romeo’s forehead deepen as he nods slowly. “Yeah, she would have.”

“Then Lucia said something yesterday when I picked her up from the airport.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she had access to Stefano’s phone the other day and tried calling me to talk to her sister. She redialled the last international number in his call list, thinking it was me, and someone named Edoardo answered.”

“The fuck!”

“Suspicious, right?”

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