Page 111 of Matteo
“I have a secret,” Gianna blurted, and I grinned.
“Don’t keep us in suspense, woman,” Hannah said after a minute, both of us waiting with bated breaths.
“Promise you won’t get upset, but since we’re talking about kidnapping…”
Hannah and I shared a curious look.
“Yes?” I encouraged.
“I learned the identity of the man who snatched me thatnight.” Gianna lifted onto her elbows. “You know, the-night-that-shall-not-be-named because we all start this blame game and tears flow?”
Ignoring that familiar terror in my chest, I smacked her arm. “Don’t drag it on. Who is he?”
“He’s our Welsh cousin.”
“Huh?” I sat up while Hannah watched her with a downturned expression. “I don’t understand.”
Gianna shifted so she was kneeling now. “I don’t have all the facts yet, but I know one thing for certain. Heisour cousin.”
“But how can that be?” I questioned. “Uncle Luca or Cassio… they would never cheat.”
“Mom had another half brother,” Gianna stated confidently. “Marco King. He and his father were Welsh.”
Make sure your sister and her friend stop snooping.Why did the stranger’s words linger in the back of my mind? He had completely slipped my mind with all the events that had happened.
“What does this cousin look like? Is it that man who told me to go back into the car when I came searching for you?”
Gianna shook her head.
“No, that guy set me free. But our cousin…” She shuddered, wrapping her arms around her waist almost as if the memory of him alone sparked the need to protect herself. “Simón King.Ourcousin. Son of Marco King. Mom’s half brother. He’s an entirely different breed. There’s something terrifying about him.”
We were all grandchildren of Benito King. Thelegacy of heathensphrase had never made more sense than at this moment.
“I’m confused,” Hannah muttered. “So our cousin kidnapped you?”
Gianna nodded. “He and the men who work for him and their organization.”
“None of it makes sense to me. Why?”
“I didn’t understand it either. Until I found this.” Gianna reached for her phone and scrolled until she handed it to me. “I hacked into Dad’s network and… Well, read it.”
I did, Hannah reading the same words over my shoulder, and understanding dawned on me.
“The Belles and Mobsters Agreement,” Hannah read aloud on a shallow breath. “Didn’t someone mention?—”
I lifted my eyes and met my sisters’ gaze. “Holy shit. Our grandfather, Benito King, ran the auctions and Mom killed him.”
“But Uncle Luca took the blame,” Hannah murmured and pointed to a section. “See, right there.”
It was remarkable how good Gianna had gotten at digging up information. She found that the cousin was born and raised in Wales by an influential family, which made all of this even more confusing.
“But that’s not all,” Gianna whispered, although it was just the three of us here. “The very same man that kidnapped me is now working on resurrecting the auctions.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
ARIANNA
The next day, my sisters and I were in the lobby of Matteo’s penthouse, nagging the receptionist for information.
