Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Good.”
“I heard her and Carolina making plans to go shopping. It’s colder here, and her clothes aren’t warm enough anymore.”
I had tossed out most of her things that were old and threadbare. It made sense she needed new ones.
“Make sure she has money.”
“I’ll give Carolina my card to use. You can repay me.”
“Okay. Watch her, though. She is determined.”
“I don’t think you have to worry. I saw her heartbreak, Dante. She withered in front of me.”
I had to shut my eyes at the pain his words caused me.
“She is safe there. Even if this were over, Winters’s accusation is making people wonder if I am part of something. That makes me a target. If she were here, she would be a prime way to get to me. This is for the best.”
He was silent for a moment.
“For whom, brother?” he asked.
I had no response.
He hung up.
Chapter Twenty-Five
DANTE
The break came when we least expected it. A goon for hire bragged to the wrong people. Showed them the watch he had lifted from Winters’s dead body, planning on pawning it for money. It turned out Winters had sold a forgery to an underworld mafia-type guy who disliked being fleeced. When he found out, he confronted Winters.
Winters paid him back with his life.
The goon for hire sang like a canary on his accomplice, and they both ended up dead while in jail two days later. The mafia guy skated away and disappeared.
And I didn’t care.
It was over.
I received a grudging apology from the police chief, my passports returned, and the ankle monitoring bracelet removed. My name cleared.
The news made the headlines for a day, and people moved on.
Even Winters’s wife did, being spotted with a new man only days after his death.
Being able to leave the condo helped. I could oversee the reconstruction of the front of the gallery, speeding it along. After seeing the extent of the damage to the other business in Naples, I decided to close it, and I made sure the people affected had new jobs at one of my other establishments.
Paolo had been exuberant when I called him with the news.
“Thank God,” he exclaimed. “What a relief.”
“I know. I can move forward.” I paused. “How is she?”
“She and Carolina have been spending a lot of time together. I heard them talking about looking at some buildings for a bakery. She is at Carolina’s for a few days since she lives right downtown. Brianna even baked a few desserts here last week. Cookies and a cake.”
“What kind of cake?”
“A mockingbird, I think? It was delicious. I was pleased to see her out of her room.”
“Hummingbird,” I corrected. “One of my favorites.”
“Well, she is doing better. I told her I would look at any potential bakery or building. Help her with a business plan.”
“Did you tell her the charges were dropped?”
“Yes. She said she was glad that was behind you.”
“Ah. Good.”
I wasn’t sure why her lack of response bothered me so much.
We talked for a few more minutes, and I hung up.
I had to fight down my jealousy. Paolo got to have her cake. Sit with her and help her with her dream.
That was what I wanted for her. Why I was so upset she was doing exactly what I wanted her to do was a mystery. I was proud of her, and yet oddly disappointed.
I called Richard next. He had been in close contact since he left, even offering his own team to help with the investigation. I had assured him I would let him know if they were needed.
“Stupid idiots,” he mumbled. “As if you’d beat him to death and leave the body to be found.”
I laughed. “You think I’d beat him and dispose of the body, is that what you’re saying?”
“Of course. You are far too clever to have left that detail out.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“How is our girl?” he asked, changing the subject.
I told him what my brother had said, and he was quiet for a moment. “So, she is moving on?”
“It appears so. It is for the best.”
He didn’t reply for a moment. “You don’t think you were what was best for her?”
“I wasn’t thinking most of the time I was with her. That might have been the problem.”
“Or the blessing,” he replied. “Sometimes love offers us that.”
Then he hung up.
I had no idea what he meant.
A few days later, my phone rang and I answered. “Paolo.”
He cut right to the chase. “Brianna is missing.”
I stood. “What?”
“She isn’t at Carolina’s. There was no bakery. No shopping. She left.”
“And went where?”
“I have no idea. Carolina refuses to tell me. She won’t tell me how long she’s been gone. She says I interfered enough.”
I began to pace.
“I checked. I have no charges on the credit card. I even looked at the accounts you set up for her. Nothing’s been touched.”