12. Who Do You Think It Is?

TWELVE

Who Do You Think It Is?

JULIAN

I wait until Milana is fast asleep before slipping away from our bed and pulling the white sheet I took off the bed earlier, while she was in the bath, from the closet. Alessio's orders were clear when he announced all traditions were to be adhered to when it came to accepting Milana into Il Destino. The tradition of the bloody sheets is the most archaic and deplorable of them all. I think it's barbaric to consider women to be less worthy if they aren't virgins. I know Alessio feels the same way, especially since Josephine, his wife, was married before and was definitely not a virgin.

Although, her first husband was deplorable, and what he considered sex was rape. Alessio is ensuring Milana's acceptance by the elder underbosses by imposing what they would have deemed acceptable way back in the day. At one time, it was expected that the bloody sheet would be hung over the balcony for all to see. It then became more private, and only a select few would be invited to witness the spectacle in a private room.

Personally, I don't give a shit what they do, but I refuse to have Milana in attendance when it happens. Uncomfortable whispers or cackling old hens are not something she needs to be subjected to.

I grab the sheet out of the closet, take it into the spare room, and shove it into a box. Tomorrow, I'll deliver it to Alessio, and he can do what he likes with it. For now, I slip back into bed beside my wife and gather her in my arms. She emits a satisfied sigh, slings an arm over my middle, and nuzzles like a kitten into my side.

* * *

M om has already called twice to make sure we haven't forgotten the family brunch she has planned. I hated to wake Milana, but she would have been more upset if I hadn't given her time to get ready. She looks like a dream when she emerges from the bedroom in a soft pink wraparound, vee-neck dress with cap sleeves. She looks adorably sexy and totally kissable, but I know if I start, we're going to be very late for Mom's gathering, and that will be a lecture I can do without.

I grab the box under my arm and take Milana by the hand to the private elevator. I let Milana's guard know that we're on the way down, and he meets us in the underground garage. He'll be following in his own car, but I appreciate the extra layer of protection since we haven't been able to locate Anton yet.

We pull out onto the main road. I check the rearview mirror to see that our man is right behind us. I can't quite pinpoint it, but something feels off. I've been taught to trust my instincts and begin to scan the streets. I change routes on the fly. Dad's man sees me veer off to the left and follows. There's a fair amount of traffic, but once I make the cutoff on the highway toward my parents' place, there's a stretch of road that, on a Sunday morning, should be fairly quiet.

I make a right and switch to make a full circle around the neighborhood, and that's when I notice that a dark blue Mercedes that was four cars behind us is clearly in sight, making the same series of turns. The driver sees he's been discovered and makes a sudden right, disappearing from sight. From experience, I've learned that the enemy always comes in pairs, which means we're in their sight.

I hit the Bluetooth on the car and make a call.

"Where are you, son? Niccolo and Valentina have already arrived," Dad's voice booms through the speakers.

"We got a tail." I don't hesitate to give our location and a description of the Mercedes.

"I got you on speaker," Dad says.

Then I hear Niccolo's voice. "Bruno and Piero are at the bakery on Elm Street. Are you nearby?"

"Three blocks," I say.

"They'll wait for you outside. They'll take the lead. Stay on course. We'll have eyes posted to see if we can get a fix on the Mercedes. Maybe we'll get lucky," Niccolo says.

"Nah, they're gone. As soon as I spotted them, they took off. I can't shake this gut feeling that we're still being followed," I tell him. I feel Milana tense up beside me, and she begins to look around at the cars around us. "I see Bruno and Piero," I tell him. Bruno's driving and lifts a hand to signal that he'll lead the way.

"We'll see you in a bit," Niccolo says.

Dad's voice growls into the phone. "They will pay."

I sigh and think that this better come to an end soon. I turn and watch the terror on Milana's face. Tonight, we'll move to another location. They knew where to find us if they were this close to my condo. Someone's feeding Anton information, and I suspect it's one of our own.

* * *

I t's not long before we get to my parents. The gate opens immediately upon our arrival, letting all three cars through and shutting quickly behind us. Dad waits on the front steps with Niccolo and Alessio, who must have arrived shortly after my call.

I get out and open the door for Milana, who still seems to be rather shaken, but manages a strained smile to greet them.

"Hello, gentlemen," she says shyly, sticking tightly to my side.

"Cara," Dad calls to her and opens his arms. Milana lets me go and steps into his embrace.

"I'm so sorry," she says with a muffled cry. "I don't mean to cause so much trouble."

"You brought my son home. It's my turn to protect you," Dad replies. "Let's get you inside. Expect Lilliana to fuss. It's the natural order of what a mama does, apparently," he teases, and Milana lets out a half giggle. Dad opens the door, and as he said, Mom is right there waiting, enfolding Milana into her arms and taking her inside.

"Let's do this out here. I don't want to scare Milana any more than she already is," I suggest. Alessio nods. "They know where I live. The condo has security, and I have a great system, but I don't want to take any chances. I'll find a hotel for tonight," I tell them.

"Hotels are harder to guard. We'll need too many men to cover it all. Stay here," Dad insists.

"No, Julian and Milana will stay with me," Alessio insists. "My house is a fortress. More importantly, what did you see?"

I recall the details about the Mercedes and the driver and give them the description. "What bothers me is that they knew where I lived and where we would be. The attacker was either scouting and planning, or they were going for the attack once they got me off the main highway. Someone among us is talking, or they've been able to tap into our lines." I rake a hand through my hair and begin to pace.

"Who knew you were at the apartment last night?" Niccolo asks.

"All of us. A few of Dad's men. That's all that I know of."

"None of my men are snitches!" Dad insists.

Alessio puts a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Calm down, Joe. I know you run a tight ship, but someone found out. Have there been any visitors lately? Deliveries? Repairs?"

"With the wedding, of course. This place was a madhouse. Lilliana went apeshit with the people traipsing in and out, but we checked them all at the gate. And I only do business in my office. No one is allowed in my office unless they're invited," Dad says.

"With all the commotion, it would have been easy for someone to slip in and out," Niccolo says. "I think we start with a list of vendors and delivery people."

"Scan for bugs. Get a list of people who entered the house and a list of companies that made deliveries," Alessio orders. He turns to Dad. "You have cameras at the gate. Pull the videos from the past week. I want to go over them myself."

"Check with Mom. She has the list of people she hired for the wedding. We can cross-reference her list against the video. We can even get a list of staff from the companies." I pause and look at Alessio. "I appreciate you letting us stay with you tonight, but this has to end soon. Milana is scared half to death. This all happened because she crawled into a freezer to pull me out."

"We will figure this out," Alessio confirms and begins to walk away, but I call him back.

"Can I have a moment alone?" I ask him. Alessio gives Niccolo and Dad a nod, motioning for them to leave us alone. I walk to the trunk of my car and pull out the box with the sheet with the proof of Milana's virginity on it. "This is the last of the traditions. I would prefer to have this done away from Milana, if possible."

Alessio sighs and looks at the box in my hands. "I have no intention of putting on a display for all to see. I'll see who asks for the proof and decide if they have the right to participate. It will also give me an opportunity to ask why they would question my reasons. Angelo has been a royal pain in my ass for a long time. If it weren't for his dedication to my father when he was capo, I would have done away with him long ago. His attitude leaves a lot to be desired, and I'm well aware of his objections. Angelo thinks his men are loyal to him, but they are loyal to Il Destino first." He points his fob at his car and pops the trunk. "Put it in the back. I'll see to it."

* * *

Milana

J ulian stays close to me throughout the day. He finds ways to touch me, whether it be guiding me to the lovely table Lilliana has set for brunch or placing a hand on my knee under the table. I find it soothing, and when I glance at him, he always seems calm, like nothing happened. I guess in the grand scheme of things, being followed is nothing compared to what could have happened.

I also discover that my husband has some keen senses and felt the danger before even seeing the car. I try to relax and enjoy the day with family and friends. It's strange to feel this way, to have a family to call my own. Lilliana has been more of a mother to me than my own. Even when she hovers and coddles, though some might think she's being bossy, I find it endearing. It's her way of showing how much she cares and wants to take care of me. As a child, I never felt safe in my own home. I was happiest at school, away from my greedy father and cowardly mother.

Lilliana settles me onto the couch, quickly putting a cup of tea in my hand and wrapping her arms around me. Valentina and Josie are with us and quickly distract me, reliving all the highlights of the wedding. They took pictures with their phones, and we look through them.

"Your dress was stunning and suited you perfectly," Josie says. Lilliana gives me a knowing look that says, I told you so . I giggle, and Lilliana leaves the room to prepare the table for our meal.

"Thank you," I reply.

"Look at this one outside the church. The lighting is perfect. It's a great shot of you and Julian getting into the car," Valentina says. I look at the picture of Julian tenderly guiding me into the car and the smile on his face. He looks happy, well and truly so. My heart does a little lurch. I can make him happy. In the photo, his eyes are bright, and he looks at me with joy. I see my own expression, and I feel it in my heart: I've fallen in love with Julian. Now, under normal circumstances, you fall in love and get married. I think I fell in love with Julian the moment I pulled him from danger, and I didn't even know it. My chest constricts. This could be very good or very bad.

My mother fell in love with my father, and the result was total heartache. Years of trying to please a man who would never be happy because he didn't know how wonderful his life was because he always wanted more. All Dad did was get her killed.

Then again, Julian isn't my father, and he's been handling me with care. I hold hope in my heart. He may never love me, but he does care for me.

I look a little closer and see the lovely trees around the church making a pretty background for the photo. Then I notice what seems to be a head peeking out from behind a tree.

"May I?" I ask Valentina. She hands me the phone, and I expand the photo, trying to focus on the person. The larger I make it, the blurrier it becomes, but it's definitely a head.

"Oh my God, is that a person? What on earth could they be doing way over there?" Josie asks. Then she calls out for Alessio, who makes his way swiftly into the room. "We were looking at photos, and Milana saw something in this picture. Someone is standing behind that tree."

Alessio looks over my shoulder and snatches the phone out of my hand. He hits a few buttons on the phone and hands it back to his wife.

"I've sent it to my phone. Send me the rest of the pictures you took, gattina. This may be helpful," Alessio says to Josie, then drops a soft kiss onto the top of her head.

When Lilliana returns, she tells us that brunch is being served and doesn't see any of the men around. "What now?" she asks with frustration. "It would be nice if for one meal, just one, there would be no drama." She throws her arms out, marches to Joe's study, and raps on the door. "Mangia è pronto." She announces that food is ready as a helpful nudge to come to the table. Not that I think for one second it will make them move any faster, but I love her feistiness. She returns to gather Josie, Valentina, and me, and we all help to bring out the platters of food, setting them down on the perfectly arranged table.

Thankfully, the men come out of Joe's office and join us at the table. Joe bends and kisses his wife on the cheek with a mischievous grin. "Bella mia, you can pout, but you know that you can't stay angry for long," he teases. Lilliana tries to hold her pout for a moment longer, but fails miserably and lovingly reaches for Joe's arm.

The meal is delicious, and the men devour their plates and go for seconds. I can hardly eat and keep thinking of the picture of the man behind the tree. I'm shaken out of my thoughts when Lilliana sets a dessert plate before me with a huge slice of tiramisu cake.

"This is too big," I whisper to Julian, sitting next to me. I swear Lilliana has super hearing.

"You barely touched your food. You need to eat," she says with a tone that tells me there's no use arguing with her.

Julian puts his fork in my tiramisu, swipes off a huge hunk, and puts it in his mouth. After swallowing, he leans close to my ear and murmurs, "I got you," making me smile.

* * *

I t's not until we're in the car and on our way that I see we're not heading back to the condo. Alessio's car is ahead of us, with another car leading and one behind us.

"Where are we going?" I ask, looking at the passing streets.

"We're staying at Alessio's tonight as a precaution," Julian responds. I look out the window and lean my head against the glass. Julian glances at me. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"It would be easier to just give me up. Or I can disappear. Leave the country, maybe. Find a quiet town somewhere and?—"

"Don't even think about leaving me," Julian barks. "You are my wife, and you will remain by my side." He grips the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles whiten.

"You're not safe with me here. None of you are," I try to explain.

He twists his head to briefly catch my eyes. "It's insulting that you think I can't protect my own wife," he growls.

"That's not true!" I cry. "I trust you, but what if something happens to you because of me? I'd have to live with that. Look what happened to Barry. He's lucky to be alive." Tears well in my eyes, and my voice trembles. "I couldn't bear it if they hurt you again."

"We have a plan. This will be over soon, and things will become more normal. Spending the night at Alessio's is only to ensure we don't have to extend our men any more than we need to so we can use them to find the guy in the picture."

"Who do you think he is?"

"We're having the photo blown up and cleaned up. We're hoping to get a positive ID on the guy in a couple of hours."

"He may have nothing to do with any of this."

"Unlikely, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"He seemed sad in that picture," I say.

"What?" Julian looks at me.

"His head was way down, and his shoulders were kind of slumped." I shrug. "I could be wrong, but he looked like he was upset."

"He'll be more upset if he can't answer our questions," Julian mumbles. We pull up to Alessio's home. "No more talk about running, understood?"

I nod. "Okay."

He reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips, turning the palm upward and kissing it. "We're in this together."