Alessandro put his hand over his face.
“After Tommaso died and your sister took over as your broker, did you never wonder why Bianca was so good at what she did?”
Tommaso was Alessandro’s first broker. He was the one who taught him the business side of assassination.
“No,” he said.
“We tried our best to get you to quit, but you were relentless. You had this terrible need to punish murderers, so all we could do was make sure you did it as safely as possible. I’m so glad you stopped.”
“How did you get out?” he asked. “Why now?”
“Last year you helped a man, Lander Morton.”
The Pit affair. Lander’s son was murdered, and we had solved that mystery.
“You’ve met Lander before,” Alessandro said. “I remember seeing the pictures of you and Father on a yacht with him. He had a case of ginger ale delivered to you because you were pregnant with me and had morning sickness.”
She nodded. “He reached out a few months ago. He is sick and worried about what will happen to his grandchildren once he passes. He has a great deal of money, and he uses it well. He did his research, realized the situation we were in, and he and I made a deal. He would provide me and the girls with false identities and help us escape, and in return, you will ally yourself with House Morton. I’m sorry I obligated you without asking, but I was desperate. Bianca is twenty-two, and Franco is shopping her around like she is a brood mare.”
Franco Sagredo needed to die in the worst way.
Lilian leaned forward, her expression pained. “I delayed this as much as I could. I had her pretend to be sick. I used the money you sent to pay off a clinic to assess her as infertile and started a rumor about it, but this last winter he had her independently evaluated against her will and mine.”
A typical trip to a gynecologist was not the most pleasant experience. To be dragged into an examination room against your will knowing that you will be sold right after . . . I clenched my teeth.
“He is moving forward with her engagement. I had to get her out,” Lilian said. “We were scheduled to leave next week, but then Franco decided to fly me here so I could guilt-trip you. I had been meek and obedient for many years and since he had the girls, he thought I would do as I was told. We had to accelerate our plans. Morton’s people got them out. By now Franco has to have realized it . . .”
Alessandro reached out and took his mother’s hand. “It’s fine, Mother. It will be fine. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She looked at him, her expression soft. “Because you would try to kill him, Alessandro. He is very strong.”
“So am I,” he said.
“I can’t take that risk. You were finally free of him. How could I drag you back in?”
Alessandro shook his head. “Somehow I have given the women in my life the impression that I must be protected.”
I needed to change that subject fast.
“House Baylor has no problem allying with House Morton,” I told her. “We will honor your commitment. It’s a small price to pay for your safety. You are welcome to stay here as long as needed. I’m very glad you are here.”
“Thank you,” Lilian said.
They were so similar, Alessandro and her, both churning with emotions, sitting across from each other with guarded expressions on their faces. I needed to give them space. He said he wanted me here, but now he was using me as an excuse to not discuss things and they both had a lot to say to each other.
I stood up and smiled. “I have some things to take care of. Please excuse me.”
I walked away before he had a chance to stop me.
What she’d gone through was awful. Franco Sagredo was truly a monster, as she’d said. But now Alessandro had a mother, who obviously loved him, and his sisters. I wasn’t sure if I was angry, horrified, or happy, or all of them at once. It was too much at the same time. It didn’t seem real, like when you barely avoid a catastrophic accident in traffic and a part of you refuses to let go of the adrenaline.
I walked into the main house and nearly collided with one of our guards.
“Prime Tremaine is asking for you,” she reported.
At the worst possible time. I girded my loins and went upstairs.
Victoria Tremaine stood in the middle of a ridiculously complex arcane circle. Technically it wasn’t a circle, it was an array, or rather a constellation encompassing two separate arrays with six power sinks and an off flow. It covered the entirety of the large suite, the bathroom, and the closet. I had utilized the walls and the ceiling. It took me two months to draw it and I had left it unfinished specifically so I could complete it fast. Once activated, the circle would eventually lose power and need to be redrawn, but I would get another week or so out of it.
The chalk lines pulsed with angry white. My grandmother was not pleased.
Victoria crossed her arms. “I suppose you think you’re quite clever.”
“Not at all, Grandmother. I’m only an amateur. I still have a lot to learn. Your example inspires me to try harder.”
Victoria glared at me. I wondered if her head would explode.
“And now you’re mocking me.”
“I’m not. That is a true statement.”
“You took Trevor.”
There was no point in lying. “Yes.”
“What else have you done? Out with it.”
“The Empyrean Holdings. Also, House Belfair and the Finch, LTD.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed. “How did you get to Albion Finch?”
“He has a daughter he’s hiding.”
Her eyebrows crept up. “Alesia? His niece?”
“That’s the one.”
“I should have replaced him five years ago.”
“But you didn’t, and now I have access to a third of your investments. Also, Bern loaded a fun little virus into your House network. You can’t issue payroll to your people unless I authorize it.”
“I’m so angry with you,” she snarled.
“Of course. But you’re also proud.” I held my fingers close together. “Just a little bit.”
She paced inside the circle. It flashed with white like a strobe show. Wow, she was mad.
I would’ve loved another three years or so to complete and adjust my elaborate trap. I had her temporarily contained but it wasn’t enough. The plan had been to shift all of the moving parts into place, so if she ever crossed the line, I could neutralize her with a single blow. Instead, I’d had to resort to this half-baked arrangement, and now she was aware that I posed a serious threat.
“How long do you intend to imprison me here?”
“That depends entirely on you, Grandmother. Arkan is coming, and we could use your help.”
Her gaze bored into me. “You never answered my question.”
Here we go. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why is Arkan fixated on you?”
“You know why. He killed Alessandro’s father. Alessandro has been annoying him for the last decade. He wants to remove him once and for all.”
“You’re lying.”
“Your magic doesn’t work past the circle boundary.”
“I don’t need my magic, you stupid girl. You’re my granddaughter. I can see it in your eyes. Also, I have a brain. I know what that Russian butcher is capable of and how he thinks. He is risk averse. Your pretty boyfriend isn’t enough to draw him out.”
You know what, screw it. “You got me. I’m lying to you. But your lies are bigger, Grandmother. They’re worse.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What lies?”
“Linus Duncan is my grandfather.”
She took a step back as if I’d punched her.
“You knew and didn’t tell me. You allowed me to continue thinking he was just an inexplicably altruistic family friend. You, who always talked about how important family is and how vital the family ties are, how could you?”