34. Playing Both Sides #2
“I already came to the same conclusion, Raya,” Sani growled. “But Alessio and Gio want solid proof that this is all him before they’ll let me go after him.”
“But you’ve all overlooked one crucial detail,” she said calmly, her eyes shimmering. “Who was Damiano linked with?”
“The Leones. But they’re all dead.”
“Are they?” She raised an eyebrow, then leaned back into the sofa, returning to her TV programme.
Sani tensed beneath me as something must have clicked. He moved me off him and stood up, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“Gio. You knew the Leones… were there any survivors? Family? Distant relatives? Heirs?” Sani put his brother on speaker so Raya and I could listen in.
“No. None.”
Sani ran his hand through his hair. “What about Don Riccardo Leone? He had only one son, Lorenzo, right?”
“Si, and he’s dead.”
“What if he had a mistress? What if he had a bastard heir? Who wasn’t in Venice when it all went down. What if he’d hidden him as insurance? To have a child of his blood out there, one day ready for revenge?”
“None that we’re aware of. Where are you going with this?” Gio asked.
“Callum. He was close enough to Damiano to confess his plans to marry Aria before even she or Piero knew. He knew he was a Leone soldier and pushed him under Piero’s nose.
There has to be a connection to the Leones.
Maybe Riccardo or Lorenzo set this bastard up with enough money to make something of himself.
It can’t be a coincidence that a thirty-year-old man shows up in Rome with a fuck load of money to invest in the city, has a vendetta against the Buccini name, and recruits ex-Leone soldiers as bodyguards. ”
There was a pause. “You said you already had Nero do a thorough background check on him.”
“I did. But what if Callum D'Ardenzi is a real person, or was once, but not the man we’re dealing with? The backstory would check out.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll speak with Alessio, and we’ll dig around. Don’t do anything until we give you the go-ahead. Understood?”
“Yes, Boss,” Sani gritted through clenched teeth and hung up.
“Honestly,” Raya sighed, flicking through the films on the TV for her next watch. “This is why women should rule the world.”
I turned to Sani as he placed his hands on the back of the sofa, lowering his head between his arms. “Do you really think Callum could be from an old rival mafia family?”
“It makes sense.”
“But what would he want with me? I get why he’d be using my father to help take you down, but what do I have to do with any of it?”
“I don’t know,” Sani groaned. “His obsession with having you is what fucking bothers me the most.”
“Maybe you’re mafia, too,” Raya chimed in. We both stared at her. “I’m joking. Obviously.”
I dropped my head into my hands, feeling a headache coming on. Sani started rubbing my shoulders. “You’re not going into work tonight. Call in sick, okay?”
“I can’t. I said I’d go—”
“I don’t care. I’m not risking letting you out of my sight for a minute. You’re staying here with me.”
“Welcome to my world,” Raya smirked at me, and I scoffed. But it did feel safer to stay here, and I didn’t really want to work anyway. So I didn’t fight him on it.
My phone started ringing, and my eyes widened when I saw the caller ID. “It’s Callum. Callum’s calling me.”
Sani stormed around the sofa and sat beside me. “Answer it.”
“What?”
“Answer it. I want to hear what he has to say. And remember, play your part. Don’t make him suspicious.”
My hands shook as I pressed answer. I looked across at Raya, who had ditched the TV remote and was giving this her full attention.
“Callum, hi.”
“Pronto,” he answered. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Just worried, I guess. Sani–Santino refused to sign the divorce papers.” Shit, I’d hoped the informal nickname had gone over his head. Sani put his hand on my knee as it started bouncing with nerves.
“I heard. But now that I’ve thought about it, it was a smart move.”
I frowned, flicking my gaze to Sani, who was watching me closely. “What do you mean?”
“It was a ploy to make both you and Piero believe his interest in you was genuine. He’s trying to win you both over. That was made clear when he turned up at your father’s house this morning and tried to manipulate him again.”
Sani shook his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth. I could feel the rage building beneath his skin, so I entwined my hand with his.
“I guess. He told me he was going to see my father and try to make a deal with him, but my father refused to hear him out.”
“That’s because your father isn’t a fool.” There was a pause, letting those words sink in. “But I’ve just heard you told your father you’d help us. That’s good. And, as I said, your safety is important to us both. We will get you out of this marriage, okay?”
Sani was staring at Raya, who was holding his gaze in some kind of meditation, trying to stop him from losing his shit.
“Okay. Yeah. I’ll try my best.”
“Maybe try asking him about Damiano and record the conversation. He might admit he killed him.”
Sani stood up and began pacing. Raya nodded at me to keep going.
“Why would he admit that to me?”
“Because… I don’t know. Just a hunch.”
Because he was a sick bastard who you promised could rape me?
“Remember, you can call me anytime, for anything, Arianna. Si?”
“I know.” I exhaled, fighting the rage brewing beneath my skin. “Grazie. I really appreciate everything you’re doing to help me, Callum.”
Sarcasm at its finest.
“Ciao.”
As soon as I hung up, Raya told the sound system to play Cher.
The tune of Believe blared through the apartment, and Sani closed his eyes, dropped his head back, and kept pacing.
When he came near me, he held out his hand, and I placed mine in it.
He yanked me up off the sofa and hugged me, breathing me in.
“I can’t wait for the day I unalive that cunt.”
I tensed in his arms, even though I tried to hide it. Sometimes it was still shocking that my husband murdered people as part of his job, and that I was okay with it.
“He knows too much about everything that’s happening. The fact that he called you so quickly after I met with Piero. He had to be listening in.” Sani suddenly paused, let me go, and snatched my phone off the sofa.
“What?”
“This is a new phone, right? You got rid of your old one after I broke into your apartment to run you a bubble bath?”
Raya snorted. “You are so ridiculous. Who does that?”
“Me.” Sani glanced at her. “I do that. You know this about me. Who gave you this phone, Aria? Did you buy it?”
“I–no. My father brought it but… Callum ordered it.”
Sani used my face to unlock it and started scrolling through all of the apps. “Motherfucker.”
“What is it?”
“This is a hidden tracking app. He’s been tracking your location, and the phone’s probably bugged. He’d have access to everything you do on it.”
Panic surged inside me as I thought of the overly detailed, descriptive messages I’d been sending to Allegra. “He knows we’re having sex then. I messaged Allegra. Oh shit, Sani. The recording! I deleted it, but what if—” I slammed my hand over my mouth.
Sani rang someone named Nero, telling him to come to the apartment within the next fifteen minutes and bring his equipment, whatever that meant.
I dropped back onto the sofa as my stomach twisted with a sickening feeling. Callum had that recording. I just knew it. He was waiting for me to provide more, but that recording alone was enough for Sani to be questioned about it, and worse.
“Don’t worry.” Sani crouched down, grabbing my hands and pulling them away from my face. “Nero is a tech genius. He’ll be able to handle this. It’s going to be fine.”
He kissed me, easing my anxiety only a little. It had better be fine. Otherwise, I’d be the reason for my husband’s downfall.