five hours. Gio and I are sitting next to each other in first class and for the first four hours, I read my book while he works on his laptop. Exactly one hour before the plane is scheduled to land, he puts it away and turns to me. “Before we arrive, I need to explain to you what I found out and my theories. You need to know what’s going on before we walk through those doors.”
I click off my iPad and close the case slowly. “Okay, you have my attention.”
“Antonio Torino, your ex-boyfriend, is the son of Anthony Torino. His father is a well-known leader.” He says leader, but I know what he means. He’s a mob boss for another organization.
“Okay.” Gio pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. “My birth certificate?”
“Take a look at who’s listed under your father.”
“Angelo Moretti. I’ve never seen this before. Is this my dad?” All this time, my father’s identity has been written in black and white on my birth certificate. No wonder my mom never gave it to me.
“It would make sense. You said your mom insisted your dad’s life was too dangerous. Angelo Moretti was huge in the mob.”
“Was?”
“He was killed eight months before your mom died.” My heart tightens and hot tears burn my lids, not necessarily for a man I never knew but for a man I would never know.
“Anthony and Angelo were business partners. Your father was worth millions, possibly even billions, before he died. When did you start dating Antonio?” I think back to when I met him. It was about a month into my Sophomore year. My mom died the first week of May… Eight months before that would be… I gasp loudly, causing someone in the row next to us to glare. “September. He showed up in September, eight months before my mom died. But why?”
“My theory is your dad had shares in the company, and when he died, they had to go to somebody or Anthony would get the entire company. My guess is they went to you, only you didn’t know. We also found an envelope with attorney information on it. He’s based in New York. I placed a call to him and I’m waiting to hear back.”
“But why would Antonio date me? It doesn’t make sense. He never once asked me anything regarding my dad. To be honest, we weren’t even that serious.”
“I’m not sure, Ari. But hopefully we’ll get some answers today.”
A thirty-minute cab ride later, and we arrive at a building that reads Torino Real Estate.
“Let me do the talking, okay?” Gio says.
I nod in agreement, while glancing around. It feels like I’m being watched, but I’m not sure why…
“Rome and Caesar are here,” Gio whispers, answering my silent question, and I feel my shoulders sag in relief.
When we get to the top floor, Gio lets the secretary know we’re here to see Mr. Torino. She escorts us to the room and when I walk in, I come face-to-face with Antonio Torino. I gasp for the second time today louder than planned. Gio takes my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.
“Gentlemen. I don’t believe we need to make introductions. After all, Aria dated Antonio, for what, eight months?” Gio has slipped into business mode. His voice is cold and calculating, his face devoid of all emotion. It’ll never cease to amaze me how he can so easily switch from hot to cold.
He sets his briefcase down and pops open the locks, taking some papers out. “Anthony, before I begin to share with you my theory, would you care to explain anything?”
“Giovanni, why don’t we have a seat?” Anthony gestures to the conference table which seats probably twenty people easily.
“We could, but I don’t expect to be here long enough to waste my time getting comfortable. Why don’t we just cut to the chase? You have shares of Aria’s that belong to her. Either you give them back or I’m going to dismantle your entire life piece by piece, starting with your organization and ending with this business.” Gio waves his arm in the air to emphasize his point.
“You motherfucker!” Antonio seethes. His father holds him back and Gio laughs, only it comes out dark and sinister, sending a chill up my spine.
“Looks like I hit the nail on the head.” Gio turns to me. “Before we proceed, Aria, do you want to be a part of this business? Does real estate interest you?” He knows