Alessandro’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She’s got something to do with the Carduccis, too, but I don’t know what. I think it has something to do with Anthony’s daughter, Callista.”
“I don’t understand. She told those stories about Dario and Dante, and they sounded legit.”
I nodded. “I know. I don’t understand that part, either, and even though she knows I know who she really is, she still said, ‘I really do want my brother dead.’ I don’t know why she would still refer to him as her brother at that point unless he really is.”
Alessandro’s eyes widened. “Do…you think she’s both? A Costa and Binachi?”
That thought hadn’t occurred to me. She mentioned that it was Donovan that was her dad, but that the boys’ mom raised her like she was her own. She mentioned that the Binachis had ruined her life. “What if Donovan somehow seized control over Denise after Illiana gave birth to her. Maybe he never meant for her to find out she was a Costa, but she did.”
“Because of Anthony,” Alessandro continued. “That’s what caused the cease-fire. Anthony knew where to find Denise.” He let out a whistle. “Holy shit.” He looked over at the side-table where his phone was. “Shit, it’s too early to call a meeting.”
“There’s still something I don’t understand, though. Nothing links Denise to being a Binachi, but everything links her to being a Costa. A lot of things don’t say her last name, but when I Googled her as a Costa, she had all these different disguises—different colored hair, different colored eyes,” I reflected on the search. “All mostly around the same age, though.”
“It’s obvious we’re missing some pieces. We just don’t know enough. I think Denise is a product of Donovan and Illiana, but how Anthony factors into all of that and what Denise’s current dealings are with her family are unknown. We can’t risk anything. We have to snuff her and Dario out as soon as possible. I believe she wanted Dario dead, so the information she gave us on him probably has some validity, but we have to get the jump on them.”
He laid back. “Luca will know what to do. Maybe I should call everyone right now.”
It was about two in the morning. “Let’s let everyone sleep,” I said. “Yesterday was stressful. Besides.” I laid against him. “I don’t want to get up just yet.”
Alessandro’s face immediately turned sweet again. “Yeah, me either.” He kissed me and then started to climb out of bed. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.”
I grunted in annoyance. “I thought it was clear that I also didn’t want you to get up.”
Alessandro chuckled as he skipped out of the room, his nakedness bouncing as he went. I heard some rustling from the living room, and he finally came back around the corner. I grinned, glad that he’d taken the effort to keep his spectacular body in good shape, even amidst the chaos. He reached out for my hand, and I took it, letting him pull me to the edge of the bed. He knelt on the floor in front of me and pulled a small, velvet box from behind his back. He tipped the cover back, revealing a huge, white diamond ring. It had to be at least twenty-five carats and crested at the top of an infinity band of smaller diamonds.
I gasped. “Oh my god.”
I had an engagement ring, one that Alessandro had bought for me after we decided to be together before Alexis was born. I always wore it, even through our problems, but the one he held before me now was twice as beautiful and expensive.
“I know you have a ring, but I feel like I didn’t live up to that one. I bought this one a few weeks ago. I promised myself to step up and become worthy of giving it to you. I failed, but I don’t plan on doing it again. This is proof that I would do anything for you, Willow. This is forever.”
Tears were in my eyes before I knew they were coming. “Sandro.”
“Willow Francine Moretti. Will you stay married to me?”
I laughed as tears streamed down my face. “Yes!”
Alessandro pulled the ring from the box, pulled my old ring from my finger, and replaced it with the new one. He put the old one in the box and set it on the nightstand before falling back against me on the bed. We’d be tired in the family meeting, but I couldn’t care less.
This is forever.
25
Alessandro
I woke up to the sound of my phone blaring in my ear, partnered with the sound of relentless pounding on the bedroom door. I was confused. My phone stayed in Do Not Disturb overnight. Otherwise, I’d never get any sleep, and Willow and I were supposed to be the only ones with keys to our suite. The door pounded a few more times, and then finally, it went blasting open. I reacted on impulse, jumping over Willow while clamoring to the bedside table, looking for my gun.
“Oh, god!” I heard a familiar voice bark out.
“Gross,” another added.
Willow screeched and pulled the blankets further over herself. “What the fuck are you doing!”
I looked back at the door, and Marco and Gabriel were standing there, both with their hands in front of their eyes.
“Good god,” Marco huffed. “I did not drag myself away from my new son to come back here and look at your dick and ass hanging out. Put some clothes on.”