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Ana tried to soften the blow of his rejection. “We just wanted to catch up on some staff hiring before I head out with Grandfather,” she explained.
Auntie merely glowered.
When the housekeeper filled a coffee cup for him, Gio downed it in a few gulps before issuing them a curt nod. Ana murmured another apology shiftily and trailed after him as he headed out to the backyard, which had become his pseudo-office for the past few days.
When they came to a stop several feet away from the house, he tapped his phone and initiated a video call. Ana nervously smoothed down her summer dress and huddled in close, laying a reassuring hand on his chest.
“Hey!” Gabi appeared on the screen, surprisingly energetic at this early hour. Her long, curly hair was twisted up on the top of her head. “We’re all here. You ready?”
They nodded jerkily.
Ready as they would ever be.
As Gabi tilted the camera, two other men came into view. One was the Examiner, an older man sporting a lab coat. The other was a thin, reedy man who had a laptop open in front of him. The private investigator.
The three of them were huddled together in a small office.
“Mr. Bernardi.” Ana blinked in surprise at hearing someone address him as such. It was rare for them to meet outsiders that she’d almost forgotten how differently they treated them.
But despite being an outsider, the Examiner didn’t appear any less scared or submissive. He folded and unfolded his arms fitfully as Gio’s piercing gaze lasered in on him.
“I was able to find matching dental records by last night. As promised.” He smiled nervously.
“Good. And you’re positive about the match?”
“Positive.”
The look on Gio’s face assured severe consequences if that turned out to be false. The Examiner swallowed visibly.
“We were able to identify the deceased as Robert Lilin.”
Gabi turned the camera to the P.I., who leaned in to explain that Robert was “from Allentown, aged 37 years at the time of death. No living relatives, never married, and no children. Our records show two residences under his name over the last ten years: one condo in Allentown from three years ago and another apartment in Cleveland seven years ago.”
How odd…hearing such mundane details about a man who had haunted her for so long.
He’d always seemed like a phantom, almost inhuman.
The P.I. started to continue, but Gio held up a finger. The man obediently lapsed into silence.
“Thank you for your time, Examiner.” Gio addressed the older man. “Your compensation will be wired shortly.”
“Oh.” The Examiner started. “Of course.” Realizing he was being effectively dismissed, the man fumbled before getting up and darting to the door.
When he moved to open it, one of Luke’s men came into view and escorted him away. They must have been waiting in the hallway.
“Are they all gone, Gabi?” Gio asked.
The screen went blank as Gabi wheeled over to check. A few seconds later, she reappeared. “We’re good,” she said breathlessly, clearly rattled by the seriousness of the situation.
“Thanks.” Gio gestured for the P.I. to proceed. “How did Lilin come into the Family’s fold?”
“I’m not positive on the exact month.” He clicked through his laptop. “But somewhere around five years ago, he appeared on our radar in Western Pennsylvania. He was hired as a guard for the dispensary there.”
A low hiss came from Gio. “Vitello’s cousin’s business?”
Ana inhaled deeply when the P.I. nodded.
That confirmed it. It was the Vitellos who had hired the monster and exposed him to the Family.
