Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“Damn. And she made you keep the secret.”
He nodded. “She simply revealed her truth and expected me not to mention it.”
“And you didn’t?”
“Of course not. My father might have killed her if the truth had come out.”
“But surely he suspected it.”
“Suspecting and having proof are very different, especially in a family like mine.”
I guess it was all about appearances. “So as long as no one confronted him with the truth, he could pretend everything was okay and she was his devoted wife?”
“That’s right, and as powerful as he was, if he claimed me as his son publicly, no one was going to directly contradict him.”
“Unless she admitted the truth.”
He nodded. “Right.”
“So why did she tell you?”
“She said it was because I deserved to meet my real father at least once, and she wanted me and my brother to be there for each other, but…”
“What?”
“No… Never mind.”
I took his hands. “Why do you think she did it?”
“Because she needed an ally. My father—the man I’d thought was my father—was growing more suspicious, and she needed someone to help her cover up what she didn’t want him to see.”
I forced myself not to say anything, but I hated his mother for doing that to him. It wasn’t his place to hide what she was doing. She should never have brought a child into this, no matter how grown up she thought he was at sixteen.
“Last year, the man who was publicly my father died, and my mother didn’t get as much money as she’d hoped, so she needed a plan to support herself.”
Oh fuck. “Blackmail.”
“Yes. She knew one of the high-ranking members of the Pisano family was gay but keeping it hidden. She got my brother to seduce him and have pictures taken so they could blackmail him, but she needed to put more fear behind it, so she had him use my name.”
“Surely if there are pictures, then—”
“We look very similar. No one could see us together and not instantly know we were brothers. Besides, his face is hidden in the photos.”
“That’s… How could she do that to you?”
“She thought as long as I stayed in America, they wouldn’t pursue me.”
“So no one questioned that you’d done it?”
He looked down and chewed his lower lip. “I… I’ve been known to have sugar daddies before. I needed to support my lifestyle too, but I never blackmailed anyone, and I never… I had fun with the men I slept with, and they had fun with me.” He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “I guess you think I’m—”
“I think you needed someone to care for you, and you found that the best way you could. If you told Biagio what she’d done, what would have happened?”
“My uncle might have killed her. He’s never liked her, and he’d use the evidence as an excuse to go after her.”
“What about your brother, Roberto? He just went along with it?”
“He resents me because of all I’ve gotten while he’s lived a perfectly comfortable but less luxurious lifestyle.”
“None of that is your fault. You shouldn’t be punished because your mother lied about who your father was. Does everyone in your family really think you pulled this stunt to get money? Do they really think you wouldn’t see the potential consequences? Didn’t your mother see them?”
“She tends to be overly optimistic.”
And selfish as fuck. I didn’t say that, even though I wanted to. “You need to tell someone. What about X?”
“I don’t know him. He’s even scarier than my uncle.”
“Grant knows him, and I know him well enough to be sure he’s a good man. He could find a way to protect your mother if she was willing to leave Italy.”
Carlo sighed. “She’s not.”
“How long does she think she’s going to keep this up? This man is obviously not willing to pay her, so where is she going to get money now?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m not going to let you keep taking the blame for this.” Anger burned in my gut. I had a surge of desire to cut someone apart like I hadn’t had since I’d been captured. I’m not sure that should be considered progress, but apparently, I hadn’t completely lost the need for vengeance.
“I don’t have a choice, but thank you for listening.”
“What did you think you were going to do when you ended up at my cabin that night?”
“I thought…” He shook his head. “I thought I could figure it out. My mother owes me. I thought maybe she would send me enough money so I could get by, and… I don’t know. It was stupid. I’m just so tired of being forced to play the role everyone else wants me to play.”
Tears shone in his eyes. He tried to wipe them away, but they kept falling. I pulled him to me, and he laid his head on my chest. “I’m going to make sure you can do exactly what you want to do once the Pisanos are subdued.”