Page 78 of The Broker
The hacker’s face darkens. “I did. Renzo Acerbi killed my mother. I thought it was fitting that I should kill his son.”
“Giorgio Acerbi didn’t do a damn thing to you,” I say hotly.
He shrugs. “There’s a certain sense of symmetry about it, you must admit. The sins of the father, and all that. But it started to unravel. I hoped to spook you when you decrypted my files, but you didn’t stop. You stole my money. I met you to see who I was dealing with, but I couldn’t get to you. You were too well-guarded at Colonna’s house.”
Guilt floods through me. Dante puts his hand on my arm. “Don’t let him mess with your head,” he says. “There’s only one person here who stooped to kidnapping a child.” He gives the other man a frigid glance. “Keep talking.”
“What else is there to say? People were asking questions about my identity. Some cop in Venice was on the verge of unmasking me.”
Dante winces. “Bruno Trevisani,” he says. “I had him investigate Neil Smith because I thought you wanted to date him.” His expression is bleak. “I’m sorry, Valentina. This was—”
“Not your fault,” I say firmly. “Like you said, only one person here stooped to kidnapping a child.”
“About that.” Neil looks directly at Dante. “You want to kill me. But before you do, consider this. I know your secret.” He gives me a meaningful look. “If you want to keep it that way, I suggest you let me go.”
“His secret?” I ask. “That he killed Roberto? That was your ace in the hole? I already know.”
I watch with satisfaction as the blood drains from his face. Neil isn’t repentant. He isn’t feeling any remorse. And people who kidnap innocent children don’t deserve to live.
“I’ve heard enough,” I tell Dante. “Kill him.”
I leave the room. The moment I step out, a gunshot rings out. He’s dead. Revenant will never hurt my family again.
“How’s Angelica doing?” he asks. “I called the hospital a while back, and they said she was sleeping peacefully.”
I nod. “Leo’s there. Dante, I want to thank you for—”
“Don’t,” he says harshly. A shadow passes over his face. “I don’t want your gratitude, Valentina.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I should have told you everything right from the start. And I definitely should have told you when we started dating. But you are everything to me, Valentina, and I was terrified I’d lose you.” His lips twist in a bitter smile. “I’m not a good person. You’ve seen the evidence plenty of times.”
There’s good, and there’sgood.
“You didn’t want me there when you were going to question Andreas, did you?” I ask him. “I saw your face when I begged to come.”
“No,” he admits. “I knew I would do whatever it took to get him to talk. I saw your face when I stabbed him. When I shot him. It’s changed the way you see me, hasn’t it?”
“You did what needed to be done. If you didn’t want me there, why did you let me come?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.” He shrugs his shoulders. “But that’s not the only reason. I’m a killer, Valentina. A monster. I will do whatever it takes to protect the people I love. It’s not pretty. It’s ugly as fuck. But this is who I am.”
He hid the truth from me once, trying to spare me the ugliness. Not this time. This time, he showed me everything. He laid himself bare for me.
I thought Dante didn’t see me. But I didn’t really see him either.
“After what you saw,” he continues tonelessly, “I understand if you’re concerned about me spending time with Angelica.”
“What?” My mouth falls open.
“I murdered two men in cold blood today, and I don’t regret doing it. Neither of their deaths will keep me up at night.”
“I asked you to kill Neil,” I point out. “I might not have the stomach for killing, but that doesn’t mean I disagree with what you did. I could have stopped you from stabbing Andreas, but I didn’t. And I could have stopped you from killing Revenant, but instead, I asked you to shoot him. If you’re a monster, so am I.”
He stares at me with so much yearning that it feels like someone has wrapped their fist around my heart and squeezed. “Where does this leave us?”
I’ve let the past cast a shadow over my life for ten years. That’s long enough. I take a step toward him. “If you hadn’t seen me in that hospital room,” I whisper. “If we met for the first time at a party, what would you have said to me?”
“I would have said that you are the most beautiful woman in the room. That I could not take my eyes off you.” His gaze is as soft as a caress. “I would say, ‘Something in my heart tells me that you are going to be the most important person in my world.’”
I blink rapidly to keep the tears from welling up. “Good start,” I murmur. “Keep going.”