Castella

Dante Marchetti

to that. Not because he was suspicious.

e looked at me as though he was afraid of

taring

from the photograph

n excellent imp

younger, less like the man whose name lowered voices and more like someone I

n twenty minutes," he said, "an

sk bett

avoiding th

welcome

otograph that might explain wh

before yo

oke into yo

h I should surrender my independenc

appen if the people behind this decide you're more

ure about control. Instead, I saw something unfam

me more tha

nsible," I said quietly. "Don't tr

ld refuse. Then he nodded onc

tell me e

in re

an

e exha

're impo

ere we

ould see the smile I was

-

ather. I had insisted on helping. He had objected. I had ignored him, and eventually he pulled out a chair beside h

state: dark shelves, neat documents, a windo

number of shell companies,"

isturbing numb

a law

long. "You're much more com

ected weight. "Flattery won

t flatte

ef, as though laughter were a language he rarely

ent my life guarding myself from people who thought they knew what was best for me. Dante cou

-

the photograph was Elena Moretti. She vanished shortly aft

my grandfather's name beside hers, with a

rl must

tightened.

turned grim. "We

father's private archive.

find a way i

ask you

u don't trust me. But someone has threatened your moth

was asking. I didn't kn

cide things for me,

hroat. "Should I le

e said t

" Marco grinn

ufferable

ifteen

e you su

ence, occasi

ed something. His eyes were darker up close, and a faint scar sat near his eyebro

me, and I stood. "I sho

It's a suggestion

command hidden beneath it

surprised.

-

is face, and without his men around him he see

gree to the Ac

made me promise to honor it. I didn't understand w

ible reason to

rha

you choose because you want i

t. Then he glanced at me.

y mother's house. Before I could open the door, he spo

at will

l li

tead he had offered something I hadn't known I wan

night,

ight, V

I glanced back. He

didn't tell

d me more than any