Dominick glanced over at the actress. "And the girl?"
"Just a lure," I said, jumping in. There were several questions to be answered, including the girl's accusations about betrayal. That hadn't been simply a fake comment. She'd been instructed to drop that bombshell.
Another question of why.
"What now?" Dominick asked.
I patted him on the shoulder. "I need to take Francesca somewhere safe. This isn't over."
He nodded. "I'll take care of the trash. I suggest you keep this little event under wraps for now."
"Agreed."
Dominick raised an eyebrow. He bent down, searching the man's pockets and jerking out a wallet. "Whatdya know. Jim Smith from Elm Street. My guess is we have John Doe from Oak Boulevard down on the pavement."
"They planned this far too carefully." I'd thought about calling Shane but there would be no direct connections made. The two goons were expendable. Even the girl was likely a cleaned-up junkie. She certainly wasn't trained in the art of assassination.
"You really believe Dante is behind this?" Dominick asked, tossing the wallet on the body.
"Or my father," Francesca interjected.
Dominick lifted the other eyebrow, giving me a slight nod. The situation had to be checked out. However, I had a feeling the only one with answers was my father.
And one way or another, he was going to give them to me. The hotel was as secure as I could get for now. I still had no idea of who I could trust. None of the pieces were falling into place. I'd made the reservation in an obscure name that I often used, meeting the hotel clerk in the parking lot with the key. The five hundred I'd tipped him should help in keeping his mouth shut.
Perhaps against my better judgment, I'd decided to call in a favor, trying to at least find out the identity of the poor girl who'd gotten mixed up in all of this. Her family needed to be told that their daughter was dead. Dominick would take care of the other bodies. I couldn't afford to have an active investigation at this time.
We moved up the back stairs until we were required to take the elevator to our secure suite and once inside, I checked the rooms carefully, pulling the drapes after turning on a single light. Francesca watched me carefully, standing in the middle of the living room area with her arms folded.
"It's not over yet. Is it?" she finally asked. There was no hint of fear in her voice, just a sound level of conviction. She was through with being the victim.
"Not by a long shot. Whoever wants me dead will try again." I moved back toward the window, looking out at the skyline. We were on the top floor, only accessible by those able to afford the cost of the extra security. Still, I remained on edge.
"And your father?"
"Safe." For now. I could only hope I'd done the right thing. Moving away from the window, I tore off my jacket then removed the holster. All the while, her eyes never left me.
"We'll never be free of the danger. Will we?"
I'd never felt so exhausted in my life. "We were born into this. There is no escape, no chance at true redemption."
"The sins of our fathers."
I jerked my head toward her, remembering the very day I'd thought the same thing. "Unfortunate but true."
Francesca inhaled, holding her breath as she looked around the room. "Well, at least we can pretend for a little while."
Perhaps. I moved toward the minibar, pulling out two bottles of bourbon. "Did you know that wasn't your sister?"
"Not at first but she knew everything. All the information about me and our past together."
I brought the glass toward her, wanting nothing more than to drag her into my arms. Right now, I had to have more answers. "The picture."
She nodded, immediately pulling the drink to her mouth.
"So you called her number after seeing the picture."
"Yes, the likeness was uncanny. You can only imagine what that did to me. All the years of suffering since her body was never found. I was able to believe she'd been searching for me. She acted so surprised but happy to talk to me." She shivered then walked toward the couch, easing down and holding her head in her hand. "I fell for it. I was such a fool. I gave her the address. I wanted to confront her about being in the picture. Hell, I thought she was my long-lost sister after all."
"They played you well," I suggested. "The question is whom?"
"I don't know. Bastards. How could they do something like that? Why? What is the point?"
I moved closer but kept my distance. "I think you already know the answer."
"No!" She slowly lifted her head, searching my eyes. "I... I'm not certain. Okay?" Her retraction was interesting.
"The actress mentioned betrayal. Why would your real sister have believed you betrayed her? And how would two fuck-heads know that?"
"I don't know. Okay? I have no idea."
I closed my eyes, counting to five. "You need to listen to me very carefully. I have no way of knowing whether your father was involved, or if Dante Massimo is entirely the person responsible for this charade, but I am certain that there are two distinct reasons for what has occurred. Revenge and betrayal. If you know anything that could have happened to allow someone like Dante or even your father to believe you betrayed your sister in any manner, I need to know."
"I just..."
I waited, hoping she would fill in the blanks. She didn't. While I knew that Dante had soldiers positioned in almost every country, his reach and his power unequaled, I wasn't set on buying he'd gone out of his way to try to annihilate another powerful mafia family. Not with the limited information I'd heard from several accounts. There was one other source to try to obtain information.