Chapter 33
As they arrived at Cesare’s door, Adele was afraid at what they would find hidden in his room. She waited impatiently for Ambrogio, who was taking centuries, to open the damnable door
The sound of the doorknob connecting with the wall echoed throughout the quiet hallways. The room was in perfect order, a testament to discipline and tidiness. Giaccopo entered Cesare’s room, but barred Ambrogio and Adele from doing the same.
Giaccopo surveyed the room slowly as if he was drawing the images on his mind to save for later. “Your presence will impede this investigation. You can stand outside if you like.”
Cast off like impudent children, a helpless Ambrogio stood watch with Adele. The investigator peered in drawers, in cabinets, and under Cesare’s bed. Giocappo seemed perturbed by the normalcy mocking him from the contents of Cesare’s room. His boorish grunts permeated the air and cautious steps canvased the bedroom; he made sure to note everything he witnessed onto his notepad.
When Giaccopo opened Cesare’s closet door, he let out a gasp so unnerving, Adele thought he needed medical care. Her suspicions dissipated when he came alive with several short bursts of Italian. An over-the-shoulder glance reminded him of Ambrogio and Adele’s presence. They rushed into the room upon Giocappo’s request, then shrank back when Cesare’s secret came to light.
There, hidden in plain sight, testaments to Cesare’s obsession with Ambrogio, were collages of pictures plastered on the wall which spanned two decades of Ambrogio’s life.
Captioned with dates written with black magic marker, the pictures wallpapered the every inch of the wall inside the closet. Adele thought back to Cesare’s “you shouldn’t be here” comment, realizing it had nothing to do with her race. His remark was the equivalent of a dog urinating on a fire-hydrant and marking his territory.
Giocappo summoned his forensic photographers. “Did you know anything about your assistant’s unique hobby?”
Stunned, Ambrogio shook his head. “I had no idea.”
“Not even a small suspicion?” Giacoppo eyed him with contempt.
“Do I need to call my lawyer?”
“I don’t know, do you?” He quieted his beeping radio.
“I have done nothing wrong.” Ambrogio said, right before they were interrupted.
With rookie written all over her face, a photographer stepped into the room. The distraction, just what Adele needed in order to conceal a journal hidden in the corner. She placed it between the waistband of her jeans and her stomach and folded her hands in front of her waist, adding an extra element of concealment.
“You two can leave for the time being,” Giacoppo said.
Adele was not good at keeping secrets. She wore her best “normal” face and set her mind on not dislodging her find, the task made her take the most gingerly of steps out into the hallway. Seconds from celebrating her dubious victory, she was startled by a curt whistle from behind.
“Adele, was it? I wouldn’t make any travel plans, if I were you. You’re in league with the Argentero’s. Unfortunately for you, it’s an association that makes you a potential suspect in this murder case as well.”
Adele gulped. “He seems to hold a very serious grudge against this family. Why?”
“Strange occurrences sure do run in this family.”
“It would seem so,” Ambrogio said once they were safely out of the reach of Italy’s finest scrambling about the halls like ants.
Adele pulled out the journal. “Look what I found.”
“When did you—.”
Adele thumbed through the pages. “I can be sneaky when I want to be. I hope something in here points to Robynne’s whereabouts.”
“You are very clever. The last thing my family needs is more suspicion cast over us.”
“It’s your family’s image above anything else. I get it.” Adele said.
“That’s not what I meant.”
The last thing Adele wanted to do was to start a fight, instead, she leafed through Cesare’s scribbles for quite some time before a particular passage caught her attention.
December 1, 2010 For my cooperation, they promise me Ambrogio. How can I pass this up? What harm could it possibly cause?
December 15, 2010 It’s seems I have been a little naive. I have signed my loyalties over to the devil. It will all be worth it when Ambrogio, my love, and I can be together—with their blessing of course. Felicità is like a mother to me, yet I know she wouldn’t approve of my feelings for her grandson. As much as it pains me, I must do as they say starting today. The drugs won’t cause too much harm. They will just act as an accelerant resembling Alzheimer’s. The affliction at her age won’t seem out of the ordinary. Once she is out of the way, and they are satisfied; they will give me Ambrogio in exchange for all my troubles. It will be worth it. Forgive me Felicità.
December 25, 2010 The drugs have taken a hold of Felicità more quickly than I expected. She roamed from room to room today in search of Phillipe. It’s her fault they had to end his life. She cheated on her husband, Gabriele, for all those years, pushing them too far. Her husband’s death gave her false hope of a reunion with Phillipe, a mistake which cost him his life. They want to go back to the old ways of arranged marriages, the strength of Florence. It’s too late to change my allegiance now. I’m in too deep. I must make sure not to cross them. They will not hesitate to kill those who oppose their agenda.
Ambrogio’s cheeks reddened with every sentence Adele read from Cesare’s diary. “He was drugging Felicita. It makes sense now. The doctors couldn’t explain how the Alzheimer’s had progressed so quickly. They reasoned it was to be years before she was to regress into the inner recesses of her mind. Then overnight, she seemed to get worse. If he wasn’t already dead, I swear I would skin him alive.”
“He doesn’t matter now. We need to find out who “they” are, and what they have done with Robynne. You’re revenge will be swift when we do, I’m sure.” Adele said.
She skipped a few months to April. The entries read like a detailed summary of every move she and Ambrogio made while in St. Lucia.
April 12, 2011 I don’t know why they insist on telling me every minute detail of Ambrogio’s sexual escapades with his loose American woman. Sex on a counter? And they say homosexuals have loose morals. I am even more determined to see to it the Fluer-de-lys succeed. Florence will be restored to its former grandeur. This city will be a powerhouse once again. All that oppose us will be pushed to their knees. I’ll be consider royalty ruling alongside Ambrogio, the Fluer-de-lys’s chosen leader of the new movement.
“We have a name and motive for their crimes.” Adele said.
“I know you are sorry for getting involved with us—me.”
“It isn’t your fault. These people are crazy. I can’t believe they think they can restore Florence to what it was in the fifteenth century,” Adele said.
“Florence is where the renaissance began. This region was ruled by a handful of powerful families, but my family attained the most power. We had the Bapistry built. It was my ancestors who hired Brunelleschi to construct the dome. We nurtured a sense of solidarity among our countrymen, earning their loyalty. Those times are long gone. There is no way to bring them back,” Adele said.
“Your family has quite a legacy behind it. How did your ancestors come into so much power?”
Ambrogio guided her to a couch in a sitting room located in the west wing, far from the prying eyes of the police. “We were a family of merchants, middle men if you will. We brought rugs and silk from China, spices from Africa. When a family was in the market to hire an artist, it was the Argentero’s who arraigned for the dyes to be shipped here. After a while, we started lending money which proved to be a more lucrative endeavor than merely shipping and selling merchandise across the high seas.”
“No wonder people jump when you or anyone in your family say how high. You come from old money,” Adele said.
“Our money is ancient—medieval. Did yo
u know it was my family created the double entry method in banking? Our reach continued to grow across continents with Argentero bank branches in Spain and even Egypt.”
“I can see why someone would want to have all that power back. I don’t understand the desire to start having arranged marriages again.” Adele’s headache intensified.
“Arranged marriages were the life’s blood of the era. Marriage solidified the status of one powerful family with another, making their influence unyielding.”
“All of this still doesn’t bring us any closer to finding Robynne.”
“I’ve heard whisperings about an organization eager to return to the old ways.” Ambrogio said.
“We don’t have much to go on,” Adele said.
“We have a name, a journal detailing some of their strategic moves, and the will to fight them,” Ambrogio said.
A trained multi-tasker, Adele listened to Ambrogio’s impassioned speech while she skimmed through the contents of the journal.
“Cesare told them everything. Nothing was sacred. After the kidnapping, Cesare’s guilt about leading Robynne and I into danger consumed him. He was going to tell you everything and beg for your forgiveness. He wrote the last entry yesterday,” Adele said.
“Are there any clues leading us to where he used to meet the Fluer-de-lys members.” Ambrogio paced the length of the room
“He would meet them in random alleyways throughout the city. I’m just skimming over entries for clues, so far I haven’t noticed any addresses.”
Adele gasped when she turned to a picture of a flower. It was the same one she had seen plastered around town and on various souvenir items. Memory jogged, it wasn’t long before an image of Ambrogio’s toned abs flashed before her eyes. The roughly drawn flower resembled the one tattooed across his body.
She got up to show Ambrogio the picture, handing him the diary without saying a word.
“What does the Fluer-de-lys mean and why do you have one on your body?” Adele suspicions were awakened.
“It’s the symbol of Florence. We are the founding family. It is why we all have a representation of the Fluer-de-lys on our bodies. It is tradition.”
Chapter 34
A skeptical Adele held her tongue when Luca sauntered into the room, head bandaged and all.
“What are you doing back here?” Ambrogio tried to control his anger.
“I was given a clean bill of health. Believe me, I’d much rather have a busty nurse lathering me up in a sponge bath twice a day, but duty calls,” Luca said. His injuries had not hampered his cavalier attitude.
“I thought I made it clear. You were to stay at the hospital,” Ambrogio said as his voice raised a few octaves.
“I wasn’t hurt badly. You said I needed to go to the hospital. You didn’t say I had to stay. You need me. The family needs me. By the way, I had Felicita flown out of the country for her safety. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, would we?”
“You should have consulted with me first,” Ambrogio said.
“You have your hands full with the explosion, Robynne’s kidnapping, and of course, Adele. It is my duty as the older sibling to see to family matters. I have evaded my duties for far too long, little brother,” Luca said.
Ambrogio rolled his eyes. “I am not your little brother.”
Adele put her hand over the closed journal resting in her lap. “Don’t start with the schoolboy antics again. We don’t have time for it.”
Luca closed the distance between him and Adele. “What do you have there, Bella?”
Before she could answer, Giocappo entered the room in a huff. “I’ve been looking for you two for twenty minutes. I can’t imagine why you would choose to hide in a room so far off from the main building.”
“We had to escape the noise and the smell from the explosion,” Ambrogio said.
“What are you hiding?” Giacoppo hovered over Adele.
“Mr. Falconi, a pleasure to see you,” Luca said.
“I cannot say the same. What happened to your head?” Giacoppo’s gaze fell on all the room’s inhabitants, waiting for an answer.
“A gift from a scorned lover, nothing to concern your little head over.” Luca leaned on the back of a sofa.
“You disgust me. You’re the reason why my daughter will only communicate with me through postcards,” he said.
“At least you’ve received word from her, that’s more than I can say.” Luca said.
“I will deal with you in due time, but for now, I would like to know what Ms. Jaspers is hiding.” Giocappo approached Adele, but was quickly overtaken by Ambrogio.
Adele doubled over and moaned. “I don’t feel well. I think I need an ambulance.”
“Don’t just stand there, call a doctor!” Ambrogio said.
Ambrogio blocked the investigator’s line of sight which enabled Adele to hide the journal accordingly on her person. Hunched over to ensure the journal eluded discovery, Adele continued her ruse.
“I think I should lay down for a bit. I’m so clumsy. A few days ago, I fell and hit my head; I’m still suffering from the effects.” Adele said.
Luca furrowed the portion of his brow left uncovered by the bandage, although perplexed, he kept quiet. Giocappo keyed his radio up, but before he could speak, Ambrogio swooped Adele up in his arms.
“There’s no need. I will call our family doctor.” Ambrogio said.
“Must you always flaunt your privilege? Fine, take her to one of your fancy rooms. I hope she won’t be too sick to answer some questions later,” Giacoppo said, snatching a cell phone out of the hand of one of his minions.
Ambrogio continued the hoax until he was sure the investigate was out of earshot.
“How very conniving of you. You are was brilliant, Cara.” He kissed her full on the mouth without breaking his stride.
Adele returned his kiss with fervor. Not even the urge to breathe was enough to make her want to stop Ambrogio’s sensual assault on her senses. She amassed quite a few battle scars in spite of Ambrogio’s masterful navigation of La Borgata’s hallways. She was too drunk with desire to recognize the pain tingling in her shoulder—a direct result of Ambrogio walking them into a door-jam when she bit his lower lip.
“I’m going to have marks all over my body before we make to the bedroom,” Adele said after her foot collided with the wall when Ambrogio turned abruptly.
With his hands full, Ambrogio stood at the door unable to open it. “I will kiss it an make it better in a second.”
She opened it for him. “I will hold you to that and more,’ she said.
She nearly jumped out of his arms when she heard the door slam closed with a thud, courtesy of Ambrogio’s foot.
“Must the entire estate know what we are about to do?” Adele asked.
“No, but I’m sure you will alert everyone with your ferocious screams and pleas for me not to stop loving you.”
Ambrogio put her down near the bed. She took the opportunity to discard the journal onto a dresser. Wordlessly, they stripped, their eyes locked in a heated gaze. They each took to their corners, sizing each other up like prize-fighters ready to engage in a fleshy, sexual brawl. He grabbed Adele’s foot, enabling him to drag her down from the head of the bed to the foot.
He kissed her calf. “La mia piccola spia.”
Adele couldn’t think with Ambrogio’s warm breath tickling her skin. “I would make a really good spy, wouldn’t I?”
“Si, but my little spy needs urgent medical care before she goes back out into the field. Luckily, I have a specialized medical degree well suited for such a task,” he said.
Adele was wet and annoyed because she couldn’t close her thighs to ease the ache in her center. “What sort of treatment plan do you suggest?”
“I believe in whole body treatments. I think I will start at your toes and work my way up to her.” He said as he pointed between Adele’s legs.
Weary, she tried to pull her leg free, but Ambrogio held her firm.<
br />
“I don’t like feet. I don’t know if I will be able to kiss you once you’ve put your mouth on my toes,” she said with her eyes half closed.
“I’m not worried,” he said.
With a cocky smirk, he tongue-kissed her manicured big toe. Adele was left speechless. She was never one for foot-play during sex, yet she thought she might explode from all the licking and teasing his tongue had unleashed on her foot.
“You have beautiful feet. These little piggies look a little lonesome,” he said, reaching for her other foot.
Adele squealed as he massaged her right foot and then placed it in his skilled mouth.
“That feels amazing,” Adele said.
“I’m just beginning.” He kissed his way lightly up her thigh.
When he stopped at the apex of her thighs, she sighed in expectation. Ambrogio laughed and descended down her body again so he could do the same with the other leg. He took the long way up her other leg, stopping to kiss her calf and the underside of her knee.
However, he wasted no time when he dived tongue first into her sex. On reflex, Adele’s legs crossed around his head. Ambrogio, wanting complete access to all of her, unhooked her legs from around his neck and spread them as far as they would go before he licked her over and over again in a circular motion. His moans of appreciation vibrated throughout her body.
Adele placed a pillow over her head, screaming as he captured clit in his mouth, sucking it and refusing to let go. She alternated between screaming in the pillow and removing it, begging him to stop despite the pleasure she felt. The world went black as she came. She had barely recovered when she felt the tip of his penis at her entrance.
“Are you alright?” He removed the pillow. Adele refocused on Ambrogio. Lips slick with her juices, hair mussed and desire dancing darkly in his eyes, he looked beautiful.
“And if I’m not, will your penis cure me?” Adele was in a playful mood.
He answered with a swift thrust. Her back arched off the bed. As quickly as he entered her, he pulled out. Adele pouted at his abrupt departure from her body. He reached for a discarded pillow and told her to lift her hips, allowing him enough room to strategically place it under her ass, and after waiting for her to complete the task, he positioned himself above her; Ambrogio’s eyes searched hers his entire decent into her body.
Dirty Secrets Page 16
