Mafia Secret Read Free Page B

worry. Then he looked her over and his face went back to its earlier blank expression.
    Her cell rang. She glared down at it and the papers and envelope she'd dropped as well. She ignored the phone but walked over to pick up the printouts and envelope then turned back to Santos. Her cheeks heated as she tried to think of what to say to break her embarrassment.
    Beth suddenly banged on the adjoining wall. At least she assumed it was Beth. She walked over and knocked on the wall to say she was still doing fine. Her cell rang. After checking the display and assuring herself it was Beth instead of her mother, she answered it.
    "All's good."
    "He hasn't left yet. I was getting worried."
    "It turns out I was the one he was looking for, but I'm fine."
    Beth hesitated. "Just yell if you need anything."
    "Thanks, sweetie, I will." She set her cell down on the small coffee table next to the love seat instead of dropping it back onto the carpet.
    "Well." She sighed, glancing at the large man in her living room. "Looks like you were correct."
    He shrugged, expression still void of emotion. "You might want to read Jiovanni's letter now."
    Lessa scrunched her nose before reluctantly walking over to grab the envelope off the papers she'd set next to her phone. Turning the envelope over in her hands, she took a deep breath to bolster her nerves, slid the single piece of paper out and unfolded it.
     
    To my dearest Alessandra,
    I know this letter is coming as a shock to you. To first be contacted by the father you have never known and then to learn it is posthumously.
    Please, understand I love you and have always loved you. I have observed you and your mother at a distance since you were born to make sure you were well.
    Though I know there were struggles, I saw what a fine job your mother did raising you. The fine woman you have become is a testament to your mother's care. I don't know if your mother chose to tell you about me or not. That is the main reason I have broken the silence with this letter. I am asking you to come and meet your family.
    Marc Santos will have delivered this letter to you and he will be happy to escort you to my family home. I would like for you to learn of your ancestry and meet your brothers and sister. They will want to meet you. Allow some time for all of you to get to know each other.
    This is all I have to ask. I know it's a lot, especially since I'm no longer here, but it is my last wish that my lost daughter be brought into the family. You can trust Marc. He'll protect and take care of you on your visit and answer any questions you have.
    I love you, Jiovanni.
     
    Lessa laughed nervously. She was reading a letter written by her father. Her dead father. She tried to visualize someone besides Peter in that role, but couldn't. Blinking back tears, she took a deep breath before setting the letter down on the coffee table.
    "He wants me to go with you."
    Marc Santos nodded, his expression still devoid of emotion. She'd never met someone who was as hard to read as he was.
    "Why?" She had a sudden thought and studied his features more carefully. "Are we related?"
    "No," Santos replied with a slight smile. "I work for your family."
    "Doing what?"
    "Whatever they ask me to."
    She narrowed her eyes at his evasiveness. "Like fetching a long-lost daughter."
    "Yeah."
    Dozens of questions swirled in her head, and she grabbed at the first one. "You came here to take me back with you?"
    "Yes, that's what I was sent to do."
    "So, I can meet my family. My father's gone." She was having a hard time picturing someone besides Peter when she said the word 'father.' "Who's left to meet?"
    "You have three half-brothers and one half-sister, along with other various cousins, aunts, and uncles."
    She focused on the idea of honest-to-goodness siblings. "How old are they?"
    "Jio's the oldest. He's thirty. Tony's twenty-eight. Clarissa's twenty-five."
    Lessa was twenty-five, too. Her expression must have shown her shock.
    "You're two