The Praised: A Forbidden Stepbrother Italian Mafia Romance (Savage Bites Book 3) by Teresa Wolf

Author:Teresa Wolf [Wolf, Teresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TONI

Chocolate coats my tongue as I take a bite of my chocolate croissant. I’ve barely eaten over the past few days and judging by the look on Franco’s face, he knows it.

“How do you know there’s a mole?” Franco asks.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Franco nods. “I agree, but I want to know how you figured it out.”

“No one knew about the wedding outside of the family.”

“Do you have any idea who it might be?” Franco asks.

I shake my head and shift uncomfortably in my seat. The truth is, I have a thousand ideas, but none of them are solid. I have no proof to back them up.

“I don’t believe you,” Franco says.

Rolling my eyes, I take another bite of my food.

“If you know something, tell me.”

“I don’t know anything. Just ask my father and brother-in-law.”

“If Angelo and Giovanni were half as smart as they claim to be, this war would have ended years ago.”

The smile that comes to my face does so against my will. Franco’s words echo the very thoughts that have been swimming through my head since Sera first left.

“They aren’t stupid,” I say. “Just short-sighted.”

“And you’re not?” Franco asks.

“No. I’m not.”

“Then, tell me about the mole.”

“Fine.” I sigh. “Whoever it is has to be inner circle. The cousins, aunt, and uncles don’t know enough about Gio’s strategies to share them with anyone.”

“Who is in the inner circle?”

I hesitate. This is the part I do not want to share.

“Tell me, Antoinette.”

“What did I say about calling me that?” I snap.

Franco gets to his feet. He paces around the side of the table. I can feel him trying to intimidate me, but I refuse to let him.

“Do you want Seraphina back home?” he asks.

“Of course, I do.”

“Who is in the inner circle.”

I relent. “Papa, Giovanni, Marissa, Elena, myself, and our guards.”

“Which guards?”

“Philip, Gustav, Marcus, John, and Tim.”

“One for each of you,” Franco says thoughtfully.

“We trust them.”

Franco nods. “I’m sure you do.”

“Just as you trust Anthony.”

Franco slows his pace. I can see the wheels turning in his head. The thought of doubting Anthony is just as offensive to him as doubting our family’s guards is to me.

“Who do you think it is?” he finally asks.

I shake my head. “I won’t make that kind of guess. Not without proof.”

“But you believe it’s one of the people you named.”

“It has to be,” I admit. “There are too many signs to ignore. It isn’t just about the bombing at the church. The Salvatores have been one step ahead of us for a year now. Every time Papa or Gio make a move, the Salvatores are already there. Waiting for us.”

Franco nods. “Angelo said as much.”

“I have a way to stop them,” I say.

Franco stops and turns to face me. He leans on the back of a chair, staring at me across the table. While I wait for him to speak, I take in the bags beneath his eyes. He’s tired. Exhausted. As much as he tries to hide it with his well-pressed suit and carefully-combed hair, I can still see the toll this is taking on him.

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