Page 75
Story: Masked Hearts
“The evening of the concert?” Adriano confirms, and I nod.
“He wanted me to appraise a few artworks for him, mainly replicas and inflating the value of others.”
“So art is clearly how they move money,” Gus says.
“That wasn’t surprising considering we suspected it after the wedding, what was surprising was just how close Enzo and Gabriel are,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to check if Mattia is out of earshot.
“He was there?” Gus asks, and he and Adriano lock eyes briefly.
“Yeah, and he was at the dinner the night before that, too. Gabriel referred to him as, and I quote, ‘one of his men’.”
“Does Mattia know?” Gus asks.
“I haven’t told him yet. I wanted to mention it to you guys first,” I say, and they nod.
“Be careful what artwork you appraise for them. We would hate to get caught up in them ripping off the wrong client,” Adriano says.
“I think it’s too late for that. The price tags on those were high, we should probably brace for a backfire just in case.” I sigh.
They both nod before falling silent again as we let the noise of the paddock club wash over us.
“Has a lot been developing at work? Mattia has been keeping me slightly updated, but I’m worried he’s not being 100% transparent.” I look between them, moving the conversation back towards what I want to know.
Adriano looks down at the pit lane and we all follow his moves, our backs now fully facing the rest of the room.
“It’s all going according to plan. He’s met with a few people who’ve said they can help with a distraction, and all that you’ll have to do is slip out.”
“Well, Theá and I,” I correct him, and both my brothers’ heads snap to me.
“What?” they ask in unison. And even though they’ve done it many, many times in this lifetime, it’s always creepy.
“You have to get us both out.”
“No,” Adriano says without even a second thought. “There shouldn’t even be a Theá and you.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“You’re getting distracted. This wasn’t part of the plan, Nino,” Gus tries to reason with me, but I’m in the midst of a staring match with Adriano, and I’m not prepared to lose.
“She wants to get out, too,” I plead with my older brother.
To be honest, I have no idea what Theá wants, but I’d like to think that if given the chance, she might be happier out of her father’s reach.
“How do you know she’s not just using you for her own agenda?” Adriano raises a brow.
My stomach sinks, because Adriano is the one person I know who wouldn’t make a weighted accusation like this without having some kind of proof.
“Remember every face wears a mask, Nino, and your wife’s is just a very pretty one,” he says just as the first car leaves the garage to take its spot on the grid.
Mattia joins us and my head immediately snaps around the room, looking for Theá. I spot her near the door with Natalia and a few other girls.
“Nat said the view from the rooftop is better. Do you guys wanna go watch it from there?” Mattia asks.
Adriano scoffs, but turns to walk towards where they are.
“What’s his problem?” Mattia asks.
“He just hates red.” I snicker.
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