Page 123 of Broken Mafia Bride

He hesitates, and for a second, I think he’s going to tell me what I want to know. “People don’t always turn out to be what we think they are.”

Damn this bastard and his cryptic replies. Frustration causes my teeth to clench so hard that I almost chip them. I’m going about this the wrong way. Instead of going around the corners, I need to force him into a corner.

I watch him surreptitiously, trying to read him. “You’re over fifteen years older than Caterina, aren’t you?”

He stiffens. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m just wondering how that worked,” I point out. “She was, what, fifteen when you were thirty-one?”

“I didn’t even look at her until she was eighteen,” he bites out.

But there’s something in his eyes that tells me that’s not entirely true. It’s none of my fucking business, and Caterina is obviously in love with him—and he with her—but I need information. And for that, I need to push him to the wall and let him slip.

“Really?” I smirk. “No forbidden kisses in the closet that made you go for confession?”

In the blink of an eye, he’s on me, grabbing the front of my shirt and slamming me into the wall, eyes blazing with fury. “I’m not some sick pedo! I respected her—I still do. I never wanted to touch her. I never took advantage of her. I don’t care what you or fucking Lucio say. I loved Cat. I love her.”

The pieces click together. “I know you do.”

Pepe’s eyes narrow. “I don’t understand.”

I brush his hands off me and push him off. “We think Lucio has Noemi.”

He sighs. “I know.”

Fury rushes through me, and I step up to him, my fist flying before I can stop it. It connects with the side of his jaw, and he staggers backward, blood streaming down his chin.

“How long have you known, you bastard?”

“I’ve been trying to find her,” he says instead. “I was going to find her and hand her to Giulia with a plane ticket out of here. But I couldn’t say anything to either of you. Lucio has a sword to my throat, Raff. If I step out of line, he’ll have me taken away for preying on Caterina. I love her, okay? Say whatever you want, call me selfish, but she’s my priority. I’m sorry.”

My fury dies down, because I’d have done the same thing if I were in his shoes.

I drag my hands through my hair, then fist the roots. “Damn it. Tell me everything you know.”

“I don’t know much more than you.”

A snort escapes my mouth. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“I don’t care if you believe me or not, Re Ombra plays his cards pretty close to his chest. He doesn’t fill me in on every move he makes.”

“Bullshit,” I snarl. “I don’t believe that you don’t know a thing or two about what’s going on in this island. There’s no way you think I’m stupid enough to believe that Lucio Sanna is runningaround kidnapping little girls and slitting women’s wrists all by himself.”

His jaw clenches. “Why should I trust you?”

“I don’t care about what’s going on in Sardegna or Casa Bianca. I don’t care about the past. I only care about finding Noemi and getting the hell out of here before this place swallows us up.” I step closer until our chests are an inch apart. “We might not be on the same side, cousin, but I know for a fact that you’re sure as hell not on Lucio’s side. Help me. Help us, please.”

After a long moment of silence, he finally sighs. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything you can tell me.”

“As I said, I’ve been trying to find Noemi. I don’t know where Lucio is keeping her,” he admits. “He has several warehouses, safehouses, and apartments on the island. I’ve only been able to search a few of them without raising suspicion. I’ll let you know which ones I haven’t checked yet.”

“I already have someone narrowing down Lucio’s properties for possible locations he could be keeping her,” I inform him.

He nods. “Working together, we should be able to locate her faster.”

“Thank you,” I tell him earnestly, clapping him on the shoulders.