Page 133 of Brutal Crown

“You’re one of them,” I tell him matter-of-factly.

“You’re right. I was born into it. It doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do. I don’t believe in their ways.”

I narrow my eyes. “Then what do you believe in?”

“Freedom. And… redemption.”

“You called the Society a prison, but you kept me a prisoner under your roof for two years.”

A slight wince crossed his features. “I was trying to buy time.”

“For what?”

He hesitates. Then says, “For what is about to come.”

I stare blankly, waiting for him to get to the point.

He exhales. “The Reckoning Ceremony is when truths are revealed, when the Elders are called to order. Or at least that’s what it used to be. Now, it’s a farce. A public show to make the rulers of the Society seem noble.”

He runs a hand through his hair, and in that moment, I notice how much Francesco looks like him.

“My plan is to bring back the old, ancient tradition, to call the Elders to order. They twist the power they wield to satisfy their own needs. The six seats were meant to serve the people, not dominate them,” he says through clenched teeth. “It’s why they initially wanted you dead—until Marco convinced them you were more valuable alive than buried.”

His eyes flash to me. “They wanted you gone the moment they realized Francesco’s loyalty lay with you, not them.”

I shift, pulse quickening. “Let me guess—this is why I’m still breathing, because I’m part of a bigger plan.”

“The only bigger plan here is to save your life,” he corrects me. “To make sure another promising future doesn’t go to waste to protect a useless cause.”

I see the regret thick in his face now, and I know he’s talking about my father.

“You two were close?” I shift closer on the bed.

He looks at me in confusion.

“My father,” I clarify.

He nods stiffly. “Before he became my accountant, he was my friend. We were not very close, but growing up, he was always around me because his parents worked for mine.”

I never knew that. I never knew much about my father’s parents, only my mother’s family.

“I knew he was an upright person. I knew I could count on him not to steal from me or dupe me, which was why I made himmy accountant.” A distant smile appears on his face. “I trusted him.”

“The same thing you liked about him was exactly what got him killed,” I say, and a bitter sound slips past his lips.

“I should have known he would suspect that we weren’t just a mafioso family, that we dealt with something deeper and darker. I should have known it would unsettle him. I should have known he would go looking for answers, answers that would end up killing him.”

There’s a small part of me that feels sorry for him, but I shove it to the back of my mind. No matter how remorseful he might be, I am still the victim here.

“Killing your father wasn’t the first mistake I made.”

“What… who was your first?” I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.

He draws in a breath, like he has to prepare himself to say the words.

“My wife.”

His words land hard against my chest. My body tenses, caught between disbelief and curiosity.