Page 70 of Laced With Secrets

My hand drifted to my belly, and Dominic’s eyes tracked the movement immediately. His nostrils flared slightly, scenting the shift in my emotions.

Pick your hill, Leo.

I took a breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay.”

Dominic blinked. “Okay?”

“I’m not having another Vertex-sized fight with you over this,” I said. “I understand why you did it. But no more tracking without permission. Understood?”

Dominic studied my face, clearly surprised I wasn’t angrier. Through the bond, I felt his relief mixed with chagrin. “Understood,” he said quietly.

“Good.” I turned to Blake. “Andyou’rejust as guilty. Stop enabling him.”

“Remember, two AM? I was sleep-deprived,” Blake protested, though his smile was genuine.

“I can’t believe you’re not more mad,” Penny said, staring at me. “They tracked us like we were tagged wildlife!”

“It’s not that bad,” Jake murmured, his gaze falling to his fidgeting hands as his shoulders lifted in a slight shrug.

“I’m too pregnant and tired to care,” I admitted. “And we have bigger problems.” I gestured at the papers spread across the table. “Like figuring out who actually killed Thomas.”

“Speaking of which,” Jake said, clearly eager to move past the stalking conversation, “what else did you find?”

Blake took his tablet back and pulled up more documents, his expression shifting back to business mode. “The FBI investigation into the Antonelli family is ongoing, but it’s focused on current operations—Vicente’s nephews and cousins are running the organization now. Money laundering, racketeering, things of that nature.”

“Vicente himself can’t be charged,” Dominic added. “Statute of limitations expired decades ago for the crimes he was involved in. But the current generation? The ones Jake witnessedcommitting murder? They’re who the FBI is building their case against.”

“So Jake’s still in danger,” I said, understanding settling in.

“From the current Antonellis, yes,” Blake confirmed. “Not from Vicente specifically, I think. He’s been out of active operations for years. But his nephews? They’re dangerous. Especially Vito. Which is why you’re both staying here until the FBI concludes their investigation.”

“Katherine’s been building profiles on everyone who had access to the construction schedules at the time.” Dominic leaned back in his chair, stretching. The henley strained across his chest, the fabric clinging to every contour of his muscled torso. My mouth went dry.

“Paula doesn’t think her father was involved,” I said, my eyes drawn to the unbuttoned V of his shirt where the faint purple-tinged mark from my teeth still decorated his collarbone. “She’s absolutely convinced.”

I need to bite him again.

“It was an active construction project with multiple contractors,” Blake said. “Vicente’s crew did most of the heavy work. Robert Winslow managed the pharmacy business but wasn’t necessarily on-site every day.”

“So someone from Vicente’s crew could have done it,” Jake said. “Like that foreman you mentioned?”

“Thomas disappeared June fifteenth,” Blake said, pulling up the timeline. “Concrete was scheduled to be poured June eighteenth. That’s a three-day window—a lot can happen in that time.”

“We know five people who definitely had access,” Dominic added. “Vicente, Judge Whitmore, Henry Fairfax and his son, and possibly Constance Whitmore, but she would’ve had to research it herself.”

“Constance is alive,” Blake said. “Living in Connecticut. But she’s declined to cooperate with Hawkins’ investigation. Her lawyers shut down any attempt at an interview.”

“So we’re left with theories,” I said.

“For now ,” Blake agreed.

The room grew quiet, heavy with unspoken theories and dead ends, until Blake leaned forward, his fingers tapping thoughtfully against his tablet. “So, the memorial speech, how’s that coming along?”

The weight of it settled on me again. I’d agreed to stand in front of Thomas’s family and honor a man whose killer would likely never face justice. “It’s coming along…”

Penny’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe someone who knows more will finally come forward?”

“Maybe,” Dominic said, though his tone suggested doubt.