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Carly

“Hang on,” Lorenzo sputtered before he found the right words. “The Oracle is Kyle and Kevin Kreuger. Maxim and Reaper learned their identities when they interrogated Aksana. She said so herself.”

“Because that’s what we needed the world to believe,” Layla cautiously spoke up. “Seriously, didn’t either of you ever wonder how two unknown men just happened to know everything that was going on within the Society ? Didn’t you ever question where they got their information? It was from Carly. She’s been feeding them information for years.”

“Then who the hell are Kevin and Kyle Kreuger?” Christian asked, looking from Layla to me.

Shrugging, I honestly replied, “I don’t really know. After my return from Camp Kaleidoscope for Girls in south Florida, when I learned Mother had one of my friends killed, I received an email telling me if I wanted to know the truth about Mother to click a link. So, I clicked it. What I learned that day changed everything for me, and I never looked back. Over the years, I worked with the Kreuger brothers to gather what information I could, using them to send secret messages to Kitty and those who needed to be warned.”

“Do you know where the Kreuger brothers are at?” Lorenzo asked.

Nodding, I replied, “Yes, but I won’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because they asked me not to.”

There was no way in hell I would ever give them up. They were my trump card. My way out of this mess, if I couldn’t figure it out on my own. There had already been several times I thought about calling them for help but decided not to at the last minute. Because if I ever made that call, they would ensure I disappeared for good.

There was a lot of stuff that I still hadn’t told everyone, not even Max. Not because I didn’t want to, but because Kitty asked me to stay silent. She said the others weren’t ready to learn the truth.

The fact of the matter was, the truth behind everything currently going on with the Trick Pony and the discord between the Golden Skulls and the Soulless Sinners would be a hard pill to swallow for those currently in charge. That was the reason I was researching the past, but mainly because they tasked me with locating a child that escaped the Trick Pony several years ago. The same night that Amelia Scott disappeared along with three small children.

The truth, no matter how hard it would be to hear, would be even harder to accept. So, I sat there and said nothing else as Lorenzo and Giovanni both looked at me, waiting for me to say more.

“Look guys,” Layla spoke up after a few seconds. “I know neither one of you will take a child away from its mother without provocation. And I’m not even going to mention the Golden Skulls connection. So, let’s curb the threats and just enjoy the fact that you both have a piece of your brother back. It’s what Luciano would want, and you know it.”

Relenting, Giovanni sighed. “You are right, Tesoro .”

“My apologies,” Lorenzo muttered quietly.

“I do have one question I would like answered, if you wouldn’t mind?” Gio asked nonchalantly as he watched Drew play.

I didn’t have to wait long.

“When is his birthday?”

My head snapped to Layla’s as she stiffened.

I knew why he wanted to know. I wasn’t stupid.

The Valentinetti Family wasn’t like most crime families. They didn’t follow the typical father-to-son (or daughter) succession, contrary to popular belief. They passed the title of family head to the first grandchild, regardless of gender or whether the grandchild was a Valentinetti or not. It didn’t matter. In Giovanni’s case, he wasn’t supposed to be the head of the family. The title should have gone to his cousin Marko, but his grandfather bypassed him because of his father’s indiscretion—an act that embarrassed the family. So, Giovanni’s grandfather bestowed the title onto Giovanni, who was next in line, and began grooming him from a young age.

“Drew was born November 12, 2018.”

Gio sighed. “Reggie won’t be happy.”

“He doesn’t have a choice, Gio,” Lorenzo commented. “He knows that.”

“I know, but he hates the family right now for how we handled Dwayne. You know as well as I do, Lo, that Reggie isn’t one to forgive quickly.”

“What does it matter?” Layla asked. “The family is out of the game. Our kids are free to be whatever they want.”

“I wish it were that easy, Tesoro ,” the tired man muttered, looking over to the foam pool where all the kids laughed and played. “Were we ever that carefree, Lo?”

Smirking, Lorenzo replied, “Maybe, I don’t remember.”

“Luciano talked about you all the time, Giovanni. He knew the burden you carried and wished nothing but a life of happiness for you. He said that because of you, he could do anything, be anything he wanted. That’s why he gave everything to his painting. He wanted you to be proud of him because he felt the family cheated you out of what you really wanted.”

Gio smirked. “He said all that, did he?”

I nodded. “Yes, but he never elaborated. What did you want to be growing up?”

“Gio?” Layla smiled lovingly at her husband.

Shaking his head, he muttered, “I wanted to be a farmer and start my own winery.”

“Like Nona’s family back in the old country?” Lorenzo asked.

He nodded. “It was just a stupid dream.”

“Luciano didn’t think so,” I advised softly. “He said if anyone could do it, it would be you. Maybe take a page out of his book and chase that dream, now that you have nothing holding you back.”

“I see why my brother chose you, my dear. You have a very gentle ease about life and what matters most. Where will you head next?”

Looking at Christian, he simply offered, “Nebraska. I have a childhood friend that moved there.”