The StongWilled Rose

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Grandfather Dearest

I stared at the security monitor.

Then at my mother.

Then back at the monitor.

"Okay."

Nobody spoke.

I pointed at the screen.

"Just so we're all on the same page, your dead father is currently standing outside our gate?"

Mom looked like she might faint.

"Yes."

"Great."

I nodded slowly.

"Totally normal family."

"Allegra," Dad warned.

"What? Your supposedly dead father-in-law just pulled up after Russian Mafia members spent the evening watching our house. I think I'm handling this beautifully."

Matteo moved beside me.

"What's his name?"

Mom didn't answer.

"Lucia."

Dad's voice hardened.

She finally whispered, "Alessandro Moretti."

I knew that name.

Not personally.

But I'd heard it before.

Moretti.

An old Italian name that occasionally appeared in documents connected to organizations that technically didn't exist anymore.

I looked at Mom.

"You're a Moretti?"

She nodded.

"You never thought that was worth mentioning?"

"My family died."

"Apparently not all of them."

My phone was still against my ear.

I'd completely forgotten Viktor was there until he spoke.

"Alessandro Moretti?"

I sighed.

"Yes."

Silence.

I frowned.

"Why did you say his name like that?"

"Don't open the gate."

My eyes narrowed.

"You know him?"

"I know of him."

"Useful distinction."

"Allegra."

His voice was suddenly colder.

"Do not open that gate."

Naturally, that made me want to open it.

"Why?"

"Because Alessandro Moretti disappeared almost twenty years ago."

I looked at Mom.

"Twenty?"

She nodded.

"I was told he died."

Viktor continued, "People spent years looking for him."

"Why?"

"Because when Moretti disappeared, so did enough information to destroy several organizations."

I stared at the man on the monitor.

Well.

Grandpa sounded fun.

"Stay inside," Viktor said.

"Stop telling me what to do."

"I'm coming."

"No."

The call ended.

I stared at my phone.

"He hung up on me."

Marco blinked.

"That's what you're upset about?"

"It's rude."

The intercom rang.

Everyone froze.

I looked at Mom.

She shook her head immediately.

"Don't answer."

So obviously, I answered.

"Hello?"

The man's voice came through the speaker.

"Allegra."

I stopped smiling.

He knew my voice.

Interesting.

"Alessandro."

Behind me, Mom whispered something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer.

The man chuckled.

"You sound like your grandmother."

"Hopefully that's a compliment."

"It is."

"What do you want?"

"To see my family."

I looked around.

Nobody seemed particularly excited.

"Your family doesn't look like they want to see you."

"I wasn't talking about them."

My expression changed.

Mom grabbed my arm.

"Turn it off."

I pulled away.

"What do you want with me?"

"Conversation."

"People keep wanting conversations with me lately. It's becoming exhausting."

Another chuckle.

"You really are her granddaughter."

I hated how familiar he sounded.

"You have five seconds to explain why you're here."

"Still impatient."

"Four."

"Allegra—"

"Three."

"I can tell you why Konstantin took you."

I stopped counting.

The room went completely silent.

He knew.

Of course he knew.

I looked at Mom.

Her face confirmed it.

She believed him.

"Open the gate," Alessandro said.

"No."

His tone changed slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no."

"Then how exactly do you intend to get your answers?"

"I've survived this long without them."

"Have you?"

That irritated me.

"Careful."

"You built yourself an impressive life."

My blood went cold.

Nobody spoke.

Alessandro continued.

"Companies. Properties. An organization of your own. Very impressive for seventeen."

I gripped the intercom.

"How do you know about that?"

"I've been watching you."

Something inside me snapped into place.

The photographs.

The leaked information.

Konstantin finding me.

"Was it you?"

Silence.

"Did you expose my identity?"

"No."

"Did you tell Konstantin where I was?"

"No."

"Do you work with him?"

"Not anymore."

There.

Not anymore.

I looked at Mom.

She closed her eyes.

"You knew him."

"I knew everyone in those days," Alessandro replied. "Konstantin was useful until he became ambitious."

"Did you order my kidnapping?"

Mom gasped.

Alessandro went silent.

One second.

Two.

Three.

"No."

I believed almost nothing people told me.

But something about his answer felt different.

Immediate.

Offended, almost.

Still didn't mean it was true.

"Then who did?"

"Open the gate."

I smiled.

"No."

"Allegra."

"You're not coming into this house."

Dad stepped beside me.

"She's right."

Alessandro laughed softly.

"Enzo Bianchi."

Dad's face hardened.

"You stay away from my daughter."

"Which one?"

Nobody moved.

My stomach dropped.

Dad stared at the intercom.

"What does that mean?"

Mom suddenly reached forward and disconnected it.

I turned toward her.

"Why did you do that?"

"We're done."

"No, we're absolutely not."

"Allegra."

"What did he mean?"

"Nothing."

I laughed.

"You are a terrible liar when you're scared."

Brittany stepped forward.

"Mom?"

Lucia looked at her.

"What did Grandpa mean by 'which one'?"

"He was trying to upset us."

"Was he?"

Mom didn't answer.

Brittany's face changed.

"Mom."

The front gates suddenly began opening.

Dad spun toward the monitor.

"What the hell?"

I looked at the controls.

Nobody inside had touched them.

The gates continued sliding apart.

"Security system's compromised," Matteo said.

Of course it was.

The black sedan rolled forward.

Mom backed away.

"No."

I watched it approach.

Honestly?

I was tired.

Tired of secrets.

Tired of people knowing things about my life that I didn't.

Tired of everyone thinking they could manipulate me because I was seventeen.

"Fine."

I walked toward the front door.

Dad caught my shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"To get answers."

"Absolutely not."

I looked at him.

"Are you planning to ground me?"

"This isn't funny."

"I know."

The doorbell rang.

Nobody moved.

Then it rang again.

I reached for the handle.

Mom grabbed me.

"Allegra, please."

I looked at her.

"Give me one reason."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Because my father is the most dangerous man I've ever known."

I held her gaze.

"Then you clearly haven't met enough people."

I opened the door.

Alessandro Moretti stood on the other side.

Up close, I could see pieces of Mom in his face.

Same eyes.

Same sharp cheekbones.

He looked at me for several seconds.

Then smiled.

"My little Rose."

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

Nobody called me that.

Nobody except—

A memory flashed through my mind.

A man's voice.

A garden.

Small hands around mine.

Little Rose.

I stepped backward.

"What did you call me?"

His smile faded.

"You remember."

Before I could answer, another car tore up the driveway.

It stopped behind Alessandro's sedan.

The door opened.

Viktor stepped out.

His eyes went immediately to Alessandro.

Alessandro turned.

For the first time since arriving, his confidence disappeared.

Viktor approached slowly.

"Moretti."

Alessandro stared at him.

"Dragunov."

I looked between them.

"Oh, good."

Both men glanced at me.

I folded my arms.

"You two know each other."

Neither answered.

I sighed.

"Of course you do."

Viktor stopped beside me.

His attention remained on Alessandro.

"You shouldn't be here."

Alessandro smiled again.

"And yet I am."

Viktor's expression hardened.

Then Alessandro looked at me.

"You wanted to know why Konstantin took you?"

"Yes."

He nodded toward Viktor.

"Ask his father."

Silence.

I slowly turned my head.

Viktor's expression changed.

Barely.

But enough.

I stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

Alessandro smiled.

And suddenly I understood why Viktor Dragunov had been so interested in me from the beginning.

Maybe it hadn't started with curiosity.

Maybe Viktor knew more about my past than he'd ever admitted.