Pearce Hudson: #1 My Italian Devil

28. Queen sacrifice

My head was spinning. My world was shattering. My worlds were colliding. My work world and my other world, the one I pushed away. He'd been there and my dad and Paul did nothing? There was something else going.

I gripped the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. A car pulled my behind me, a Porsche, Paul stepped out. He saw the SUV and moved to the front, spotting me. I sighed. As much I did hated his guts, he was my brother and I loved him deep deep down. He slapped the window of the car. I lowered the glass.

"I'm leaving so don't waste your breath."

"Did you come to see mom?"

"Yes. Don't worry you don't have to threaten me to not come back. I'm probably never coming back."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I just won't be a problem. Congrats on baby number 2."

"I know you hate me."

"What makes you say that?"

He opened the car door and slipped in. "I'm not a bad person."

"You swept Peter under the rug for the company. Didn't defend Alessandra. All you wanted was money and power."

"And to save Lux."

I laughed, "Lux is fine."

"Not it's not."

"Please do tell me why."

"Lux expanded to being a shipping company. We ship almost anything now. But three or four times a month, a few ships heading to Columbia, Mexico, Florida, California, New York and and a few other places are let's put it sketchy."

"Sketchy how?"

"They got loaded at midnight. Every time. And then always unload at midnight."

"Does this family not know the justice system called police?"

"I've tried. They tell me the same thing: you're too suspicious."

"Then why try to take over the company?"

"To stop the ships. I'm not stupid. I know illegal goods that get shipped."

"Does dad know?"

"Of course. I would go as far to say he has a hand in this."

"Paul why was Dante over around September?"

"He asked where you were. Of course we didn't know. Then dad took Dante to his study to talk to him privately. I wanted to take his head off."

"Paul I don't think Dante had anything to do with Alessandra's kidnapping."

"What?"

"In the will, Alessandra would take place of any potential heir that would pass before dad. Kidnapping or not kidnapping Alessandra wouldn't have made a difference if Dante took over the company. Who loses more? Not you or Paul or mom or-"

"Nonna," we said at the same time. Nonna disliked Alessandra with her whole heart. She was child out of wedlock and Nonna was all about the rules and traditions. If killing or kidnapping Alessandra was what she needed to do to make sure, Alessandra wasn't in the inheritance, she would do it.

"Pearce you have to find out what happened."

"Paul don't make me promise."

"Why not?"

"Because I may not be able to keep that promise. I think my cover was blown. I think Dante knows that I'm a FBI agent. I going to have dinner with him around 7."