“Antonio, please.” The use of his full name has him relaxing his posture and pulling me to his side.
“Why don’t we talk outside on the patio? I’m sure we could all use some fresh air.” Tony leads us out back and pulls me down to sit next to him on the couch while my father takes the chair opposite us.
My father.
I can’t count how many times I’ve thought about meeting my dad in person. When I was a kid, I would imagine him swooping in and taking me to Disney World. As an adult, I hoped he would show up at any of my graduation ceremonies and take me out to dinner after to celebrate. And now? Now I just can’t even compute whether the man sitting in front of me is real. So, of course, I do the most logical thing that my stunned brain can think of.
I lean over and poke him in the face. Twice.
Tony hauls me back toward him while my father smirks.
“Huh” is all my brain can come up with.
“I know, Nikki. It’s probably hard to believe that I’m real, but it’s really me.” My dad smiles softly.
“This moment would be much more heartwarming if it didn’t start with a breaking and entering. So can you fill us in on what the hell is happening, and why you decided to meet your daughter for the first time this way?” Tony asks.
My dad straightens in his chair. “I wanted to make sure she was safe.” Tony opens his mouth to speak but clamps it shut when my father throws something onto his lap. “This is what’s in my back pocket. And what’s brought me here.”
A badge. And not like the one Tony carries around in the city.
An FBI badge.
My eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. I look down at the badge and back at my father repeatedly, as if watching a tennis match between the two.
“Wait, hold on. You—you’re in the FBI? Is this thing real? Tony, bite it. Check if it’s real gold.”
“Nikki,” they say in unison.
“Explain,” Tony says in an ominous tone.
My dad exhales and leans his elbows on his thighs. “Last night, you posted a picture on your Instagram page.”
“Are you really here to scold me on my social media usage? Because let me tell you, I’ve already gotten an earful from everyone around me.”
He shakes his head. “That picture almost sent me to an early grave, Nikki. Because in the background, as clear as day, I saw Adriano Bartoli. He was standing right behind you.”
“Adri—”
“Bartoli? As in the Bartoli crime family? Here?” Antonio tenses next to me.
My dad gives a single nod.
I grab my phone as they have a silent discussion with their eyes. I pull up the photo and zoom in behind me, but I only come up with more questions than answers.
“This is Mr. B. Mr. Barlowe. The owner of this resort.”
My dad shakes his head. “No, sweetie, that’s Mr. Bartoli, and he’s an extremely dangerous man. Especially when it comes to you.”
“And why is that?” Tony interrupts.
“Because he’s the reason it hasn’t been safe for me to be in your life for all these years.”
I feel all the blood drain from my face as I sink into Tony.
“Let me start from the beginning.”
* * *
