Contact of Shadows

Castell

care of my

edge the fact that my hands were still trembling. The events at my off

r grand

secrets he had carried into his

ed the pas

inued. "Yet you seem determined to invo

he car, V

sking

w tigh

re someone else decides to

red a

t so dif

ense

the expression before it could fully dev

r's side. Within moments, we were moving through the

inutes, neith

ear was an unfamiliar feeling when it came to my professional life. I had faced difficult client

ad involved a stranger grabbin

y grandfather was dead and still b

turned to

are we

esta

tely shoo

lutel

vie

ing the night

thing about spen

omewhere safe. Your estate is

secure locati

considering i

ed at me

uldn't have spent the last ten min

're developi

push yo

irritated by the fact that his

mo

y mother's ho

N

d him

eed to work o

t whoever entered your office m

ained from m

e no

you possess information they need. Until we know w

ct me, but you still haven't told

n't have the

l me what

is grip on the

landi Holdings. Something happened, the company disappeared, and several people con

ed his

l this before yo

es

sty surp

n't you

the information was true. I neede

e marriage agre

t gave me a legitimate reason t

d incredulously. "You threatened

eate your fa

used it a

id no

ng him, I saw something resemb

quickly, but I

approached me ho

you have

mouth, the

inued d

what I t

a little for

-

ate was larger th

bordered by carefully maintained gardens. The house stood at

like a place where important decis

ed near th

door, a man in a dark s

March

probl

security team ha

ut. I followed, adjusting

glance

Castel

iffe

you know

uncertainl

informed that you'r

ect

the word

toward the entrance. I stepped away from him before hi

but didn'

covered the walls, expensive paintings hung beneath soft li

er fifties a

me hom

you,

shifted t

llano. She'll need

ned s

an

red my

the gue

ourse

at me before disappear

red my

have aske

ted the arrangement b

accepted

ry arrangement until we estab

ed to

on my arm and the way his expression had

st have told

toward a s

ed to discus

-

A fire burned quietly in the fireplace, a

sat before taking t

t happened after you

ranger who had threatened me. I repeated his warning about Bellan

nte's expression ha

ntion anyo

N

recogni

een him

eaned f

anything besid

ght ca

ut he didn't take my laptop or anythi

landi do

act

oved the photograph I had taken o

ttention

ept a

I'm a lawyer

hotograph without

uld be i

what Bellandi

t me for a

dent that destroyed several

eath

appened

, the usual confidence giv

e could finish hi

e murd

n't k

his answer sounded

down at

him. Dante's father had died searching for answers. Now someone

ted by something neither

ct that the Accordo had neve

o keep us close enough

ething else,

ted m

ather wrote one, too. Both suggest th

e your fath

es

want to

esit

ned f

together, you cannot keep deciding

seconds, he

he no

mor

owed m

mor

verify some

st

unbeli

u're ex

ange the

eed rest, and w

the familiar arrogance that usu

still

it, I saw so

nc

settled me more tha

ing Dante Marchetti as anything other than the d

nderstand that he might be trapped b

rd the guest suite,

ng room, staring at the pho

ered whether he was afraid

aid of what the truth

ther of us would be able to return to th