Page 23 of Devil Among Men

“Because your name came up. Jerrod James, listed as an early investor. I double, triple checked to make sure it was the right Jerrod James, and… um, it was. I need to know what that means.”

Another pause follows where Dad remains quiet and Mom’s voice trickles in from the background. She’s calling out to ask him where he’s put the car keys. She forgot her reading glasses inside.

“Dad?” I prompt.

“I’m still here, cupcake,” he answers slowly. “I guess I should’ve figured you’d eventually ask. I did some business with them once. Years ago.”

“Did you know about the Belluccis’ crime empire?”

“You know there’s always been speculation around Newport. About the Belluccis, yes, but other wealthy Italian families too. In the business world, sometimes you don’t put stock into rumors. It was a financial thing, cupcake. An investment opportunity a colleague brought to me.”

“But you didn’t know for sure they were mafia…”

“Not at the time of the deal, absolutely not. By the time I understood what kind of family they were, I made the decision to never do business with them again. You know I prefer to keep my hands clean.”

“Did you know about my birth parents?” I ask. “That the Belluccis killed them?”

“Portia, what kind of quest⁠—”

“Dad, did you know they killed my birth parents? That they killed Jayla’s?”

“I had no clue!” he says, offense in his tone. “How could you ask me that? We were close friends. Your birth parents asked me and your mother to look after you if anything ever happened to them.”

“Then why did you never tell me and Jayla about them?” I press. “Why didn’t you ever tell us that after all these years? You let us grow up believing you had no connection to our birth parents.”

“It’s easier said than done, cupcake. We wanted to minimize your trauma as much as possible. What you and Jay went through… it was a lot for any young girls to go through.”

“I guess so…” I murmur glumly.

“Are you done with the interrogation, or do I have more crimes to answer for?” he asks. “Portia, it was a dangerous time. Your parents were murdered by a mob boss. The same mob boss I’d happened to do some business with years before. My priority was keeping you and Jayla safe. Your mother and I just wanted to make sure the Belluccis never came to finish the job.”

I trade goodbyes with Dad, who reminds me he and Mom love us.

It’s only been a minute since hanging up when the door to my room creaks open and Jayla pokes her head through. Something tells me she never went very far even after leaving the room.

“Well?” she prompts.

I give a shrug, tossing my phone across the bed. “He admits to doing business with them. Some kind of investment years ago.”

“I’ll never get over how small the world can be, even in a big city like Newport.”

“He claims he didn’t know who they really were at first.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, he’s right that rumors are rumors. None of the Belluccis have ever been behind bars because nothing’s ever stuck to them. Authorities have never proven they’re a crime family. But how likely is it that my adopted dad did business with Vito Bellucci and then it just so happens that my bio dad was killed by him?”

Rafael’s wandered back into the room only footsteps after Jayla. Hands in his pants pockets, he considers what I’ve said.

“It’s true that many people in the business world do work with less than savory individuals,” he says. “Many companies have done business with me, and my hands aren’t any cleaner than Don Vito’s.”

“But…?” I trail off, sensing more.

“But real coincidences are hard to come by. I wouldn’t assume anything from our past is a coincidence.”

“You think there’s more he’s not telling me.”

“I think it’s worth finding out. Maybe not tonight or even tomorrow. But eventually, yes. There’s more to this than an old one-time investment.”