The Arrangement 17 (The Ferro Family) Read Online Free

what she was carrying in the glove box, so the center of the stack wasn’t consumed by the fire. The most damning ledgers she worked on are still out there somewhere.”
    That’s why my mother was always so on edge. That’s why she was compulsively cleaning that spot in the cabinets. She probably did it without noticing. When I was younger, she’d tell Daddy to pack up, and we’d take off for an awesome vacation in a blink. I thought it was her being fun, but this makes me see her in a whole new light. Mom was scared. She was afraid of them finding her right up until the night she died. If I’d not found the coffee can, I wouldn’t believe any of this, but I did find it. I know she was frightened.
    My throat feels unbearably dry, and my body begins to tremble. I tense, trying to stop it, not wanting to share this heartache with them. It’s a piece of me they’ll never know, and I want to keep it that way.
    “What’s in these documents that’s worth killing for?”  
    Sean’s lip twitches and one side pulls up into a crooked smile. “What you’d expect—secrets, money, power. Every illegal transaction between Campone and half of New York’s elite: businessmen, congressmen, old money, and new money. Victor didn’t discriminate; he accepted anyone’s money freely. Everything in those documents is damning. Your mother worked as a bookkeeper at a small grocery store in Ronkonkoma. She was a smart woman, but she didn’t realize who was on the other end when she started tugging on that thread. Her world unraveled. She ran, hid, and took what she found with her. My guess is that she kept the documents hidden to use as leverage if Campone ever captured her or a member of her family. The night she died, those documents were being moved to a vault. Campone’s men took the opportunity to tie up loose ends and slammed a drunk driver into their car.”
    “How?” I blink back tears and swallow hard. “How could you know all this, all this time, and not tell me?”
    Sean stands there, rigid, unblinking. “Some things are better left alone. This is one of them. You had no idea what was happening, but you’re being played move by move, inching toward an early grave.”
    “And I suppose your name is in those papers?”
    Sean shakes his head. He opens his mouth to speak and then steps away, turning his back on me.  
    “Answer me! This isn’t a game, Sean! I thought you died! I thought Marty killed you!”
    When he turns back to look at me, Sean’s voice is cold. “It doesn’t matter.”
    “The hell it doesn’t! You knew I love you, and you used that against me! But why am I surprised? I should have seen this coming. Falling in love with a Ferro is dangerous. They steal your heart and destroy your soul. Well, you know what? I’m not dead yet.”
    We stare at each other for way too long. Sean works his jaw, not wanting to answer, but I already know he’s going to deny ever feeling anything for me. The thing is I know it’s a lie—I feel it. The tension between us is hot and palpable. Marty senses it too, based on the way he stands at the window, giving us more space. One man admits he cares about me, the other won’t. I roll my eyes and stand up. I think I’m going to be fine, but everything spins and I fall into Sean’s chest.  
    He catches me quickly in those strong arms and holds me to his chest. Looking into his face, I try one last time. “Why won’t you say it? Sean, I know how you feel.”  
    “I tried to return you.”
    “The key word there is tried . You tried to return me, but then you bought me again and again after that.”
    Sean watches me and tries not to smile. His voice drops to a whisper, “I tried to love you, the way you want, the way you need and it nearly got you killed.” He tangles his fingers in my hair and lifts my chin. “This needs to end, we need to end if you want to walk away alive.”
    Silence spans between us, becoming deafeningly loud.
    Sean finally breaks the