Final Call for Mercy

26

T-1

"A what?" Veronica shrieked. 

"A sister," Mateo repeated.

"A sister," Veronica parroted. "And you have one? Named Daniela? And the NCH has her? And that's why Katerina got you to let her in the building that one time?"

Mateo only nodded.

Veronica scoffed, looking back at me. "Well, is there anything else we must know? Any more secrets?"

"I wasn't trying to hide it from you guys," Mateo defended himself. "I was told to forget her, so I tried my hardest. And, then, for fear of her safety, I never mentioned her to anyone but Anastasia. But I'm telling you now."

"Gee," Veronica said sarcastically, "how thoughtful."

"Vee," Nicolas warned. "Back the hell off."

She didn't say anything else. Mateo, who had worried himself sick about revealing the truth, looked mortified at their uneasy glances and most likely feelings of betrayal that had hidden something so huge.

"There is something else," I admitted, hoping to release the burden off Mateo. I looked at Gabriel, who stared back at me knowingly. He nodded, and I continued. "Ximena said that Gabriel's grandfather could be Onnipotente. We're not sure if it's true, but—"

"Actually," Gabriel cut off. My eyes snapped to his. He sighed, "I did that research you told me to do, the one about my family history. I didn't take any chances so I went started with my own birth records. My parents died in a car crash, that's for sure. I found every news article and looked up the death records and everything. They're dead. My grandfather on my mother's side's name is Donatello Lombardi. I'm not saying I believe it, but that's his name."

If only my blood had gone cold or my heart had stopped, then it would've made me feel better about the situation. Instead, the news felt like a confirmation of something I already knew and I absolutely despised it.

"Onnipotente?" Mateo asked. "Your grandpa could be the man behind the Nine Circles of Hell?" 

"Yeah."

"Doesn't that mean they've been working with Michael since before you were born?" Veronica pointed out. "That you and Anastasia uniting was all just a plan?"

"It does," I told her. Her face went pale.

"So," Nicolas spoke lowly. It was one word, but I knew him enough to recognize his tone and the underlying anger in it. "You hid this information from us for how long?"

I decided to take his accusing tone in stride. "Since I found out, which was a week or so ago when I spoke to Ximena for the last time. I wanted Gabriel to deal with it as he please first, and I am not sorry about that. I'm telling you now because Gabriel will be downloading information that the feds had because I have a theory that Onnipotente could be involved in it. I feel it is better we are all on the same page to avoid any confusion during a job."

"If Onnipotente is part of his family, that could mean they will come for him, Anastasia," Nicolas said. "That puts every single one of us in a deeper level of danger. Not to mention Gabriel. He shouldn't be a part of this."

"He has to be," I countered. Nicolas frowned at me. "The five of us here? We made ourselves indispensable. We control every aspect of what we know and without even one of us here, everything goes off balance. It's why things went wrong when I went off the rails, it's why things kept going wrong when you, Nick, left for Seoul. We are too important, which means that we have to be present in every aspect of our operations. Gabriel is no exception. With the possibility that this has become personal for him, now more than ever, he must be fully hands-on."