Marcella sighed. "I see you haven't upgraded your insults."
"It's an observation, not an insult," Rentata commented and then noticed Cosimo and the others coming in behind her. Her eyes narrowed. "I didn't invite them."
"Then Carlo should have been specific in his message," Marcella said. Cosimo stepped forward and pulled out a chair for her, directly across from Renata. "Grazie."
Renata took note of the interaction, and interest sparked when she got a full look at Cosimo. Her smile turned sweet.
"You must be the famed Greatdrakes family. If I had known you were coming, I would have done more to make you feel welcome in my city," she purred and offered him her hand.
Cosimo took it and turned it to shake instead of kiss. Marcella bit back a smile.
"I have heard a lot about you," Cosimo replied, politely. "Marcella has been kind enough to help me look for my sister, Maria, and she thought you could be useful."
"You should have come straight to me and not worried yourself with her," Renata said, still smiling. "Won't you sit too?"
"No. I'm fine, thank you. We can't stay long. We have other plans this evening," Cosimo replied with the same open calmness. "I was taught it was bad manners to try and contact the head of thecongregadirectly, but I would appreciate any information you have on my sister's whereabouts."
Renata hummed thoughtfully, tapping her nails on the table. Marcella knew she would try to drag out giving them anything. She had wanted Marcella alone to berate for a while, and now she was having to change her plans.
The door behind the bar opened, and Carlo came in. He hadn't aged much either, and Marcella could feel the slime of his magic had grown. He was an objectively handsome man with the same black wavy hair as his mother, full lips, and could be as charming as a viper when he wanted something. The look he gave her made her skin crawl.
"So you have come home at last, my wife," he said, strolling over to where they sat.
Marcella didn't have to turn to feel tension run through Cosimo. She swallowed back her bile. "This is not home anymore, and I am not your wife."
"You are. Catholics don't believe in divorce, and I signed no papers," he said, lifting his hand to show the wedding ring on his finger. "I see you have resorted to dressing like a whore. Or is he making you dress like this?"
Cosimo laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I would never try to make Marcella do anything. Besides, I like how she dresses."
"If you are trying to fuck her, I wouldn't bother. She's as limp as a fish in the sack unless you use a firm hand with her," Carlo snorted.
"He did not just fucking say that..."Apollo whispered somewhere behind her.
Invisible claws and malice rolled out of Cosimo, and Marcella bit her tongue. Carlo was too dense to feel it, but Renata wasn't.
"Sit down, Carlo. I will handle this," she said, and Carlo sat like the good little boy he was.
Marcella had heard so much of this nonsense before that she only felt tired, not hurt.
"Do you actually have information on Maria Greatdrakes or not? Because this is starting to feel like a waste of my time."
"Don't talk to me about wasting time when you have wasted so much of my own over the years," Renata snapped. She looked at Cosimo. "I do know of your sister's visit here and what she was looking for, but no information is free."
Cosimo's hand rested on the back of Marcella's chair, a sign of familiarity that had Carlo turning red. "Of course. I would be happy to pay you. Tell me a price, and I'll transfer you the money."
"This isn't about money," Renata said, clicking her tongue in irritation. "This is aboutfamiglia. You can't put a dollar price on that."
Marcella sighed and got to her feet. "Come on, she doesn't know anything. This meeting is over."
"Don't you dare come into my house and call me a liar," Renata said, standing up so fast, the chair behind her toppled. "You will give me the respect I deserve, or I will give you nothing."
Marcella didn't flinch as Renata and Carlo moved around the table to face them. The Greatdrakes closed in, Cosimo on one side of her and Yelena on the other.
"Obviously, there is a lot of old animosity here, and it was never my intention to stir it up," Cosimo said deceptively calm and accommodating. "Just tell me what you want so I can find my sister, and we can all go back to our lives."
"You want your family back. So do I," Renata said, a sneer lifting her lips. "I'll tell you where Maria is, and you will give me Marcella back."
Cold burst into Marcella's stomach. She knew Renata wouldn't back down. Her dark eyes were filled with gloating, as if she had already won.
