He looks terrible. Thinner than I remember. His clothes are rumpled, hair greasy. Dark circles under bloodshot eyes.
"What do you want, Adrian?"
"I want to help you." He steps closer. "I know what Caterina did. What she revealed. And I can make it go away."
"How?"
"By working together. You and me. Like it used to be." His hand reaches for mine. "We can take down Dante. Ruin him. Make him pay for everything he's done to us."
I pull my hand back. "He hasn't done anything to us."
"He took you from me! Used you. Humiliated you in front of everyone. Don't you want revenge?"
"No." The answer comes easily. "I don't."
"Bianca—"
"He's been good to me, Adrian. Better than you ever were. He protects me. Cares about me. Fights for me."
"Cares about you?!” Adrian laughs and it’s an ugly thing. “Are you delusional? A man like Dante can never be with you!" Adrian's voice rises. "Don't you understand? He's Matteo's capo. He can't be with a whore if he wants to maintain that position. You're going to destroy everything he's worked for."
The word hits like a slap. But it doesn't break me this time.
"Then that's his choice to make. Not yours."
"You're choosing him?" He grabs my arm, his grip tight. "After everything I did for you? After I saved your mother?"
"You didn't save anyone. You used her as leverage because you wanted to control me. And I'm done being controlled by you. For God’s sake, Adrian, you sold me to save your ass!"
"You don't have a choice!" He shakes me. "You're going to help me. You're going to play for my team. Together, we'll?—"
"Let her go."
Dante's voice cuts through the night like a blade.
Adrian drops my arm, spinning around. "Dante. I was just?—"
"I know exactly what you were doing." Dante moves forward, each step measured. Dangerous. "You were threatening her. Touching her. Trying to manipulate her into betraying me."
"It's not like that?—"
"Shut up." Dante's fist connects with Adrian's face before I can blink.
Adrian goes down hard, blood spurting from his nose. He tries to scramble backward, but Dante follows, raining down punches with methodical precision.
"Oh my goodness, Dante, stop—" I start forward, but he holds up one hand. A warning.
"This is between me and him." Another punch, this one to Adrian's ribs. "He put his hands on you.”
"Please—" Adrian chokes out, spitting blood. "Please, I didn't mean?—"
"Yes, you did." Dante hauls him up by his collar, slams him against a nearby wall. "You meant every word. And now you're going to tell me who you're working with."
Adrian's eyes widen. "I don't?—"
"Don't fucking lie to me if you want to live." Dante's hand closes around his throat. "I already know about Caterina. So, lie to me and give me the perfect excuse to fucking snap your useless neck."
I watch in awe. I get it now. Adrian slipped. He said something that connected him to Caterina—whom he shouldn’t know in the first place—and I realize it now: the timing, the information, the coordination.
