I suck in a surprised breath. Is she so easily willing to throw her fiancé under the bus?
But Raffi actually grins. "Imighthave thought it was Gino, except for the fact that he's around my height. But those bullet holes are just the right height foryouto be shooting, Ms. Rochford."
"I…" She trails off, and when she speaks again, her voice is barely a whisper. "Even if everything you sayistrue, what can you do about it?"
"Nothing." Raffi's answer is simple. Honest. "We have an alliance now, and that's what matters. But like I said, I wanted toknow. I wanted to understand exactly who it is the Castellanis are dealing with."
Roxy surges to her feet, color rising in her face. "I don't know what game you're playing here, but I won't be a part of it." She levels a glare at Raffi. "And if I were you, I'd make sure your little boyfriend over there doesn't go spreading ridiculous stories, if you want him to live a long and happy life."
The outright, vicious threat makes me blink, but Raffi's entire demeanor changes. The laidback front cracks, replaced by a fury that makes Roxy take a step back.
"Listen, Ms. Rochford," Raffi spits at her, "and listengood. If you ever make a move to harm Darian, I will kill you myself, alliance or no alliance."
She's gone pale, but she says nothing.
"You need to understand this," he continues, eyes locked onto her. "Hear it and understand it. I'm a man of honor. I'll keep your secret, butyoumust also act as a woman of honor, sinceyou're running the Bernardi Family now. No, don't try to deny it.You'rethe one La Contessa had her lackey, Nero, approach with some deal. You. Not Gino. And frankly, Ms. Rochford, I happen to think your fiancé is not the kind of leader the Bernardis need right now. But maybe you are. And since your safety and power are now secure, I suggest you use your advantages for the good of your whole Family, not just yourself."
For a moment, Roxy seems to consider his words. Then, without any change in expression, she turns on her heel and leaves the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
"Maybe…maybe she really was threatened by Clemenza," I say hesitantly, trying to process everything that just happened. "He did it to me."
Raffi nods, his gaze distant. "No doubt. And I can't be mad about how she chose to handle that situation. But Chops Lollo was loyal to her. He didn't deserve to get played like that."
"Do you think she'll…"
A confident smile flickers across Raffi's face. "What, try to kill us? No chance. We're safe, D."
I frown. "You sound pretty confident," I say doubtfully.
"Oh, I am. Because we're not the only ones who know Roxanne Rochford's secret. And the other person who knows has a particular fondness for you—and he has a lot more skin in the game than he's been letting on."
"I know who you mean," I say, a little sadly. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure.Someonehad to give her a gun and a silencer, after all—and then make it disappear again after. And Julian's pretty notorious for how much he loves to make a scene out of his kills."He catches my expression and moves on quickly. "Anyway, yeah. I think it was him. That's what he was doing wandering around the Manor at eleven o'clock that night. Collecting the piece from Roxy and taking it back home to the Retreat."
I stare at Raffi, half wanting to find a flaw in his reasoning. But I'm remembering Julian's response to Anna-Vittoria Esposito, months ago now, when I eavesdropped on them and heard her complimenting his "artistry."
Why, thank you,he'd replied.I do take pride in my creativity.
CHAPTER 51
DARIAN
The next morningI wake earlier than Raffi and get to watch him sleeping, his chest rising and falling with each breath, as I replay our confrontation last night with Roxy Rochford.
Maybe I have an ugly need for revenge hidden deep inside, but Tony Clemenzawasa bully, the worst kind, the kind who destroys lives. Her actions have saved countless others. It was almost…
Well. Honorable.
I don't know that Raffi would think the same.
Julian would, no doubt.
There are an awful lot of parallels between Roxy's actions and Julian's. He claims to follow Don Castellani's orders, but…that's not entirely true. But I think Sandro knows it, too.
Like the information gathered through unauthorized surveillance. That's just one example of Julian acting outside his purview. There's been much worse—unsanctioned hits, even, which I know about from gossip and whispers. And each time,Don Castellani threatens to punish his brother harshly, yet each time Julian emerges unscathed. Again and again.
So either the Don has endless patience for his brother, or?—
