Raffi crouches with me. "Leave it," he murmurs, nudging my hands away. His fingers wrap gently around my wrists, pulling me to stand beside him once more.
I stare at the floor, unable to meet anyone's gaze. My ears are ringing with remembered taunts from long ago. I'm ten years oldagain, cornered, fists connecting with my body as my bullies—so much bigger than me though only two years older—pummeled me, cheering each other on.
What are you gonna do about it? Cry to your mommy?
I learned to endure the pain back then. I learned to stop crying, to show no reaction, to control what I could control. But in front of all these enraged Bernardis, I feel like throwing myself down again, pleading for mercy.
But Raffi's hand settles against the small of my back, warm and steady. Grounding.
After a long, tense moment, conversation slowly resumes around us, questions and demands for information.
I flinch as one of AJ's men brushes past, shooting me a venomous glare. Raffi's arm tightens around me in response, pulling me fully against his side.
"It's alright," he murmurs. "You're safe with me."
Safe. The word rings hollow. Nowhere in this house is safe anymore.
"Okay," Raffi says, when Donnie Russo stares at us from across the room. "You don't need to be here anymore. And if I stay, I'm gonna murder that guy in front of a whole lot of witnesses." Raffi steers me toward the door, ignoring the curious and suspicious looks thrown our way. Oz Santarelli, the guard at the door, opens it for us and we slip out into the hall where I lean up against the wall, drawing a ragged breath.
"I didn't do it," I whisper.
"I know." Raffi catches my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You're an innocent, Darian. I know that, and I won't let anyone hurt you."
I search his face, looking for any sign of doubt, but find only certainty. Determination. And something else…
"Come on." He takes my hand, leading me down the hall. "You should rest."
"But my duties?—"
"Will be seen to by someone else. You've been through enough for one day. Found a body, got interrogated by the Boss, accused of murder by some fuck-knuckle who should be locked up in his room still. That's enough for one morning, right?"
I don't argue as he leads me to my room. Don't protest as he ushers me inside, refusing to leave until I've pulled off my shoes in the living area.
"I'm gonna put a guy right outside your door, so you can get some sleep," he orders softly. "If you need anything, get the guard to call me."
He closes the door to my suite behind him with a soft click, and then he locks it. He must have taken the key with him. I'm oddly relieved about that—and besides, I still have my own key, the one that opens every door.
Almostevery door. Not that secret passage, Julian was at pains to tell me.
I wonder which other doors, exactly, my key does not open?
CHAPTER 19
RAFFI
Once Simmy has arrivedto stand guard, I leave Darian safely locked into his room and head back to the grand salon. The Bernardis are filing out, making their ways back to their rooms.
"Security staff hang around," I call out. "Non-essentials only." Once the room has cleared and my team are all that's left, I don't fuck around.
"So now you all know: Tony Clemenza was murdered last night."
This happened undermywatch.Ifailed. If Max Pedretti had been here, this never would've… But I don't have time to play the blame game right now.
"We have a house full of people who are looking for an excuse to kill each other. It's our job to make sure they don't. Increase patrols. Monitor everyone and report anything suspicious immediately. The Boss assigned Jacopo and the Lion to find out what happened to Clemenza.Ourjob is to keep the peace while they do. Any questions?"
Silence.
"Remember, we're responsible for the safety ofeveryonein this house. Including the ones we think are assholes." There's a soft chuckling response to that. Good. I want them sharp-eyed but relaxed enough to see past their own noses. "We owe it to the good name of this Family to keep the peace of this parley—and I know you won't let me down. Dismissed."
