She shrugs. “Gossip comes from somewhere. Even if the details aren’t one hundred percent accurate, I bet you anything there’s truth behind all of those stories.”
I believe her, and the aunties, enough to look into it further. “Okay, so between the two of them, who wants us out of the way?”
She gives it some thought, gazing up at the starless sky. “Who told you Julius would be a good pick for consigliere?”
I think back. “Lazaro.” My brows pinch at that answer. There’s a nagging sensation in my gut, like I’ve been a blind fool.
“I see. Then I’d have to say either one of them, but I’ve never trusted Lazaro.”
“Why exactly?”
She gives a tiny shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I never liked his smugness. Even when he worked with Papa, he always had this arrogance about him, like he knew a secret that gave him an edge over everyone else. Or like he had his own inside joke going on. It’s impossible to explain. Just, don’t put too much trust into him.”
I listen to what she’s saying, and I do understand. I’ve gotten that same sense from him on more than one occasion. To be on the safe side, I make myself a mental note to unassign Niccolò and Dario, Lazaro’s sons, from Elena’s security detail. If he’s rotten, they could be too.
“Does Lazaro have issues with the other dons?” I ask her.
She considers the question, a tiny crease between her brows as she thinks. “The only thing I actually know, and take it with a grain of salt, is that Niccolò and Dario used to be close with my brother Matteo and Don Casella’s son, Enzo. They’re all about the same age. Then one day Niccolò and Dario were forbidden from hanging out with them. I’m not sure what changed, but from what I remember, there was some kind of conflict between Lazaro and Don Casella. But, that was years and years ago. Enzo and all of them socialize now, don’t they?”
“Yes, as far as I know.” I’ve seen them all at social gatherings. Are they close friends? I don’t know. If they are, does thatput Enzo on my suspect list too? I certainly don’t trust him. “Anything else I should know about?”
She chuckles, the sound warm and inviting. I take her hand in mine and draw circles on the inside of her wrist.
“What’s so amusing,bella?”
“You. I’m not trying to worry you. This is all ancient history and gossip. All I’m saying is, be careful who you trust. And I wouldn’t trust Lazaro or Julius.”
“You think I should look further into them?”
“I would. But I’m not in charge.” Her gaze hovers over my face. “You are.”
I nod. “I am, but I want you to know that I’ll take anything you tell me seriously.”
She offers me a shy grin. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
Leaning in, I press my lips to hers for a deep, sensual kiss. It’s slow, unhurried, and hopefully conveys the depths of my appreciation that she’s in my life.
CHAPTER 44
Elena
I’ve spent most of the week at home, curled up on the sofa writing. It didn’t take long after Maximo put the writing app back online that the majority of my fans found me again. Now I’m trying to make it up to them by publishing as quickly as possible, as an apology for ghosting them for so long. Even though it wasn’t my fault.
A part of me knows I should still be angry with Maximo for everything he did.
Trapping me here.
Forcing me to marry him against my will.
Never giving me a choice.
But… I’m also beginning to see that he may have been right about us all along. We’re good together. We fit. Even I have to admit it’s true. Plus, he gave me back everything that he took away—well, almost everything. I don’t have my freedom. But do I even want it any more?
Not really, no.
Ishouldwant my freedom. I really should. But right now I’m the most content I’ve ever felt in my life. Even though I’m technically trapped in this marriage, I’m more free to be myself than I’ve ever been before. I’m unapologeticallyme. Whichseems more important than whether or not I chose this marriage in the beginning.
Maximo doesn’t justletme be myself, he encourages it. He supports me in ways I never knew I wanted or needed. When I’m with him, I feel liberated—not caged.
