"Don't even think about it," Damian warns him. “We put down a hefty safety deposit.”
"What's going on?" Grace says.
"Nico here can't go a year without setting something on fire," Damian says. "But...he's right. We?—"
"Wait, say that again, please," Nico says.
Damian ignores him. "We need to give Dante the benefit of the doubt."
"I don't trust him," Dimitri speaks up.
"The feeling's mutual," I say to him.
"Fine, if you want to talk, let's talk," Max says, walking toward me. "Start with why you made Grace cut off contact with her sisters."
I have Max standing before me and Dimitri behind me. Both of these men are involved with Grace's sisters, and they've made it clear that they hate my guts.
The tension between us feels like an explosive that's seconds away from detonating.
"Um, can I say something?" Nico asks.
"No," Max says.
"Luna and I went to a mindfulness retreat in Bali last month," Nico continues. "And one of the things they kept emphasizing was how important it is to live in the present moment. You guys are just making assumptions about each other without knowing any of the facts. You're hearing, but you're notlistening."
Nico taps his ear to emphasize his point. Max looks at him like he wants to rip his ear off.
I clear my throat. "To answer your question, I didn't allow Grace to contact anyone because I wanted her to keep a low profile. As we all know, her mother is someone who can’t be underestimated.”
And then I tell them the reason I’m in Paris in the first place.
“I have spent years studying the people at the top,” I say. “All of us already know about Malorie Thorne’s involvement, but I know the others, too.”
Malorie Thorne, Grace’s mother, has been causing havoc in our world for the past decade. She’s been funding dark business models and taking them to new heights. She’s not alone in the venture, though. She’s only a single piece of the puzzle.
I look at Damian now.
“There’s a reason I wanted to speak with you,” I say. “I suspect that you might know one of the people associated with Malorie Thorne.”
“Who?” Damian asks.
"I don't know his name, but I know he's an Innocenti," I say.
Damian, Ivy’s husband, was once a part of the Innocenti family. They’re a family of albinos who have been ruling over Europe’s drug trade for decades.
"Oh God, not them again," Nico groans. "They've been quiet for so long. I had a feeling they were going to start some shit now.”
Damian is quiet as he stares at me.
“You have my word,” he says. “Everything discussed in this room will remain between us.”
“You have my word, too,” Nico says. “Obvi.”
I look at the two other men in the room. They’re more hesitant, but they eventually give their vows of silence.
Damian suggests that we all sit down.
I already know I can trust these men.
