I sagged against Quentin's desk, adrenaline draining out of me like water from a broken glass.
"Well," Stone said. "That went better than expected."
"He threatened me with a rusty spoon," Quentin pointed out.
"But he didn't use a rusty spoon. That's progress."
"Your definition of progress is concerning."
Serenity stepped toward us. “I managed to touch his jacket when he hugged you.”
“You did?” My stomach knotted. “What did you see? Is he the killer?"
"I don't... think so." She bit her lip. "But I saw violence. Anger. Blood. One more thing… he’s lying. Probably about everything. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he had something to do with it.”
"Deceit is pretty much Silvio's baseline," I pointed out. "He’s cold-hearted. Always has been. The man carries three knives and a gun to the grocery store."
The room went quiet.
I sighed. "So we still don't know."
"We know he has the capacity for violence," Stone said. "We know he's a liar. And we know he threatened Quentin with creative cutlery."
"That last one feels less important," Quentin muttered.
"I disagree. The spoon detail suggests premeditation."
"Can we not analyze murder plans right now?" I interrupted. "I need to pack for New York and mentally prepare for Carlo to potentially kill my husband in a restaurant."
"Your husband," Serenity said softly, a small smile appearing. "That's going to take some getting used to."
"You're telling me." I glanced at my rings. "Twenty-four hours ago, I was single. Now I'm married and about to face my brother's wrath."
Quentin pulled me close. "We'll face it together."
"Very romantic," Stone said dryly. "Now can we focus? Your flight leaves in two hours. You need to be at the airport in ninety minutes. That gives us very little time to prepare for what could be a very dangerous meeting."
He was right. We needed to plan.
"What's the play?" Quentin asked.
"Honesty," Stone said. "You walk in, you tell him you're married, ask him to help you plan a proper wedding so you can draw out the real killer. Show him the evidence. I have it in an envelope to take with you."
"I've been thinking about this," I glanced between Quentin and Stone. "Margaret Chen's evidence pointed to three people with the right access: Filomena, Dominic, Silvio. We can't narrow it down further without tipping someone off.
"But Carlo needs to know. He's the Don—we can't plan a major family wedding without his involvement. And honestly? We need his resources. His security, his contacts, his authority to make this trap work."
Quentin nodded. "You're right. The wedding trap only works if Carlo's on board from the beginning. We need him as an ally, not an obstacle."
"Exactly. And Carlo's smart. He won't go charging in and confronting people. He'll understand the strategy—draw them out at the wedding where we control the environment."
"Once he hears us out," Quentin added carefully. "That's the key part. Once he sees the evidence."
"Right." My stomach tightened. "I'm just worried about getting to that point. The part where we walk in and tell him wegot married and you're innocent. That first sixty seconds could go... badly."
"He might try to kill you first," Stone said bluntly.
Quentin nodded. "It's a risk we have to take."
