Talking to Rosalie isn’t part of my job description, and she seems equally as disinterested in it as well.
She reads her book. Talks to her aunt every now and then, and I stand in the corner of the room, in the shadows, watching.
All the while waiting. Waiting for Eivor to arrive home from his meeting with Carmine.
When he does, his gaze finds me in the room immediately, and he doesn’t need to speak for me to know what he wants. I know exactly what he wants from me.
The information I have could turn the Dresvanni life upside down if it got out. Embarrass them, shame them… It’s enough for Eivor to get whatever he wants from them—to a degree. To which, I’m not sure.
All I know as I follow Eivor into his office is that I hold this information, and I alone have to make the decision what to do with it.
“So, what information have you been holding onto the last few days, Son?” Eivor asks me the second the door is closed behind us.
I still have my back turned in his direction for the time being, and I’m grateful for that because I haven’t gotten ahold of the look on my face yet.
I pull myself together and turn around to look at him. After all, it’s a bad idea to have your back turned toward anyone.
It’s also a poor idea to have your back turned toward a door, so I take several steps forward and stand beside his desk, turning my body so that I’m sideways to both him and the door.
I have just a few seconds to make my decision.
The next words come out of my mouth easier than I expected.
“Not a thing.”
Eivor eyes me. “You’re telling me that you dug through the Dresvanni estate and didn’t find a single thing on Alessio?”
I shake my head in a sad and disappointed way. “No, Sir,” I tell him. “I found some old milling logs that show they may have been undercutting a few people, but nothing of any interest.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” Eivor admits, and he sits down in his chair. He motions me to sit down across from him.
Sitting down at his desk will leave me vulnerable to the door behind me.
“I would prefer to stand.”
“And I would prefer that you had some fucking information to give me,” Eivor hisses at me. “Sit. Down.”
I clench my teeth but do as he says. I sit down in the chair with my back to the door. The hair on the back of my neck stands up. I don’t feel good about this.
“I hired you for two things. Protect my niece and dig up dirt on Alessio Dresvanni,” he reminds me. “You’ve done a damn good job at protecting Rosalie, but I get the feeling that you’ve confused your place beside Alessio for protection as well.”
I ignore the lump forming in my throat.
“I am here to protect him as well. At least, they must believe this. I have to protect him when the situation arises,” I remind Eivor as well.
“That I understand. However, if you’re taking the mask you’re wearing too seriously then we might need to have a discussion,” his voice lowers. “You are only here because I let you be here. If you can’t do both of your jobs, I may as well find someone who can.”
I keep my eyes locked to his. “And if there’s no ‘dirt’ to dig up?” I ask him.
He laughs. “You’re funny, I’ll give you that, Damian. If you really think there’s nothing they’re trying to hide from me then you’re already too far gone.”
I force a smile at him. “Of course there’s something they’re trying to hide, it’s just a matter of finding it, Sir. It may take me longer than you’d like.”
“You’re saying I haven’t given you enough time?” he asks.
I don’t respond, I let his question answer itself. Let him fill in the blanks on his own.
The smile that forms on his face as he reaches for an almost empty bottle of bourbon on his desk and fills a small glass makes my stomach ache.
