"Can't or won't?"
"Can't." I hold his gaze. "Not yet. Not tonight."
The silence stretches.
Bruno's fists tighten. The tendons in his neck stand out like cords.
"Tomorrow," I say. "Tomorrow everything will be settled. I promise."
It's not enough.
I know it's not enough.
But it's all I can give them right now.
Alejandro's men are watching. Listening. The phones in the living room are compromised. The compound might be bugged. Every word we speak could be transmitted to someone who wants us dead.
We had scanned the entire room.
I can't risk it more than I do.
Not when we're this close.
"Lorenzo has been hiding in the compound's basement," I continue. "Since the night we were supposed to leave for the mission. He'll stay there until we're safe."
Nico nods slowly. His face is unreadable, but I see the understanding in his eyes.
He knows.
He knows there's a reason Lorenzo agreed to this. A reason I orchestrated the most elaborate deception this family has ever seen. A reason I let Sophia believe her husband was dead for three days.
He trusts me enough not to ask.
The others follow his lead.
One by one, they nod.
Antonella. Kristen. Pietro. Nora. Carmela. Valentino.
Even Aria, still pale and shaking, inclines her head.
They don't understand. They don't know why. But they trust that there's a reason.
That's more than I deserve.
Bruno doesn't nod.
He stares at me with eyes full of fury. His jaw works. His fists stay clenched.
But he doesn't speak.
He doesn't demand answers.
He just looks at me with a promise written across his face.
This isn't over.
I know.
