I sit. Only then do the men settle fully.
For now. But authority spent in public is still spent.
I know the cost. So does Salvatore. So does Giulio.
The meeting ends without fracture. That’s not the same as intact. Men leave in smaller groups than usual. Two stay close to Giulio. One stays by himself, which means he’ll choose later. Marco speaks to three guards outside the chamber before approaching me. He waits until the corridor clears.
“Chicago can be moved to tomorrow,” he says.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Then tonight.”
“No.”
He nods once.
“What is it?” I ask.
He looks toward the empty council doors, then back. “Whyisshe still here?”
The question lands differently from Giulio’s. Marco doesn’t posture. Doesn’t press for advantage. Doesn’t enjoy the asking.
“You know the answer,” I say.
He pauses for a second. “I know the operational answer.”
“It’s sufficient.”
“No.”
A rare word from him. Properly placed. I look at him. He doesn’t lower his gaze.
“Council pressure is now active,” he says. “Giulio is testing alignment. Rory Brennan isn’t settled. Dante’s absence remains unexplained. The girl is a visible contradiction.”
“Hmm.”
“She should be moved. Or restricted. Maybe returned under condition.”
“No.”
He looks down. “Then used formally.”
“No.”
Each answer shortens the corridor. Marco’s face remains controlled. “Then there’s another priority.”
“Yes,” I say.
“What is it?”
I say nothing.
His expression changes by almost nothing. “Her safety.”
Not an accusation. A conclusion. I don’t correct him.
That’s the mistake. He sees it.
