"Who is it?" He tells me the name and I write it down. "Here's what's going to happen," I say.
Luca goes quiet.
"He has seventy-two hours to get back into his own territory and stay there."
"Understood."
"He's also going to repay every cent the Morozovs lost because of this."
There's a pause. "And if he refuses?" he asks, and I can hear the resolve in his voice.
I lean back in my chair. "Then I'll send someone to explain it to him."
Luca understands exactly what I mean. "Understood, boss."
"Good." I end the call and hand Marco back his cell, he doesn’t hang around and leaves my office quietly.
I make a note in the margin of the acquisition report. Watch Luca.
The dealer isn't the only problem here. This ran for six weeks before it reached my desk.
A man who lets something like that sit for six weeks is either slow or too comfortable. Neither is acceptable.
I set the pen down and glance at the chair Quinn occupied earlier when she asked me what I needed.
The question doesn't sit right with me. Nobody asks that. Not in my world they don’t. People ask what they're getting, whereas Quinn asked what would make things easier for me.
I have no fucking idea what to do with that.
I drag the next report toward me. I need to focus on work, because this marriage is happening regardless.
Chapter 4
Quinn
The front door of the Mariano estate closes behind me, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s over with, and I made it out alive. It went a hell of a lot better than I could have hoped, and I know my da will be pleased. He’ll want to know all the details, just to ensure that I didn’t embarrass him.
I feel as though someone’s watching me. I don’t turn and let them know that they’re affecting me. No, I keep my head held high, my pace steady, and my hands loose at my sides. I learned a long time ago that how you leave a room tells people as much as how you entered it, and I'm not giving anyone watching through those windows anything to read.
Marco walks me to the car. He's extremely polite, and the smile that he gave me the moment he saw me made me relax somewhat. He greeted me and welcomed me to the Mariano estate. I guess I’ve always been more comfortable around the staff, as they have been the only ones to treat me as more than a mere inconvenience.
I slide into the car. "Thank you, Marco."
"Anytime, Miss Delaney."
I smile. "It was nice meeting you."
Once Marco closes the car door, Fergal, my driver and guard, pulls away without me saying a word. I sit back in the seat and look out the window, watching as the Mariano estate slowly fades until we’re out of the gates and onto the road heading toward home.
I don't try to process all of it at once, there's no point in that. I know that if I sit here and go through every detail of the last hour in one go, I'll tie myself in knots, and I can't afford knots right now. I need to be clear-headed when I get home and will no doubt end up facing the firing squad.
Lorenzo was exactly what I had expected. Cold and calculating. I could see his mind working with every word I spoke. It was as though he was trying to figure me out. But he spoke to me with respect, which is unlike what my family usually do, unless it’s Dáithí or Caden, and he was straight to the point, which is something I like. He laid everything out so there’s no confusion about what our marriage will be.
No false hope and no opening to read into later and regret.
I like that I’ll know precisely where I stand. There's a strange kind of relief in knowing that. Once I understand the dynamics, I’ll be able to adapt and survive, just as I have done in the Delaney household.
The answer to your question is yes.
