I look at him. "What do you know about him? Actually know, not what you’ve heard about him."
Daithí leans forward, elbows on his knees and begins to eat his dinner. "What I know is that Lorenzo Mariano is meticulous, and he doesn't do things halfway. If he tells you the terms of something, those are the terms. He doesn't change the rules midway through."
I nod, relief running through me. "That's good."
"It is," Daithí says. "It also means if he decides something's a rule, it's a rule. He's not particularly flexible."
I think about the meeting in his office and the coolness of the way he laid everything out without softening anything. There was nothing in his demeanor or tone that said he was flexible.
"How is he with people he trusts?" I ask. "And I don’t mean business people, like you and da, but with his closest men.”
Caden tilts his head. "From what I've seen, he doesn't let many people in that far. Ciro, obviously. Maybe one or two outside the family. He's not…” he hesitates, and I can see him warring with himself if he should continue or not. His voice drops a little as he does, indeed, continue. “He's not warm or welcoming, Quinn, you know that. He can be a monster when the occasion arises."
"I know that." I don’t plan on giving him the chance to become that with me.
"But," Caden says, "he's not cruel either. I've watched him at enough Syndicate events to have a read on him. He's not the kind of man who tears people down for sport. He just keeps everything at a distance."
"So I live at a distance," I say. “It’s not like it’ll be hard.”
That’s what I’ve been doing here for my entire life. Keeping it up somewhere new will be easier.
"Maybe not forever," Daithí says.
I look at him. What’s that supposed to mean?
"He's not an unreasonable man," Daithí continues, "From what I can tell, he respects people who don't bend to him unnecessarily. People who hold their ground." He looks at me. "You're good at that."
Aren’t I just?
"I've had practice."
Caden’s eyes are soft as he smiles. "You have. You are smart, and you are brilliant, Quinn. You just need to know how to play this marriage to ensure it works for you."
“He's going to have enemies who try to get at him through you," Daithí says. "Anyone married to a man like that becomes a potential leverage point. You need to be aware of it."
"I am,” I say, a little pissy. I know what the hell I’m getting into.
"The women in that world, especially. Sabrina Laskaris?—"
"I know about Sabrina." The words come out sharper than I intend.
I've heard the stories, everyone has. Most of them paint her as some desperate woman hunting for a mafia husband. Whether any of it's true, I don't know. I've never met her, but I've heard her name enough times to know exactly who she is.
"Then you know to be careful around her. She's smart, and she's got reach, and she's going to test you more than once."
I nod. Lorenzo already told me this. Knowing Daithí’s confirming it from the outside is useful, because it means it's not just Lorenzo's read on the situation, it's the general consensus.
"What about Vittoria?" I ask.
Daithí’s expression shifts slightly. "What about her?"
"She was kind to me at dinner. I want to know if I can trust it."
He is silent for a moment as though he’s thinking about it. "From what I know, Vittoria Mariano is one of the few genuinely decent people in that world. She's had a hard road and she hasn't let it make her hard. If she's offering you something genuine, I'd take it."
"I thought so," I say. "I just wanted the outside view."
Caden looks at me. "You're going to be okay, you know."
