My face remains flat and I don’t laugh. Butch chuckles slightly.
“Oh, come on…lighten up a little,” Matteo insists and flicks his ashes in the tray nearby.
“Before we can make any deal, we need to see these weapons,” I tell him.
“That’s going to be an issue,” Matteo says. “Because…before I can show you any weapons, I need to know that a deal is seriously on the table.”
I exhale through my nose and tilt my head to the side. I’m trying to decide how to play this. I don’t actually want the Calvers to be of any help to us, but if I make it seem like I’m brushing them off, Butch will be sure to tell Stephan that I ruined the whole thing.
“We both want to take the Dresvannis down,” I insist. “We have a…mutual interest in taking over their property and assets. Of course, you couldn’t do so without our help, we both know that.”
Matteo’s face falls and I watch his jaw shift side to side briefly.
“He’s right,” Lucas finally speaks up again. “We can’t do this without them. We need them on our side.”
“We need you far less,” I explain as I lean back slightly in my chair. “We’re only interested if you’re actually willing to follow under us.”
Matteo growls under his breath. “You think I’m scared of you?” he asks. “You think I don’t know that we’re falling part at the seams?”
I stay quiet as he rants at me.
“We’re willing to bow down to you only because we want to get back at the Dresvanni family that badly. We need your power to do it, and we can give you a little bit more weapons strength,” Matteo says. “I want Carmine for my own; you have no idea the filthy lies he spreads.”
I’m a little more curious than I was two seconds before.
“Like what?” Butch asks, clearly curious as well.
Lucas steps around the desk and sits on the edge, his own eyes flaring with anger. “He claims Jackson raped him,” hehisses out. “As if he would ever touch that disgusting maggot. It’s just an excuse for him killing him.”
“He killed Jackson?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
“We don’t know for sure, but Jackson disappeared and was never found. Then Carmine started making these accusations…” Matteo explains. “One plus one…”
I nod slowly. “They’ll say anything to keep themselves on top, those Dresvanni,” I mumble.
Matteo stamps out his cigarette and then slams one of his fists on the desk. “So, you see why we need to partner up with you?” he asks. “This is serious. We want to end this. Not just stand to the side while they grow more and more powerful.”
I nod my head. “I see that,” I say slowly. “Only Stephan can approve things, and he’s going to want to talk to you but first…”
Butch leans forward. “We need to see those guns.”
Matteo glances at Lucas, who nods.
“Alright. One of you can come with me. I don’t care who,” Matteo says as he stands up. “But after you see the arms, you take me to talk to Stephan.”
“I’ll go,” I say quickly, and Butch looks at me in defiance.
“Who made you boss?” he asks me.
I stand up from my chair and shove my hands into my pockets. “This is my job, and I’m the one more familiar with weapons, remember?”
Butch’s shoulders sink slightly in disappointment. “Fine. But if you fuck this up, I’m not saving you.”
Matteo chuckles as he moves for the door. “You two bitch just like me and Luke,” he tells us.
I cringe slightly. The thought of being related to Butch makes me want to vomit. I can’t imagine being related by blood to the Bianchi family. Just being there, undercover, is enough to make it hard to sleep at night.
I follow Matteo down the hallway and to a door that leads into the basement. I should be more wary about this, but I still have my gun and knife after all.
