As soon as the humor dissipates though, I’m exhaling a hard breath.
“Alright, so first things first, I have to know how the meeting with Navarro went,” I start.
“You said you didn’t care,” Matteo reminds me.
“Things have changed.”
His gaze hardens, “What does that mean?”
“It means I have absolutely no interest in letting that slimy old fart get his hands on her.”
Elio sits up, his eyes widening. Matteo looks disappointed.
“We talked about this, Raf. You can’t let your fleeting attraction towards her compromise this chance to take down the biggest drug lords in the city.”
A muscle ticks in my jaw, “It’s not fucking fleeting.”
Salvatore folds his hands together, expression thoughtful.
“Matteo informed me that you seemed to care for Liliana Navarro. But he also seems to believe you aren’t interested in taking it further. Are you saying that’s changed?”
“Yes,” I bite out.
“Why?”
“Am I supposed to start pouring out my fucking feelings to you guys right now? I like her. That’s it.”
“Not enough,” Salvatore states, shaking his head.
“Who knows what the fuck that bastard will do to her?” I burst out in frustration. “She wants to be with me. I said I’m not letting her go, end of discussion!”
“You weren’t at the meeting with Navarro, Raf,” Matteo speaks up. “He seemed really heartbroken that his daughter had been kept away from him for so long. He won’t let it go, and he sure as fuck isn’t going to leave her in our hands.”
My fists clench. “There has to be a solution.”
I can see the wheels turning in Matteo’s head as he works out an angle.
“Alright, how about this? It’s pretty simple really. Navarro meets his daughter on the designated date. We take her to himas agreed upon and he fulfils the terms and signs the agreement. Then we leave the rest in Liliana’s hands.”
I frown, “What does that mean?”
“It means we let her choose if she wants to go with her father. Like I said, I don’t think he means her any harm. Perhaps, he’ll be satisfied with meeting her that day and a promise from her that there’ll be subsequent visits. She’s the key to all of this; there’s no reason why she can’t stay with you and still pursue a relationship with her father.”
I nod in understanding, “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.”
“Does it?” Salvatore rumbles.
“What?” I question, looking towards him.
“You’re going to base this decision over her choosing you, Rafaelle. What if she doesn’t?”
“Why the hell wouldn’t she?”
“One mistake and we lose our bargaining chip. I’m sure you can understand the risks.”
“I do.”
“And you still want to go forward with it?”
