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“He’s messy like that,” Sabine says with a knowing smile. “It takes Christian a while to figure out how he feels about things. Trust me, I know.”
“Wait, were you two—”
“Romantically involved?” she interrupts. “Yes, but don’t fret. Christian and I haven’t touched each other in years, and neither of us have the desire to be anything other than friends. “
“Yeah, being with him is scary,” I admit. “I love him, but at times it feels like too much to handle.”
“You were born and raised into this life,” Sabine says as she sits down in a chair beside me. “One would think you wouldn’t be afraid of men like Christian.”
“I have a healthy fear of all things that could hurt me.”
Sabine laughs lightly and shakes her head. “Lara, Christian wouldn’t hurt you. He’s not capable of hurting a hair on your head. He’s not wired like that—he’s a ruthless man when it comes down to protecting what’s his, but he would never direct that temper toward you or anyone else he cares for. That’s what he’s doing right now—protecting you by making the city safe for you to stay in.” Sabine reminds me a little bit of Ester. Calm, wise, and seemingly far too gentle to be so knowledgeable about the ways of the criminal underworld.
“The best thing that you can do is to stay here in my bookstore and lay low until the chaos has ended one way or another,” she continues. I’m not fond of the way that she phrases that. I’m not about to let my father and Roman’s biker gang go after Christian without doing something to try and help him.
I stay and talk a while longer with Sabine, waiting for a window of opportunity I can seize. When she leaves to let me rest, I slip out, avoiding her watchful eyes by sneaking between the tall stacks of books while her back is turned. Then I quietly open the front door and step out into the city. It’s cold and dark and my shoulder is starting to throb. I gather my bearings for a moment and then start walking to the nearest subway stop with pretty much no idea what I’m going to do yet. All I know is that I need to find Christian.
But I don’t make it more than a few steps before Loreto pulls up in his car beside me. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see my brother before. “Get in,” he says. Once I’m settled into the passenger seat, he pulls away from the bookstore. I imagine that Sabine is probably just realizing that I’ve escaped her watch. “You look like shit,” he jokes.
“Yeah well, I’ve been shot.”
“I know, I heard, that’s why I was coming here to check on you,” he says in his overprotective big-brother voice. “Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be heading back toward danger, Lara. You’re not cut out for this like I am.”
“True, but I need to help Christian in any way I can. I love him, Loreto. And he’s your best friend. Aren’t you worried about what’s going to happen to him too?”
“Of course I am, but Christian doesn’t exactly take orders from others. He’s already decided what he’s going to do.”
“Without the help of anotherborgata, he’s outnumbered. You know our father will pull everyone from our extended family he can convince to join him, plus all of his street runners, traffickers, and everyone else who owes him a favor. When you combine that with all the guys in Roman’s biker gang, not even Christian’sborgatawill be able to beat them. He needs more men. He needs anotherborgata.”
“I don’t disagree,” my brother nods. “I don’t want to see Christian get killed or martyred either, but what do you expect me to do?”
“You’re theconsiglierefor Malacoda Giotti,” I remind him. “Surely you can convince him to stand with Christian? Then it’d be an easy victory.”
“I don’t know if I can convince Malacoda to join with Christian. In theory they’re allies, but theborgatedon’t like to get tangled up in the affairs of others,” Loreto says as he drives back into Hell’s Kitchen.
“Then take me with you,” I say quickly.
“Why in hell would I do that? It’s not like it’s ‘Bring Your Sister To Work Day’ at theborgata.”
I overlook his sarcasm. “Because maybe I can help sway theircapo. Malacoda might be a hardass just like Christian is, but I’ve heard stories about him falling in love and moving moons in order to be with his woman. Maybe he’ll listen to me. Please, Loreto. Christian needs our help,” I say, practically begging my brother at this point. “If it wasn’t for him stepping in and pulling me away from our father that night, who knows whether I’d even still be sitting here breathing right now.”
I can see Loreto’s expression change, and he turns the car sharply around to veer away from the apartment and toward Giotti territory. “Fine,” he says. “But if this pisses Malacoda off, I’m not going to be happy about it.”
When the two of us walk in, Malacoda greets my brother with more warmth than our father ever did. Not that he’s all warm and fuzzy, because he certainly isnot. But he also addresses Loreto like he’s an actual valued person, instead of a commodity. Just another example of how terribly my father treats everyone, even his own kids. I guess the old saying is wrong—blood doesn't always run thicker than water. I wish I wasn't biologically related to Valentino Ricci at all.
My brother introduces me to hiscapo, and I smile politely. Then, I wait while Loreto voices our request. “It’s highly unusual for acapoto get involved in the personal vengeance missions of anothercapo,” Malacoda says in response. It sounds like a refusal, but his eyes give away that he’s considering it.
“But you’re allies with the Grecoborgata, aren’t you?” I ask, speaking out of turn and receiving a scolding glare from my brother.
“Indeed. But like I said, an alliance doesn’t normally tread into personal waters. This whole escalation sounds like a personal matter for Christian himself and no one else.”
Surprisingly, my brother presses him a bit more too. “Not necessarily. The Hell’s Devils want to take territory in Hell’s Kitchen from Christian, and now that they’ve aligned themselves with my father, they might be able to do it. If that happens, the biker gang will interfere with business in some of the more prominent parts of the city instead of keeping to their own little corner. It potentially could cause a problem for you as well.”
Malacoda thinks it over, then turns unexpectedly to me. “I’d like to talk with your sister alone,” he says to Loreto as his eyes stay locked on mine. I can tell that my brother finds this as strange as I do, but he obeys and leaves the room. The first moment or so before Malacoda starts speaking is rather uncomfortable. The only othercaposI’ve ever been around have either been my great-uncle or Christian. I’m not quite sure how to just be “normal” around a mafia boss anymore.
“I have an unusual request to ask of you,” Malacoda says. “If you’re willing to do it, I’ll agree to support Christian. I want you to return to your father, and get close enough to him that you can bring me something that will enable us to bring him down from within.” It’s impossible for me to hide my look of confusion and Malacoda instantly reads it. “Your father is a thorn in the side of all the other crime families in the city. He’s a dredge on our business and a man with no moral compass. It would benefit all of us to have his reach stifled.”
“I agree, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to help. My father despises me, so getting back in with his good graces is unlikely. Plus, I don’t know what I could do to affect him even minimally.”
