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“That was a deal with my Family, not the Lombardis,” Emilio said, brows pinching.
“Yeah. I know that. And Renzo knows that. But… I guess maybe the Irish guys didn’t? They might have just figured that the guy owed the closest local mafia Family. And Brooklyn is…”
“The Lombardi Family territory,” Emilio said, exhaling hard.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Why the fuck didn’t he just come to me?” Emilio asked.
“From what I’ve gathered, the peace talks between your Families have not gone well.”
“No,” he agreed, rubbing a hand down his face, seeming exhausted, making guilt stab at me. “No, they haven’t. So his idea was to send you to me? And just steal the paperwork? It belongs to me even if I can’t find the paper,” he said, not understanding.
I didn’t get it at first, either.
“Renzo has someone who is, well, he’s a forger. Apparently, a really good one. He was going to sign the property over to the Irish. At least, that’s how I think it’s going to go down. I was a little… overwhelmed at the job Renzo wanted me to do to really get all the little details.”
“Why you? Just because Cage is your brother? Like you haven’t done enough over the years for him?”
“That’s part of it. Renzo kind of made it sound like if I didn’t do it, he wasn’t going to do anything to save Cage. And I get that this is silly of me, but I guess, some part of me is hoping that this whole situation…”
“Will scare him straight,” Emilio filled in.
“Yeah.”
“What was the other part of it?”
“That no one knows who I am,” I said, shrugging. “There are women in the Lombardi organization,” I said, thinking how backward it suddenly seemed that the other New York crime Families were all male. “But you guys would all know about them. No one knows who I am. And if you looked into me, nothing would trace back to the Lombardis. My mom never changed her name when she got married.”
“The perfect cover. Because it wasn’t a cover at all,” Emilio said.
“Yes,” I agreed, stomach tensing. “I’m so sorry,” I said, heart feeling like it was being crushed.
“Hey, baby, it doesn’t sound like you had a lot of choice in the matter.”
“I should have told you, though. When things, you know… changed. I should have said something.”
“Avery, your brother’s life was hanging in the balance. And you might have known me, but you don’t know my Family that well. I can appreciate the rock and hard place you found yourself wedged between.”
“You’re supposed to be upset,” I told him.
“Isn’t that my place to decide?” he asked.
“Your Family… are they upset?”
“Actually, my mom and my boss both tried to see your side of the situation,” he told me.
That little spark of hope I felt inside? I went ahead and tamped that down.
It didn’t change my betrayal.
“So what happened after you left?” Emilio asked.
After he caught me going through his things, that is.
“I came home. And Renzo showed up.”
“What’d he say?” Emilio asked, voice tight.
“I was… not really in a place for talking,” I said. “He tried to reason with me, but then he gave me a pill, and…” I said, waving out.
“Did he say anything before you passed out?”
“Actually, he was nicer than usual. He asked if I got the paper. Then asked if you knew who I was. Then he just kinda said that I had to sleep before I drove myself crazy.”
“So you don’t think he was trying to off you?” he asked.
“I thought he was at the time, actually,” I admitted. “But it was only the one pill.”
“You thought he was at the time?” Emilio honed in on that part, making me wince, knowing how it sounded.
“It’s…” I started.
“You thought he was trying to kill you at the time, and you didn’t fight him?” Emilio asked, tone deceptively mild. Because I could see the storm raging in his eyes.
“I was… overly tired,” I said. And, you know, completely and utterly fucking heartbroken.
“Tired,” he repeated.
“And upset,” I conceded, taking the last sip of my coffee.
Then it was suddenly taken from my hands, clicking onto the coffee table, and a hand was cupping my jaw, forcing my head up.
“Upset,” he repeated.
“Yes,” I said, waving at my face, at the evidence of the tears all over me still.
“Why?”
“Why?” I choked, rolling my eyes even though it made a headache thump in my temples.
“Yes, why? Why were you crying? Because you failed? Because you’re worried about your brother? Because you thought Renzo would kill you? Why?”
“Because I betrayed you,” I said, voice small.
“That’s it?” he asked.
“That’s… it?” I asked, letting out a humorless laugh. “That’s… everything. You’ve been nothing but good to me. And I… I started to fall for you. And then it was all over, and you could never trust me again, and…”
