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For weeks, now, I’ve rented a room as “Romeo” and pretended to work here at The Cellar, but in reality, I’m only seeing Julian Castellani. I’ve tried to get close to him, to find out more about the way that crazy mind of his works, but I’m no wiser about that than I was at the start.
I sure found out a lot about him, but not in the way I expected.
But my father is right: Julian Castellani needs to be brought to heel, and fast, if he’s killing off important Family members like Vinnie Esposito.
We need to utilize that skillset of his before his brother puts him down.
Dad wanted him turned softly, wanted Julian to understand the benefits of working with us. But we’re running out of time, and I think it’s time for Plan B instead.
If I can’t use self-interest to turn him, I’ll use what Idoknow about him instead. I’ll use sex against him. Make him bend to my will. Make him do my bidding. He’s booked in for another session with Romeo on Friday, so that sessionhasto be the one where I pin him down.
I happen to know that one of Julian’s dirtiest little tricks is to seduce his prey, then film their sexploits for leverage. Well, two can play at that game. This Friday, Romeo will be making his own home movie.
It’s despicable. Dishonorable. I don’t want to do it. But it’s certainly been effective for Julian, and this iswar, after all, where all’s fair.
But I can’t believe Julian hasn’t figured out Romeo’s identity. Especially after messing with me at the port, then seeing me as Romeo only a day later. Not even a goddamn flicker of recognition.
He’s visited Romeo’s Room forweeks, and he really, truly didn’t know me that night at the docks.
Didn’t hesitate to kick me off that shipping container.
It pisses me off. It’s as though both Romeo and the Bernardi Enforcer are so fucking farbeneathhim that he wouldn’t even bother to register their faces, let alone connect them in his head.
I’ll fuckingmakehim remember me this Friday.
CHAPTER8
JULIAN
“You’re getting very predictable,brother dear,” I tell Sandro. He’s summoned me once more to the study.
“So,” he says, “are you.”
The steely gleam in his eye suggests he’s not open to playing games today. Well, is he ever? But I don’t like to dance too close to the line where Sandro is concerned. He has his honor, but that doesn’t always play in my favor—and he’s seen to it that the cells downstairs are no longer escapable.
Anyway, I know what this is about.
I cut in before he continues. “You’ve heard the rumors, I’m sure, and maybe you’re assuming that I killed Vincenzo. But it isn’t true. Iwaswith him that night, and Ididhave a fight with him, but...” I trail off as the incredulity in Sandro’s dark eyes grows. “Alright, I admit it sounds bad, when the bald facts are laid out like that.”
“Tell me every movement you made that night.”
I skip Romeo. Sandro’s already told me he doesn’t want to hear about my sex adventures. But the rest of it, I spill: my attempt to invite Vincenzo to dinner, and Vincenzo’s unfortunate reaction. And I stress the fact that I stayed at that bar a good hour after he’d been kicked out,andthat I went nowhere near where the body was found.
I respect and admire Sandro, but I’m not a fool. I don’t want to push the bounds of credulity too much. Admitting I found the cooling corpse would be a bridge too far.
I’m not sure whether Sandro believes me, though. He regards me with an impassive expression for a long time before saying, “It makes things very difficult for me, Julian. If Anna-Vittoria Esposito contacts me—“
“Then you can inform her that I had nothing to do with her cousin’s death,” I say quickly. “And it will be the truth.”
“Perhaps. But perhaps the truth won’t mean much to her, when her Enforcer and cousin was slaughtered in the street.” Sandro’s eyes close. “Julian, I cannot—Iwillnot protect you if this is your work. You understand that?”
“I do. And I promise—it wasn’t.”
Sandro’s deep dark eyes open again. “Last time you were accused of murder, you didn’t do it,” he finally says. “Perhaps lightning has struck twice.”
That doesn’t sound very reassuring, but I just wait for him to finish.
“Very well. I’ll do what I can—but stay out of trouble in the meantime. Go and talk to all those men you said you wanted information from. You made such an issue out of your vendetta, yet you’ve done nothing about it.”
