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"Because she saw me cleaning up a scene at an Irish cathedral," I say, feeling the shame creep up my neck as I recall that night. "The option was to kill her or bring her here."
"Under your protection, too, I heard," he adds, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," I confirm, my voice barely above a whisper. "It was the only way to guarantee her safety."
"That's a bold move. One for life," he states, his tone laced with both admiration and warning.
"I know," I reply, not needing the reminder of the gravity of my decision.
"So, why is she in the basement dungeon?"
As the question hangs in the air, I can't help but feel the weight of everything bearing down on me. The darkness of the room seems to close in around us, suffocating me with the very real possibility that I've made a terrible mistake.
"Enzo and Carmine came to me with evidence that Raven was working with the Irish to blow up the warehouse," I explain, feeling my gut twist at the memory. "They said she knew the location of the warehouse, she was at the Irish church the night Father Murphy was killed, and I caught her talking to Declan at the fundraiser."
Constantino just looks bored, like he's heard this story a million times before. He shakes his head in disbelief, clearly unimpressed with my explanations.
"Go get your girl, Teddy. She didn't do it," he says, his voice firm and resolute.
I stare at him, dumbfounded. "What do you mean? How can you know that?"
"Because it's so damn obvious that Carmine and Enzo set her up," he retorts, annoyance flashing in his green eyes. "And Marco wasn't killed in the blast. He was obviously killed beforehand and his body was moved there."
"How can you possibly know that?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest as I try to digest this new information.
"Teddy, I've worked with the Irish for a long time. I know when someone got intel about raiding a warehouse and who they were working with," he replies matter-of-factly, leaning back in his chair.
The realization of what he's saying hits me like a ton of bricks. My blood turns icy, and I feel a mixture of relief that Raven might be innocent, but also fury at the thought that two people I trusted could betray me in such a way. The world around me seems to fade away as I focus on the implications of Constantino's words.
"Go get her, Teddy," he repeats, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You don't have much time."
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Alright," I say, a rush of relief washing over me as the guilt clenches my chest. "But what are you going to do about Enzo and Carmine?"
"Let me handle them," Constantino replies, his voice cold and menacing. "You just focus on getting Raven out."
I can't help but feel nervous, knowing that I'm leaving my brother to deal with two dangerous men. But he's always been capable, and I have to trust him now.
"Tomorrow, I'm supposed to meet with the Irish," I continue, my voice wavering slightly. "I was told I had to marry some daughter of the first in charge."
Constantino barks out a laugh, shaking his head. "Teddy, Declan is the man in charge now, and he doesn't have any daughters. You were being set up. The moment you showed up for that meeting, you would have been murdered."
My stomach churns at the thought of walking blindly into my own death, and anger surges through me like a tidal wave. How could I have been so naive?
"Consty," I warn, my voice low and desperate. "Be careful. You killed Charlie just to get back at Primo, and there are a lot of people who would murder you on the spot for it."
"Charlie?" He scoffs, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't kill him to get back at Primo. Charlie was plotting with Carmine to take over the family. When his father died, Carmine turned to Enzo to do the same thing."
The news hits me like a punch to the gut. Charlie, my lifelong friend, someone I trusted more than anyone else, was planning to betray us all. My heart feels heavy with the weight of this revelation.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" I ask incredulously, getting caught up in my own denial.
"I was merely biding my time, Teddy," he explains. "Letting everything fall into place. Which it has now."
His words give me an eerie shiver. I know my brother and I know he's capable of some pretty twisted things. Of all of us, he's the one that scares me the most.
"Teddy," Constantino says firmly, looking me dead in the eye. "There's no such thing as friends or trust. Not in this life. Now go to Raven and get her out of the dungeon."
