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“That’s not—”
“Aboveboard, Teresa. We need to start working on getting some things legitimized. And I don’t want to be working with the press nonstop.”
“Neither do I,” Dante says. “And I know Marco would rather get shot than do it.”
She stares at me, and it’s then I see it.
Hesitance.
“If you don’t want to, that’s—”
“It’s not that,” she says.
“What is it then, Teresa? Is it Tony? Is it what happened with him and what part you had in it? You handed over the intel, but he did that to himself,” Dante says.
“It’s not that. It’s . . .” She looks around with a sigh. “I’ve spent the last twenty years collecting information on everyone. All of you. The men, Marco—I knew about Marco’s tie to the Russos years ago.” My eyes go wide and a tiny, almost imperceptible smile plays on her lips. “Knowledge is power and in a family where the men thought women had none, I knew I was safe with knowledge,” she says with a shrug. “But if I work for you . . .” There’s a long pause.
“It’s fine, Teresa. I get it,” Dante says, his voice low.
“Do you want what I have?” she asks, and it’s strange hearing this strong, confident woman nervous, her voice shaking just a bit. “There’s some on you, Dante. And . . . god I’m a bitch, but you too, Lilah.”
“Rumors or proof?” I ask, looking at her, knowing there’s a huge different between the two.
“Receipts, statements, recordings. Proof, Lilah. The kind of things that would hold up in court. I have everything I would need for everyone to fall.” I can almost hear the sound of Dante’s jaw grinding with the need to defend me, but I speak before he can.
Change needs to happen in this family.
A lifetime of lies and deceit and unrestrained power and greed nearly killed all of us. Nearly ruined this town and hurt so many fucking people along the way.
With a new chapter starting, I want to change that.
“Keep it,” I say softly. Dante reaches out, grabbing my hand near painfully, but I brush him off. “Is it safe? Somewhere no one will find it?” She nods.
I trust her. I know that if I went looking for whatever she has, I’d never find it. “Keep it. If the darkness ever wins, if Dante or I ever go too far, use it.”
Dante’s body loosens as he understands what I’m saying, what I’m implying.
“I’m still not comfortable, L—” he starts, but I cut him off, shaking my head but keeping my eyes on Teresa.
“I don’t care. Keep it safe, Teresa, yeah?” The room is painfully silent. “The old rule is out. We’re playing new games; there are new rules. Less darkness, less greed. A balance of power. I don’t want things to go the way they were when Carmine was in charge ever again. I don’t . . . I want my kids to grow up knowing that. The men to know that we’re holding ourselves responsible, that we can’t just do whatever the fuck we want without worrying about consequences.”
She stares at me for a full minute where I can hear my pulse pounding in my ears, where I panic, wondering if I made the wrong decision. I made it so this woman could destroy all of us in an instant, if she so desired.
But then she nods, standing and moving toward the door.
In the last moment, she turns to me with a smile.
“She be real proud, Lilah.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“Your mom. She’d be really proud of you.” And then she’s gone.
“Lilah . . . ,” Dante says, his voice low and exasperated.
“I don’t want to hear it. We’re starting this with integrity. We keep it, there’s no need to worry.”
“And if Teresa decides she’s mad at one of us?”
