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His look said yes, but he denied it with his posture. Probably because half of his clan was lying dead in the corner and he was afraid of offending his predecessors.
"What else?" I asked. That couldn't be all. Surely there was more he could tell me. I just wondered if he would be as willing to do it.
"I have an offer for you," he said.
Funny. He stood tied up in front of me, had no basis on which to negotiate, and still wanted to make me a proposal. He had balls; I had to credit him for that.
I shrugged my shoulders. "You know what since you've answered every question so far, you might as well tell me. "
If this was all a part of his plan, he didn't let the small triumph show.
"You let me go and I return to France to keep the rest of my family from starting a war with you. Leadership falls to me under our law and I am willing to agree on a pact with your brother that benefits us both. We forget the dead and the kidnapped woman. No one clings to the past, we look forward and ensure a pleasant future. A peaceful future."
So before my eyes, the night full of pain, blood and torture went down the drain. His proposal had merit– and I knew it was one of those proposals that Vincenzo would consider.
I frowned, but put my personal pride aside and concentrated on what mattered. Making a decision that would benefit the whole family. The alternative was to plunge us all into a war, and something told me it wasn't worth the revenge if it meant living through hundreds more of these situations where I had to fear for Gia's life– and that of my entire family.
I squinted my eyes. "Why should I believe that you're his son? And the next boss?"
"I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for it on that one. Or leave it alone and wait the next few weeks to see what happens."
"I can make you all disappear. Anonymous. With nothing left to identify. How will your people know what happened?"
"I check in with my sister every morning. As soon as I don't call her, she'll know something's gone wrong. She'll put everything in motion to come here and kick your asses as soon as she puts two and two together."
Well, that was a rosy outlook. I let out a grumble. He left me no choice but to tell Vincenzo about these recent developments and leave the decision to him.
While I considered whether to call Vince, I turned my back to him and drummed my fingers against my thighs.
My personal revenge or peace. My brothers would never know who he was if I killed him. Never gain knowledge about the offer he made me. If his clan showed up, we would take care of it and emerge victorious at the end of the short-lived war.
If everything went our way. There were still variables to consider that could cause things to go wrong. And there was potential for that to happen.
When I turned back to Jerome, I had chosen. "Fine. My brother will decide. Until then, you stay here. Don't even try to free yourself. Should I overhear otherwise, you're fair game. Peace or not."
He raised his hands in his restraints. "Don't worry. I wasn't going to dislocate my shoulders to get out of here."
"Fine," I growled, leaving him standing there and locking the door behind me.
All of this did not go at all as I had imagined. A little annoyed about this, I pulled out my smartphone again, dialed Vincenzo's number and waited for him to pick up.
He reported with a short hum.
"We have a problem," I opened the conversation.
"That would be?"
"It looks like we can't kill this guy."
"Because?"
"If he is telling the truth, he has an offer for us to at least consider."
"Who does this idiot think he is?"
I laughed. It was good that he asked that question. "The son of the Frenchman, who must have been the boss of the French mafia."
For a few seconds, I only heard Vincenzo inhale and exhale in a controlled manner. He said nothing. Didn't even make a sound.
