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The silence that follows is deafening. When I open my eyes, I see shock and disbelief written across both their faces.
"Are you out of your mind?" Elio hisses. "The same fucker who’s been harassing our family? The one who wants to bring us down?"
"I know, I know," I say quickly, holding up my hands. "But he has resources we don't. He thinks he might have a lead on what happened to Lazaro."
As the words leave my mouth, I feel relief and anxiety wash over me. It feels good to finally tell them part of the truth. But at the same time, I'm terrified of what this revelation might mean for me, for Henry, for our family.
I watch their faces carefully, trying to gauge their reactions. Elio looks like he's about to explode, while Matteo seems more thoughtful, processing the information. There’s even a part of him that seems impressed at the balls it took for me to engage the enemy. Or maybe the balls to admit it to Elio.
Elio's jaw clenches. "Are you insane? Detective Lutz is dangerous. It’s probably a trap. He’s using your obsession to find Lazaro as a way to put us all in prison."
I roll my eyes, feeling a surge of defiance. "I'm not stupid, Elio. I know exactly what I'm doing."
"Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're playing with fire. That man is looking for any excuse to lock us all up. He could be trying to entrap you!"
I won’t deny there are moments I worry about that. The moments when I want to give in and give myself over to Henry. But I can’t let Elio know that.
I cross my arms, meeting his gaze with steely determination. "I can handle Henry Lutz. He's not as clever as he thinks he is."
Matteo steps in, his tone more conciliatory. "We’re just worried about you. This is a dangerous game you're playing."
"It's not a game," I snap. "It's about finding Lazaro. And if working with Lutz gives us a chance to do that, then it's worth the risk."
Elio opens his mouth to argue further, but I cut him off. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."
“You spent an entire night with a cop, Lana. Is that what you’re saying?” Elio asks.
God, I hope he can’t see the flush of heat I feel. “I don’t have to report every moment of my life to you, Elio.”
Matteo laughs. “God, it’s exactly something Lazaro would do.”
Elio cuts him a look. Matteo shrugs. “It is and you know it.”
“Why did you need me so urgently, anyway?” I ask, hoping to move on to a new topic.
“I arranged a meeting with Rinella. Considering how your panties were all in a bunch over your thinking I was fucking up with him, I thought you’d want to be there.”
Damn. I would have liked to have been there. “I wouldn’t be questioning your leadership if you stopped being led around by your dick.”
“Okay. Time out.” Matteo makes the time-out gesture in sports.
Elio’s teeth grind. “The point is, we tried to reach you about it and you were MIA. All fucking night long.”
“Surely, you had the meeting even without me. You are the leader of this family, as you like to remind me all the time.”
“We met.”
“And?”
“So now you’re interested in family business again?” Elio sneers.
“Lazaro is family too, Elio," I remind him, hoping to make him feel like shit for abandoning our brother.
His jaw ticks, and I know my comment hit its mark.
“What came of the meeting?” I ask.
"Better than expected.” Matteo jumps in, probably to prevent World War III in our foyer. “Elio managed to smooth things over, at least partially. They’re in the process of renegotiating our alliance."
