Page 231 of Lorenzo

I spent enough time last night listening to Donna dismantle every objection I raised to understand that she is right about one thing above all others: we have an opportunity now because Marcello believes he has the advantage.

If we can make him move when we are ready for him, then he loses it.

Mario folds his hands loosely over his stomach.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“No.”

Diego laughs under his breath.

I look at Mario. “It goes against every instinct I have to knowingly put Donna in danger.”

“Then why agree to it?” he asks.

“Because she is already in danger.”

The room quiets.

I lean forward and rest my forearms on my thighs.

“Pretending otherwise does not protect her. She is capable. More capable than I gave her credit for when this began.

“But more importantly, I trust her,” I continue. “I trust her judgment. I trust her instincts. She believes this gives us our best chance to force Marcello into making a mistake before he has time to come up with another elaborate plan.”

“And she is sure?” Mario asks.

“She is confident, yes.”

Mario studies me for another moment, then nods once.

“Then we will do it.”

There is something almost absurd about how quickly a few words can make a plan feel irreversible.

Last night it was Donna and me sitting together, discussing possibilities and arguing over risks. This morning it becomes a family decision, which means people will be moved, security will be arranged, contingencies will be built, and Marcello’s options will begin narrowing whether he realizes it or not.

Mario reaches for the coffee again.

“Bring Donna to the house tonight for dinner.”

I look at him.

“We can discuss the details there,” he says. “There is no reason to make final decisions without her if this is her plan.”

That pleases me more than I expect.

Not because I thought Mario would exclude her.

But because there was a time when Donna was simply the investigator Julian recommended, an outsider we hired because Alessio needed help. Somewhere along the way, that changed.

Now Mario is arranging a family strategy with her present without appearing to find anything unusual about it.

“I’ll bring her.”

“We should have everything settled before she makes the inquiry,” Ricardo says. “Who stays close to her, who follows anyone who approaches, how far we allow Marcello to take it before we intervene.”

“And what we do if he does something other than what we expect,” Diego adds.