Page 49 of Fall Before Her Throne

He collapsed into the chair across the desk with his shoulders hunched. The low light of the room shadowed his bruises.

“So then what the fuck do you want with me?”

I placed the glass on the desk, turning the crystal absentmindedly. “You are a tool. I will use you however I can.”

Volpe and I had already started working together over the last few days. He’d provided any information I’d requested so far, and we were building a plan to interrupt the Camorra’s smuggling operations. If we could destroy their storage, steal their weapons, and prevent new shipments from arriving, it would put a significant dent in their income and their reach throughout the city.

“You’re not mad at me about the RICO case?”

“Oh, I’m furious. But that doesn’t solve the predicament.”

The corner of his mouth pulled up, but he didn’t respond.

“Tell me what you know about it.”

His eyes were vacant while he chewed on his thumb—a habit he unfortunately shared with Leona. “I already told you everything I know about it. I’ve had some people trying to get more information, but it went nowhere.”

“So you just ignored it?” I asked. “Buried your head in the sand for the last four months and pretended it didn’t exist?”

His eyebrows pinched together while he frowned. “No, I simply accepted the inevitability of my eventual demise, tried to keep control over a dying Family threatened from all sides because of my predecessor’s failures, and did my best to keep Leona out of it.”

“Clearly, that failed.”

“Clearly.” Silence stretched between us while we stared each other down. I didn’t move, and neither did he. “All I know is that Luciano was trying to take all the other Heads down, and I know he was gunning for me the most.”

I had been preparing to call Samuel when Ciel texted the video to our group chat, which I was trying not to think about. Instead, I typed out a text to our lawyer that I needed to speak with him as soon as possible. He didn’t respond immediately, so I left the phone next to my computer and sat in the desk chair.

“You guys have a lawyer?” Volpe asked, eyes flicking to my phone.

“Samuel Achebe.” I took a drink. “He is the best.”

He whistled briefly. “He’s really good. I’ve seen some of his cases.”

“He is good,” I agreed. “But depending on what the government already has, he might not be enough to stop this.”

The government structured the RICO laws to give them a win against undefeatable mafias. The law benefited them, not us. But if Leona’s and my suspicions were correct—that the government’s interest in interviewing Leona stemmed from its desire to use her testimony, rather than charge her—we might have a better chance at holding them off.

“What do you think they have on us?” My fingers twirled around the top of the glass. “Or on her?”

He sank deeper into the chair. “I’m sure they have plenty on me. If they’ve been hanging around you guys recently, like Leona said, they probably are at least suspicious she’s involved in the mafia. If they had her connected to Ryuji, and they know who he is, then I’d say we’re all fucked.”

I let out a heavy sigh while I tried to wrap my head around the possibilities. The likelihood that they had mountains of evidence against the Shadows as an organization was slim, but if they’d seen Leona with us, and seen Leona committing crimes as a member of the mafia, then they could make the case that the rest of us were part of the mafia, too.

“I expect you to work with Samuel however he needs,” I told Volpe. His jaw clenched as he stared out the window again.

“If things get worse…” he began before he trailed off.

“Yes, Volpe?”

His palm pressed into his side, over his wound, while his voice dropped low. “If things progress with the case, I will do whatever I can to keep her out of it.”

I leaned over the desk, bracing my palms on the wood. “What, exactly, does that mean?”

He met my stare. “I’ll take the fall for it.”

“You would do that for her?” My head tilted to the side. “For us?”

“Of course, I would,” he replied quietly. “Saving her from it, from all of this shit, has always been my goal.”