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He grunts and throws his head back. “What plan did you two geniuses come up with?”
It’s snarky, but it’s something. “Valentina was going to confront him, and we were going to record his confession so she’d have something for the authorities.” It sounds even more ridiculous now than it did upstairs.
“You are fucking kidding me,” he sneers. “She would never survive that plan, and neither would you.”
“I know. Why do you think I’m here?”
“Go upstairs. Keep your phone with you in case Tamar or Zé have any questions.”
That’s it? You’re just going to dismiss me? Not a chance.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, my eyes boring into him.
“I’m going to make a plan with my team that doesn’t involve you or Valentina getting killed.”
“You can’t leave her out of it.”
“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. If you think there’s any way I’m allowing either of you to be involved in this, you’ve lost your mind.”
And if you think I’m going upstairs to have some tea and a biscuit while I watch a show on Netflix, you’ve lost yours. I’m not leaving before you agree to allow Valentina to help in some way.
“I promised her.”
“I didn’t.”
Prick. “So much for I need you to trust that I’ll do right by you. You promised if I came to you with the hard stuff, we’d figure it out. I betrayed my friend’s confidence because I trusted you to help. But I was wrong. When it gets hard, trust is a one-way street as far as you’re concerned.”
He slams the heel of his hand on the back of the chair. “Think about what you’re asking me to do.”
“I’m asking you to let her be part of it in some small way. I’m asking you to extend her the same courtesy you extended to Prime Minister Russo. When he was wronged, you allowed him to take the lead so that he could regain his footing and hold his head high, even when it would have been more expedient to take matters into your own hands.”
The fury rises from the depths of my soul. “Is it so fucking hard to do that for Valentina—who you love?”
He glowers at me but doesn’t immediately respond. He knows everything I said is true. If she were a man, not only would she get to be involved, she’d get the lead.
“This is the crossroad, Rafael. You’re either a modern leader or you’re not.” It’s a cheap shot, but I’m out of ammunition, and it’s all I have left.
“We have no idea how deep this runs,” he says carefully. It’s almost a plea for me to see reason—his reason. “Marco isn’t some kind of criminal mastermind. If she gets involved, she becomes a target in the way Francesca was—and in the way you are. It’s too fucking dangerous,” he growls.
When I have my answer, my battered heart and I get up and start toward the door with as much poise and dignity as I can muster. The disappointment is staggering, and I have to concentrate not to teeter.
Rafael grabs my arm as I pass. His grip is enough to stop me, but it wouldn’t be enough to hold me if I shook him loose. “Lexie. Listen to me.”
“I’ve heard enough. I need to tell my best friend that I betrayed her confidence for nothing.”
“You can’t do that.”
Don’t tell me what I can do. Isn’t that what he said?
“She might do something foolish to beat me to him,” he adds, but it doesn’t soften me.
I yank my arm away. “If she does something foolish, it’ll be on your conscience, not mine.”
I storm out, not stopping until I reach the elevator. I don’t even glance at Sabio, who’s following closely.
I have nowhere to go. I can’t leave this place—not that I would ever dream of leaving Valentina alone for hours while she ruminates. But now I need to sit with her and pretend I didn’t open my big mouth. Because, of course, he’s right. If I tell her Rafael knows, it will only increase the pressure to bring Marco down sooner.
I thought he’d help. I really did. God, I’m pathetic.
