“I don’t know. Take it one day at a time, I guess. I don’t want to fuck this up like I do everything else. She’s a game-changer.”
“Yes, she is and she deserves a lot better than you.”
“I know”
“It’s time for you to grow up, Lorenzo.”
“You sound like my brother, who by the way thanks you for the information you gave me.”
“Look, the reason I’m here is to offer you a job.”
I chuckle. “A job? Do you not know who I am?”
“I do and I am willing to overlook that. You have something I need.”
“And what’s that?”
“You have a distinct personality trait, a desire if you will that many don’t have, which makes you perfect for what I need. The need to protect what belongs to you with any means necessary. After I dropped you off at the airport, I went back to the yacht. I saw the damage you inflicted to get to her. You used a tool that most wouldn’t think to use and you wielded it with precision. That got me thinking how well you would be with other instruments at your disposal.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I already have enough on my plate. Besides, I don’t think Giovanni wants me to leave this house anytime soon. He’s kind of grouchy when I disobey him.”
“Fuck him. He’s got his own troubles coming on the horizon and you will never lead this family. Sorry to say this but in your family, you are expendable. I can use you. I can give you the satisfaction you’ve been looking for. I can give your life a path that you can be proud of. I want you on my team.”
“Who are you?”
“You can call me Guardian for now. Names will come later.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“Only for those who know the real me.”
“Why are you really here?”
“To ensure she is safe and to make sure you are the right person for the job. If not, I will need to find a place for her.”
I growled. “You are not taking her from me.”
“Then help me protect her. Help me do what needs to be done and I will help you ensure that she stays safe for the rest of her life. Look Lorenzo, I’ve worked independently since college but there is shit going on in this world, nasty shit, that I can’t handle on my own anymore. I’m putting together a select group of individuals to help me change the narrative. I know all about Bianchi and Costa. I know all about the Golden Skulls and the Original Seven they are hunting. The fact is those men are just the tip of the iceberg. The world you live in is not what it seems. There are people in high places trying to control the narrative. I want to stop them. I need help.”
“Shit is about to go down with my family, Guardian. I can’t just up and leave them, no matter how enticing your offer is. I like what you are saying and I am intrigued but until I know my actions no longer affect my family, my hands are tied.”
“I thought you would say that,” he said, sliding two envelopes across the table towards me. I just looked at them before asking, “What’s in those? Something more for Giovanni?”
“No. This one contains a list of the people who killed your best friend, Penelope Stevens. The other is the truth of what is really going on.”
I flinched. My fist balled tightly as anger coursed through my body. “You knew all this time and said nothing?”
“I didn’t know until it was too late.”
Reaching for the first envelope, Guardian placed his hand over mine stopping me. “If you choose that envelope, I won’t be able to help you. Know that. I know how hard it is to walk away from something that you can fix but what’s really going on Lorenzo is bigger than avenging your best friend’s death. Trust me, they will get theirs in time. I am asking you to think of the bigger picture. Help me take them all down. Every one of them. Then, you will get your revenge.”
Getting to my feet, I walked over to the kitchen sink and put my coffee cup in it. I knew what he was saying was correct. The world was a sick place and for years I turned a blind eye to it all. I’d seen the depravity of what happens and did nothing. I had been so selfish, so conceited, that I ignored my own morals. Maybe the time had come for me to change the narrative for myself. To stop being that asshole everyone and my family believed I was. I just didn’t know. I wanted to know who killed Penny. I wanted to avenge her. I needed to do that not only for myself but for Donatella. Could I do that and ignore the real truth? Could I just go about my days knowing I could have been a part of something bigger than my own desires, to actually make a difference?
I just didn’t know.
When silence reigned, I turned to find him gone.
On the table were the two envelopes.