“Yes.”
Leo nods. “Good.” He looks over my shoulder. “Reece, get in here.”
Paolo narrows his eyes at his father as he walks to his desk and retrieves something from a drawer. Footsteps sound behind me, and I turn to see the security guard who opened the front door earlier. He looks a little older than me, but his brown shaggy hair gives him a youthful appearance without looking too hard at the lines around his eyes and mouth.
He takes strong, confident strides into the room and glances at Paolo before addressing Romano. “Yes, sir?”
Romano shuts the desk drawer and walks over to Reece. It’s time for Lorenzo and me to leave, but I can’t bring myself to walk from the room. I get the impression Romano doesn’t expect me to. He’s standing in front of Reece and moves his gaze between him and Paolo.
“Is this the new one?” he asks Paolo. He gestures to Reece.
I turn to Paolo, who doesn’t respond. His jaw is set in a tight line, and he turns to stare straight ahead. He stands with his hands cupped behind his back and his muscles tense. He looks like he wants to kill his father even more than I do.
Romano nods like that’s enough of an answer for him, and he turns back to Reece. He takes a knife from his pocket and shoves it into Reece’s stomach, pressing his body against the man and whispering something into his ear. Reece lets out a gurgled cry, blood spilling from his lips. Romano knows what he’s doing with a knife. The guy won’t last long.
Another cry pierces the room, but it doesn’t come from Reece. I glance at Alex only for a moment. Her eyes are pointed down and a hand covers her mouth.
Romano pulls away, and Reece falls to the floor.
No one says a word. The only sound in the room is Romano’s footsteps as he walks over to his son.
Paolo continues to stare straight ahead, but now his resentful eyes have a glossy sheen to them.
Romano tosses the knife down at Paolo’s feet and curls his lip at him. “You’re a fucking disgrace.”
He turns and walks from the room without another word.
Alex takes a shaky breath behind me, and I glance at her again. She meets my eyes, and what I see in them makes me feel like I’m the one who’s just been stabbed. She says so much with one look.
Help me.
I want to. I really want to.
“Settimo,” Paolo says, his voice full of hatred, but I doubt it’s for me. I turn back to him and feel something for Paolo I never thought I would. Pity. With an ounce of respect. If it weren’t for him, Alex might be in danger. More danger than she’s already in.
Why would he lie for her?
He steps up to me and moves his gaze toward the door his father passed through. “Alex is innocent.” He looks back at me. “But if you involve her in this shit, you’re going to get her killed.”
“Aren’t you the guy who had his hand around her neck a week ago?”
Paolo glares then turns toward the door. He walks a few feet before I call his name to stop him. He turns back to me.
“Is your father working with the Russians?”
Paolo shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know where his loyalty is… but mine is with the familia.”
He turns and walks from the room.
It’s silent for a minute. Alex can’t seem to take her eyes off the dead body, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her.
“I guess that confirms it,” Lorenzo says.
I nod, still staring at Alex. “The Russians are planning their attack.”
“I was referring to Paolo being gay, but sure, that too.”
I chuckle and glance at my brother.