She crossed her arms and scoffed. “Where he’s been hiding and how he’s running his legions in secret isn’t good enough, huh?”
“You’re only as useful as the information you have, so you probably don’t want to rush to the bottom of that barrel,” Alessandro replied.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to keep a few pieces of information to myself as protection, then?” she asked.
“If you’re saying you’re no longer going to be helpful, I’d be more than happy to let my brother remove your head from your body,” Alessandro said simply, and I had to clench my hands into fists out of his sight so that Denise wouldn’t see me crack.
“Did you know that your father wanted to name you Angelo Jr?” Denise asked suddenly. “I see why now.”
There was a thick, intense silence around that question. Alessandro was the third of his father’s sons, with only Gabriel below him. Denise may have been just blowing hot air to try and get under Alessandro’s skin, but we’d all spared a thought to the idea that Alessandro had turned into an eerie shadow of his father. We had no way to know the validity of the musing since both of Alessandro’s parents were dead, but if that had been a consideration when Alessandro was born, it might have served as a horrific premonition of things to come.
Alessandro’s glare was hate-filled as he muttered, “Marco.”
Marco was up out of his chair in an instant, gun in hand, cocking it at Denise. I hated myself for feeling like I’d be relieved if it turned into the end of her. She held up her hands, and her eyes lost some of their unearned arrogance.
“Fine. Call him off,” Denise said. Alessandro nodded at Marco, and he backed off but kept his gun in his lap as a threat. Denise shook her head. “I really don’t have much more.” Alessandro opened his mouth, but Denise held up her hands. “I’m serious! I was just bluffing. Your dad could see through a load of shit, too. I should have expected you’d have the same skill set.”
Alessandro folded his hands on top of his desk. “You have nothing else?”
“Not really. I know my brother isn’t planning an attack for the time being. He’s been very clear about that. ‘Don’t go near the Varassos. We have to build up again before we can strike.’ He knows he doesn’t have the power to take you on right now. He’s still keeping me mostly uninvolved.”
“If it’s ruined your life so much, why is that a problem?” Marco asked.
Denise looked over at him. “Because I’ve had to suffer all the consequences without having any of the fun.” She looked back at Alessandro. “The male Binachis may have muscles, but underneath of all it, they are dumb as rocks. They have no idea how to run a business with intelligence and strategy.”
“So, when Dario’s gone, you’ll take it over?” Gabriel asked.
“When Dario’s gone, I’ll burn what he built to the ground and dance in front of the fire,” Denise replied. “I’ll take the isolated chunks of gold my dad left behind and build something new, something successful, not attached to the grease stain that is the Binachi name.”
“What would you have us do next?” Luca asked. “If you were us, what would be our next plan of action.”
It was obvious in his tone of voice that Luca wasn’t seeking advice. He was testing her. If she really didn’t care a
bout her brother, her answer would be obvious—kill him. If she suggested anything like waiting or taking mercy, she wasn’t really as committed to ending his life as she claimed she was.
“I don’t care as long as it ends with a bullet in his chest,” she replied simply. “You know where to find him now, so the sooner, the better.”
Luca sat back, satisfied with the answer, and Marco and Gabriel seemed to take some sort of refuge in the answer themselves. Alessandro’s pensive expression was hard to read, and I was smart enough to know that Denise would know how to answer that kind of question.
Alessandro nodded. “Fine. If that’s really all you have, we’re done here.” She got up and started to leave, but Alessandro called out, “Denise.”
She looked back over her shoulder at him. “Yes?”
Alessandro smiled then, and it made both me and his brothers more than a little uncomfortable. “We’re having a family barbecue today. You should stick around. I’d welcome the opportunity to get to know you better.”
“I’d love that!” she said with a wide grin. “I can help cook. It’s kind of my thing. It’s fun.”
“It is,” Gabriel responded. “Molly is a chef. She’s been teaching me how to cook over the last few months, and I love it.” He stood up from his chair. “I’ll take you down.” He looked at Alessandro. “Er, as long as we’re done here.”
“We’re done,” Alessandro said. Gabriel led Denise out of the office, chattering happily with her about food, and Luca and Marco left shortly after him.
Once the door was closed, I spun on Alessandro.
“What?” he asked.
“What happened to not so much as telling her our lunch plans? Inviting her to a family barbecue? Have you lost your m—” I stopped short. It was never a good phrase to use with Alessandro. “This is not a good idea. How could you invite her?”
“I need her where I can keep an eye on her,” Alessandro replied, surprising me a little. “I was wary before, but now I’m certain we can’t trust her. Not just the stuff you heard, but this entire meeting, it was everything my brothers and I wanted to hear. She told us where Dario has been holed up, told us how he’s running things, told us he isn’t planning an attack. It was all said to get us to let our guard down, and looking at those three”—he motioned to the wall where his brothers had been sitting moments before—“it’s working. They’re too lost in the idea of ending things with the Binachis. It’s clouding their vision. They’re viewing the world through rose-colored glasses, which is odd for men who know all too well how cruel the world can be.”