“So the carrot is information on my mother's accident.”
“On your mother's supposed accident.”
My heart leaps into my throat.
“And the stick?” I ask.
“I tell Senator Norwood where the proof is so he can destroy it.” Her smile is cruel. “You see? A carrot and a stick.”
She's right. I want the information, but not at this price. I don't even know if this is valid information. It's not exactly a secret that my family thinks my mother was murdered. The senator is a powerful man. He was more powerful than my uncle at the time. Given that the senator wants to run for president, he's only gotten more powerful since I last saw him.
"I'll think about it," I manage to say.
"Don't think too long. I haven't told the senator I know anything yet, but, well..." she pauses, then smiles at me again. "I'll need an answer pretty soon."
I act like her threat frightens me, when all it does is convince me that she wants me to make a hasty decision before thinking it out. Victoria would make a formidable poker player, but I'd take the prize home every night from her. I nod, then stand to leave.
"Oh, and, Cara?" I turn back to look at her. She's practically cawing with pride over winning. "I know my son doesn't care for me much, and I'm alright with that. However, don't think that the two of you can beat me together. You can't. If you try, I'll destroy you both."
I nod, still managing to look frightened. On the inside, I'm smiling. She's afraid that Dante can beat her, and that's why she doesn't want me to bring this to Dante. Plans are already starting to form in my head, and I can't get out of there fast enough.
I see the butler on the way out. He makes eye contact with me, looking grave. I can't help but crack a small smile, hoping that he'll see that I haven't been broken yet.
Chapter 16
The piano beckons me with black and white fingers. I sit and raise the lid without having to think about what I'm doing. I start with a simple scale and arpeggio, letting the easy motions flow. My fingers climb the keys, finding harmony and balance while my mind scrambles.
My mother's killer. My mother's death resolved.
Another scale cascades from my fingertips. The beauty is harsh against my reality.
I see Dante's blue eyes when I close mine. How do I tell him what his mother is doing? Family is everything to people like us. I don't want to cause problems.
What if Senator Norwood did kill my mother? What would I do then?
My hands falter despite the ease of the scale and I have to restart the scale. It's been ten years but he still frightens me. I still have nightmares of him coming to the city and finding me. He has only grown more powerful with time and made more political friends. He ruined my life once and still has the power to do it again. I know I'm not the scared twelve-year-old girl anymore, but I'm not sure if I'll remember that when faced with him.
Or what he could do to Dante. Dante's business was much less legally gray than mine. He could destroy him and the entire Russo family. He would destroy Dante if he thought it would help him. Since Dante is connected to me, I know that he would think it amusing to tear the Russo family down using me. Victoria might just meet her match if she tries to involve him.
I stop playing as I can't remember what scale comes next. I don't know what comes next for me either. It feels strange to have a such a powerful sense of urgency and yet know I have time. I have time to respond to Victoria, time before she gives me the evidence or destroys it, time to decide what I want-- but I know it will never be enough time. This is a decision I never want to make and I will never have enough time to decide. All I have is time and yet I don't have enough of it.
I start a classical piece that I know by heart. The familiar melodies are soothing and I can almost let my mind settle enough to think clearly.
What if I take Victoria's offer? What if I get the evidence to prove my mother was murdered? Would it soothe this ache on my soul? I don't know, but I do know that I want justice. My mother deserves that much.
Except Dante.
My fingers slip and I sour the passage. I know this piece well enough to do it in my sleep, but just thinking of leaving Dante makes me forget what I've always known. He changes everything. Those dark eyes and the warmth of his smile make me want only him.
Thoughts of the man I'm falling in love with and my mother war in my head. Two people that I love. I have to choose.
My hands hover over the piano. I've gone through all my scales and the warm-up pieces. I have to make a choice: do I attempt a new song or go with something I know and am good at?
Instead. I close the piano lid.
If you don't like the game, change the rules.
So that's what I'm going to do.