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“Of course,” he said with a smile of his own, telling megame on, as he led me to the dining room. I could feel his gaze on me throughout the entire walk, and once we reached the table, he placed a hand on the small of my back, causing me to nearly jump at the current that traveled up my spine while he pulled out a chair and helped me get settled.

I finally found myself seated between Dante and Luca, with Gio directly across from me. His gaze never left me as servants brought out the chowder.

“So, Larissa,” Federico said as we began to eat, “how did you and Giovanni meet?”

Gio's eyes narrowed. I took a deliberate sip of my soup before answering.

“It was quite unexpected,” I said honestly, just enough to deflect a follow up. “He showed up when I least expected it.”

“That sounds like Gio,” Luca laughed. “Always where you least expect him.”

I nodded, my smile tight. “He's full of surprises.”

“And what do you do, Larissa?” Dante asked, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp; I didn’t miss that.

“I work with my family,” I answered vaguely. “We're in…imports and exports, mainly.”

“Imports from where?” Dante pressed.

I twirled my spoon in my soup. “Russia, primarily. We have...connections there.”

“And your family name?” Federico asked, his tone deceptively light.

I felt Gio's foot nudge mine under the table—a warning. Without wasting a moment, Iaccidentallyspilled my wine all over the table.

“Oh dear!” I gushed, jumping out of my chair as Luca handed me some napkins. “How clumsy of me!”

A few minutes passed by as a new plate was brought out for me. I used this time to dab the tablecloth clean.

The conversation shifted as the next course arrived. I dug into the meatloaf and chewed slowly, thinking of ways to learn more without raising an alarm.

“This house must have quite a history,” I said, putting down my fork. “How long have you owned it, Gio?”

“It’s been our family for three generations,” Federico answered on behalf of his brother. “Our grandfather acquired it when he first came to America.”

“From Russia?” I asked innocently.

“Our maternal family came from Italy,” Dante nodded. “While our paternal has roots in Russia, as you must know already.”

“Of course,” I nodded.

Lebedev. I turned the name over in my mind again. My brothers had mentioned many crime families over the years, but couldn’t recall them mentioning this family.

“And now you've brought those roots here,” I continued, keeping my tone conversational. “Building an empire of your own, I imagine.”

“Something like that,” Dante replied, his gaze suddenly more penetrating. “We've established ourselves in various...industries.”

“Shipping,” Luca offered.

“Real estate,” added Federico.

“Security,” Achille said with a smirk that suggested 'security' meant something entirely different.

I nodded as if this was all perfectly normal dinner conversation. “Diversification is important in business.”

“Indeed,” Caspian agreed. “And what does your family specialize in, Larissa?”

I felt Gio's gaze boring into me. “Protection, mainly,” I said, thinking of my brothers. “Ensuring that those under our care remain...unmolested by outside interests.”