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Raffaele clenches his fists, but doesn’t argue. “Fine,” he mutters.
“Johnny, go with them,” Dino orders.
Johnny silently follows Raffaele and Tom into the kitchen. The door clicks shut behind them, leaving Dino and me alone.
Dino studies me for a moment, saying nothing. His eyes are sharp, his expression unreadable.
“Do you want to go over the plan?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
He ignores my question. “Are you loyal to Raffaele?” he asks instead, his voice calm but cutting.
I freeze, unsure of how to respond. Dino’s stare is unnerving, like he’s done this a thousand times and knows every lie before it’s spoken. The lie I’m about to tell gets caught in my throat. I know he’ll see right through it.
“Yeah,” I say finally, though my voice wavers.
“Why?” he presses.
Another question I wasn’t prepared for. I hesitate again, and the look on Dino’s face tells me he notices. His eyes narrow, and I can feel my heart start to race. I’m not good at this.
“He can’t hear you,” Dino assures me. His tone is casual, almost comforting, but it doesn’t calm the storm inside me.
I swallow hard. “Because... he’s helped me before,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “I owe him.”
Dino raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “A lot of people helped Raffaele, and he ain’t exactly loyal to any of them,” he says, leaning in slightly. “But you… I hear good things about you.” His voice drops, and his gaze pierces mine. “You’ve got some friends, Nicole. More than you know.”
My curiosity spikes. “I do?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“Yeah,” Dino says, leaning back. “Pietro tells me you’re a good kid. Owed a bit of debt, but you’ve been paying it off.”
“Pietro?” I repeat, confused. The name is familiar, but hearing it come out of Dino’s mouth sends a shiver down my spine.
“Yeah,” he confirms. “Pietro. Head of the Avvoltoi. He says you’ve got his protection and that this clown Raffaele is just using you.”
I blink, trying to process what I’m hearing. Raffaele always spoke as if he was now on top, but here’s Dino calmly explaining that the real power still lies with Pietro.
“Look,” Dino continues, his voice steady, “I’m still loyal to Pietro. No way in hell am I letting Raffaele take him down. And if this idiot thinks I’m gonna betray my own people for him, he’s more delusional than I thought. We’ve got his little scheme all set up. When the time comes, Raffaele won’t be leaving that party at The Velvet Mirage.”
I stare at him, overwhelmed by this revelation. Everything I thought I knew about this situation shifts. Raffaele isn’t in control—he’s a pawn, just like me.
“So,” Dino says, fixing me with that same sharp gaze, “I’m gonna ask you again. Are you loyal to Raffaele?”
My heart pounds. This could be a trap. What if Raffaele put Dino up to this, just to test me? But the look in Dino’s eyes… I know he’s telling the truth. I’m tired of Raffaele’s games. Tired of being scared.
“No,” I say firmly, my voice steady this time. “And I’d rather die than spend another minute with him.”
Dino gives a satisfied nod. “Good,” he says. “Now listen, I can’t give you all the details, but I can tell you this: When things go down, it’s gonna get messy. There’ll be carnage. When that happens, you run. Get out of there, don’t look back. My people know your situation—they won’t target you.”
Relief washes over me, but I know better than to let my guard down completely. This isn’t over yet.
“And one more thing,” Dino adds. “I can’t confirm it, but I’ve heard the cops might be getting involved. And your billionaire—he’s been hanging around that club a lot lately.”
The mention of Shane sends a shock through my system.Shane… how did he get mixed up in this? It’s my fault. He’s in danger because of me.
“I don’t know how he got wind of this,” Dino continues. “Maybe he’s working with the cops, maybe he’s not. Either way, don’t freak out if you see him. We’re trying to keep him out of the club when things go down, but… it’s not a guarantee.”
I swallow hard. Shane, tangled up in this mess, risking his life because of me. I have to protect him, somehow. But how?
“Do you understand?” Dino asks, pulling me back to reality.