Her eyes met Noah’s for the first time since the incident in the gym. They didn't bring it up after that. None of them thought it necessary. But the awkwardness was still there whether they acknowledged it or not. Thankfully, no-one else noticed the slight change and tension between them. At least on Inéz’s part.
"Because."
That was everything the man said, focusing once again on the basketball game playing in TV.
Flavio snorted, considering it normal that his brother wouldn’t give the girl her desired answer, just for fun. That was the first time he’d showed any interest in either of them. Most of all Inéz.
She narrowed her eyes at him, seeing as he could be her way of extracting the needed information. Clearly, he didn’t care enough to withhold it.
"Nicodemo is the best at dealing with women. He knows everything there is about the way they fight and see the danger," he said as Noah growled at him.
She panted looking more terrified than she’d thought possible. She knew at once that Noah hadn’t wanted her to know because it would be harder for his Enforcer to teach her anything useful now. Inéz would be scared of fighting him from now on and even she was certain of it.
But what exactly did it mean that Nicodemo was the best at dealing with women? Should she even ask? Did she even want to know? The answer to all of the questions was ’no’ but her head was a rather dangerous place now, spinning with the unsettling news she’d just heard.
The younger Falcone looked at his Capo. "What? She would find out sooner or later. At least now she knows that she’s learning from the best."
Noah shook his head with disapproval but didn’t say a word about it. He reached for another slice of pizza, not bothering to explain himself. Inéz had every right to know who she was dealing with before she was forced into the situation. But the boss didn’t think the same. He hardly ever gave anyone a choice.
She stood up, done with the company of the men. It was too much for her. She went up the stairs, intending to go to bed as she hadn’t had the chance to go to sleep after the workout. But passing the bar area she caught a breathtaking view of the Las Vegas nightlife. Flashing lights, big buildings, fountains, cars and people. The overall effect made her stop and open the doors to the patio. The fresh air hit her hard, making her shiver, but it woke her up all the same.
A big smile formed on her lips. It was the first time in a while that she could breathe. Fully breathe. But understanding would come soon and hit her hard.
Steps sounded behind her. Drew was standing in the doorway watching her attentively. His lips formed a smile as he approached her, leaning over the bannister to admire the city in its full glory. It was already dark outside but the lights made it seem brighter than ever.
"I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I told you to be careful with Noah," he said. She glared at him. "Are you seriously going to pull the talk we had four years ago?"
"No, Inéz. I just want you to remember that even if we are a part of this life now, he still has the worst role possible. Don’t make him out to be anyone else. He’s dangerous and does as he pleases. He is a killer, don’t forget it."
"What does that have to do with my situation?" she asked, getting angry.
"Because you expect him to be straight-forward with you as if it is something he would do. He has hidden reasons behind all he does, and to be honest, I believe we are better off not knowing them."
He sounded almost respectful as he said it, which Inéz couldn’t imagine. Drew made it perfectly clear from the start that he was doing it all for Lynette and only her. And now, even if he didn’t approve of the way the organization worked in its entirety, he wasn’t judgmental towards it.
"What changed? I thought you don’t like the mafia."
"I don’t. I still think of Made Men as dangerous, deadly and, quite frankly, mental. But the underworld looks so much different from the inside than it does when you have only read and listened about it. They kill, maim and feel good about it, but even if they don’t have a valid reason sometimes, most of the times they do it with strong justification. They just don’t care enough to allowoutsiders to know what it is exactly. Every Made Man has a sense of pride and honor. Mafia might come out of it the wrong way, but so does every other person who wants to change or gain something."
She was even more surprised at this point. "What happened today in the gym?"
What Drew said had come completely out of the blue. Was he beaten so badly that he lost his mind? Because Inéz hadn’t thought she would ever hear him say such things. Without Lynette, the man would have most likely followed in his father’s righteous footsteps. He was more of a good guy than a bad one. Always had been.
Especially when Lynette explained her life to him. The only good thing he could say was that all mafioso were dedicated to their life. That they were able to create this society, had rules which they stuck to no matter what. And, interestingly, it freaking worked.
He sighed turning his eyes on her. "Nothing major. We trained with a few soldiers. But you should see the way they acted with Noah when we came in. It was almost admirable. They respect and expect him to lead
