"I thought that after what Lynette told you about her life, you would never change your opinion."
He sighed, hearing the name. "Lynette felt trapped because she wasn’t able to do what she wanted. Her father kept her under strict supervision, and it made her fight against it as hard as she could. However, there wasn’t a time when she would blatantly disrespect the values or Severo. My father thought that someone could make her testify against the mafia, but she didn’t even count it as an option."
"But she broke the omertà by telling you all of this," she stated.
"No person can deal with such things by themselves. It always blows up in your face at some point. She just had no one but me to listen to her.And it was already too late anyway."
Inéz smiled seeing her friend remember the girl vividly. She could see the love in his eyes. It was so pure and earnest that she almost wished to one day have the same. But Drew still struggled with being apart from Lynette. They hadn’t done anything to find her yet, and it was getting harder on him. There was no doubt about it.
"We will find her and she will come home," she whispered, getting closer to the man.
She laid her head on his shoulder trying to make him believe her words. She wasn’t totally certain that it was the truth, but Drew didn’t have to know that. In her eyes, he deserved the best. He was always dutiful, full of hope and confidence. And it was even magnified when he met Lynette. It was exquisite, the future he held on to so dearly. If only he could manage not to let it slip away.
§ § §
As Drew got back into the living room, the men were sitting at the table talking business. Isaac as always was on the laptop offering his input from time to time. When Drew came closer he could see that they were working on the surveillance tapes from the restaurant, which his friend had been supposed to recover due to it being destroyed at the time of the attack.
Their heads turned towards Drew at once. "Where’s Inéz?" asked Isaac, worried about her.
Drew checked the time. It was past midnight. "We talked and she went to sleep," he paused. "What’s with the tape?"
Flavio rose from the chair as his phone started ringing and answered it.
"Someone messed with it recently. There are parts cut out completely, and I am not able to do anything to recover them."
"So it was done by another computer specialist?"
Isaac nodded. The idea that there was someone else just as good didn’t sit well with him.
"What now, then? Actually, why did you even want to see the tape, Noah? Your people took care of everything."
Falcone shook his head. "As I found out, one of the New York Capos, Filippo Bazzoli, hired an assassin and they fled. I need to find out who that was and what they know." He growled clenching his fists. Things weren’t going his way.
The younger brother came back to them, a hard expression on his face. Narrowed eyes and tight jaw. One look at him and there was no doubt he wasn’t the harbinger of good news.
"Don’t fucking give me this look, Flavio. What the fuck happened now?"
"This Anastasia chick doesn’t want to talk to anyone," he said. "Cristian even took his wife to try to speak to her, thinking that maybe she would feel more comfortable around a woman."
Noah rolled his eyes. Such situations could show why he never liked girls for anything more than sex. They were useless most of the time. "I will go to her tomorrow."
"Oh yes, because that’s going to go so fucking well. You’re not a ball of rainbow and sunshine, brother."
Caporaised his eyebrow and smiled evilly as if the words had been compliments. Because as vain as Noah was, no one could deny that they were good traits for him. Something he was able to take advantage of.
"I never pretended otherwise. I’m that girl’s worst nightmare," he stated, already thinking of ways to make her talk. None of them was pleasant.
Isaac swallowed. "What do you mean?"
The Underboss had a look of disapproval. "He doesn’t fucking mean anything."
Noah grinned. "Really? And why is that?"
The younger Falcone gestured for the brother to stop getting off on the bad thoughts that were running wild through his mind. It was Flavio who'd spent some time with her today to make sure she had food. She hadn’t said a word, but she had reacted to kindness. And even though he was one of the last people that could master gentleness, he was determined to know what she did. And no torture would make it any easier. Hard-pressed minds worked differently.
"I will take care of it," he said matter-of-factly.
The boss nodded in agreement. "Then do. You have until tomorrow evening to deal with her your way. If not, we will do it my way."
Drew raised his hand. "That’s just great. So we are not going to find out anything with any of your methods. And Noah’s will actually kill her at the end."
They might have been cruel mobsters, but knew close to nothing when it came to women unless it was how to fuck them.
"What’s wrong with my method?" asked Flavio as he actually believed it to be the logical one.
"Nothing, per se. It is a good one, but you can hardly make the girl talk, Flavio. You staring at her alone can probably make her cry. I don’t think any of you realizes what people think of you when they see you for the first time. Especially girls.
