“We can work together,” he says at last and gestures down at himself. “Not that I have much of a choice.”
“That’s the thing with you, Raf. You always have a choice. You just have to be willing to deal with the consequences.”
“Says the guy that wasn’t shot.” He holds up a hand before I can reply. “I understand our situation, and I accept it. What else do you need?”
“Nothing. That’s all.” I turn to leave but hesitate. “Actually, one thing. We need support from one of your family’s Capos. I’ve been thinking about approaching someone, but I haven’t been sure who. Got any suggestions?”
Raf takes a moment to consider. “Filippo the accountant. He’s not blood-related, so he doesn’t necessarily owe Corrado anything, and my father’s the one that raised him up. Filippo’s not a decent man, but he’s not stupid either. He didn’t draw his gun when Carmine and Rocco lost their fucking minds, which means he wasn’t against me even if he wasn’t trying to protectme. Assuming he’s still alive, you might get some support from him.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Raf’s eyes close, and he lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Do me a favor. Tell the girls I’ll talk to them in a little while. I’m not really feeling up for them this second, okay?”
“Whatever you need, but they won’t be happy about it.”
“Do what you can.”
I leave him there and head slowly back upstairs. I don’t know much about Filippo Benedetti, but at least it’s a place to start. Raf seems like a man coming back from the brink of death, but there’s a new sharpness to him. Like he can see the world for what it is all of a sudden.
There is no such thing as loyalty. Not without reason. Men follow other men when it suits them, not out of some bizarre, old-fashioned sense of honor. Even blood family isn’t enough anymore.
We live in a world defined by money and power. The strong survive and the weak eat shit. Life’s always been that way, but Raf was insulated from the worst of it. His father’s influence distorted the way he viewed the people around him.
I think getting shot blew apart his entire reality.
But he’ll come through it better now.
Fiorella and Elisa are waiting in the kitchen. They basically assault me, and I have to explain Raf’s situation. “He’s sleeping again though,” I say as they both start toward the basement door. “He asked to be left alone for a little bit longer.”
“He’s my brother. If I want to see him, I’m going to see him.” Elisa glares at me.
“Just passing along what he said.”
She disappears downstairs, stomping loudly on each step. Actually, if Raf thought both his sisters would give him some space right now, maybe I’m wrong about this wholesharpnessthing.
Fiorella doesn’t follow at least. She leans into me, and I kiss her lightly. We stand together in the silence of the dim hallway, and I pull her hips into mine, feeling her weight and her warmth, breathing in her smell.
“You really think Raf’s going to be okay?” she whispers.
“Mostly because we’re going to make sure he is.”
“These attacks aren’t going to stop until we find my uncle.”
“You’re absolutely right, which is why we’re going to meet with Filippo.”
Her eyebrows raise as she leans back from me. Her hands still linger at my sides like she can’t bear to let go. “Why him? I don’t know him very well. He’s always been kind of creepy.”
“Raf says his loyalty is a little bit more flexible than some of the others.”
She nods slowly, considering. “He’s probably a good choice then.”
“We’ll talk to him together. We need to convince him to help us take down Corrado.”
“You mean,Ineed to convince him.” She leans in and kisses me again with a playful smile. “You’re not convincing anyone of anything.”
“You’d be surprised at how amenable most people are when there’s a gun to their head.”
“Can’t solve all your problems with a bullet, Luca.”
