Page 7 of Consort of the Crime Queen

Clearly he has underestimated his daughter if he's so ready to believe she's commanding a ragtag group out of a ramshackle house.

"She kept me locked away most days with hardly any sunlight or fresh air. And she had so few allies, always raving about how people would turn down her offers of friendship due to fear of you, Don Imperioli. It's almost sad, really..."

For a moment I fear I've gone too far with my flattery, but Zepp actually smiles. "You said a handful of men. Be more specific, if you can. How many people work for her?" he asks. "What types of weapons and other resources does she have access to?"

I furrow my brow, affecting deep thought. "Well, there were maybe…ten men that I saw? And of course that scary woman, Lyssa." I give a shudder. "I'm not sure if there were more. They had guns and knives, I don't know what types."

"And where is this Elysium located?"

He must know that. Surely. Everyone in the city knows where Elysium is, Hadria boasted to me once. Or at least, everyone who has a need to know where it is. There's a lot of dirty work the different criminal organizations of Chicago like to carry out against each other without taking direct credit.

So Don Imperioli must be testing me.

"It was well outside the city, but I couldn't see anything out of the windows. They kept them shuttered all the time." I shake my head woefully. "And as I said, she's barely holding things together, from what I could tell."

Zepp rubs his chin. "What connections does my daughter have beyond her Syndicate? Who supports her?"

I look down, twisting my fingers in apparent distress. "She mentioned trying to form an alliance with someone called…the Bianchis?"

Zepp's eyebrows go up. "She reaches out to Juno Bianchi?" he demands, and for the first time, I think I see worry in his pale eyes.

"But of course they refused her," I tell him at once. "No one wants to back someone so volatile." I peek up at him, judging how my words are landing. "She seems quite…isolated, Don Imperioli."

He considers me with those unreadable eyes. "But if the Bianchis would not ally with her, why is Johnny the Gentleman still in town? What is his role in all this?"

"Johnny? I'm sorry, I don't remember any Johnny. Like I said, she only had a few men guarding me, and none of them were called Johnny—or not that I heard."

Zepp seems less satisfied by this than I hoped he would be. But I still have one more card to play.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am that you've rescued me, Don Imperioli," I tell him with a bright smile. "How soon do you think we can reschedule the wedding?"

"Wedding?" he repeats blankly.

"To Nero," I say. "I was so excited for my wedding day, and then it was ruined by Hadria. But now that you've saved me, we can reschedule as soon as possible. Can't we?"

I really have surprised him now. All thoughts of Johnny the Gentleman seem to have fled his mind. He leans back, steepling his fingers. "You know, I may have misjudged you, little Aurora. Perhaps you are naive, but I believe you would make a fine wife to my brother, and a good mother to my grandchildren."

I smile tremulously. "You're so kind, Don Imperioli." I hesitate, but if not now, when? "I wonder if I could see my parents soon? I've missed my mother so much…"

He considers this for a moment before replying. "Well, they will need to be told you are safe. But won't you want to see my son first? Your fiancé?"

My breath catches. I should have seen that coming, I suppose. But refusing Zepp's suggestion now would rouse his suspicion. I lower my eyes demurely.

"Don Imperioli, I was brought up very sheltered, as you say. I think—well, it would be improper for me to spend much time alone with Nero before our wedding, wouldn't it?"

It's weak. So weak. But Zepp's stern face slowly creases into a smile. He nods gently. "You are a good girl. I will send for your parents first, and Nero can be patient a while longer. He doesn't know that I have you, yet."

After he leaves, I allow myself a small, relieved sigh. The opening gambits are made. I can reach out to Hadria through my mother, and I'll avoid Nero at all costs until—well, until Hadria comes for me. Because she will.

I know she will, because I know Hadria.

Her father clearly has no understanding of her at all. Zepp believes Hadria weak and desperate, and assumes I'm some foolish girl he can easily control. For now, let him keep thinking so.

The more he underestimates us, the better.

CHAPTER 5

Aurora

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