Page 41 of The Sicilian Brotherhood I

“But I wasn’t, was I?”

“It’s not funny, Dahlia.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“How did you get back here so fast?”

“I had a sense something was wrong. I called the rest of the Brotherhood down to New York. We’re going to rat out the rest of these Sardinians and find my diamond.”

“Iago…”

He glanced at his watch.

“They should be busting through this door in about five minutes to take him away. You don’t have to worry.”

“I do.”

“And that friend of yours,” Giac continued, “I still don’t trust her.”

“She only cares about me. She doesn’t want me getting involved with another gangster.”

He raised his eyebrows, bemused.

“Involved? Are we ‘involved’?”

“You know what I mean.”

He stripped his holster off and then his shirt, pacing around the basement instead of responding to me. He ran his hands through his hair as he walked around.

“I don’t trust her, Dahlia. We're staying here to keep an eye on her.”

“I do.”

“And what about me, do you trust me?”

I wrinkled my nose.

“Why would I? I’m here against my will, remember?”

“I saved your life. I’ve saved your life a couple of times.”

“Giac, you can’t hold me against my will and then expect me to trust you.”

He stared at me across the room as if he’d never considered that.

“Fine,” he said, “Leave. Go. Back to Franco. Wherever you want to go. You don’t know where the diamond is anymore. I have no use for you.”

I bit down on my lip, cursing myself for saying anything.

“I can’t leave.”

“Oh?”

“If I help you find the diamond, I want you to help me get out of America. I can’t be alone after what I’ve done to Franco. The Sardinians will kill me.”

“And you think I’m going to be more merciful.”

He approached me and we faced each other, inches away from each other.

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