Page 171 of Rise of the Queen

“Stephen, what were you thinking about the Mexicans last night? I know there was more to your thought process than what you said. Just like I still think there’s more to why you brought up Dario,” Sephie asked.

“Something just doesn’t feel right about the Mexicans. I don’t know what though,” he said.

“Same for me. There was nothing specific that I was trying to find last night, but there was plenty of uneasiness when thinking about the Mexicans. I think we need to be careful with them,” Misha said.

Sephie looked at Andrei, who was standing beside us. “Bubba, have you gotten anything about either of those things?”

He shook his head no. “Not exactly. There’s something nagging at me about Dario, but I don’t know what. I haven’t thought much about the Mexicans, but when Stephen brought it up last night I noticed that Emilia got a little tense. She’sMexican. She had an uncle who was killed when Trino first came to power,” he said.

I immediately felt Sephie’s worry come on strongly. “How does she feel about that? Could you tell?” she asked.

“Either she’s a very good actress or she’s mostly okay with it. I didn’t find anything nefarious, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said.

We felt her worry lessen, but only slightly. I turned toward her, only to find her eyes swirling. The white was clearly present in all her colors. “I’ll find a time to bring it up to Trino. I can’t imagine she would’ve been able to get that past all of us if she’s holding a grudge against Trino for it and wants some kind of revenge,” I said, placing my hand against her cheek.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated everything.

“It’s worth keeping an eye on, at the very least. Trino has been the only one who’s stayed loyal. I would hate to see him taken down by someone he loves,” Ivan said.

Chapter Fifty-One

Sephie

We were all in Adrik’soffice, waiting for Viktor to bring Dario back. Everyone was still tired from our late night with Trino the night before, but we’d all been on edge about Dario ever since Stephen brought it up. I, for one, was happy to get it checked off the list of things we needed to be worrying about.

Viktor walked in with Dario a few minutes later. He looked much better than the last time I’d seen him. He had shaved his beard; his hair was neater. He looked a little happier. I caught myself studying him more closely as he walked into the office. I watched Adrik as he shook hands with him, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Viktor had said that Dario had been grateful the entire time he’d been at the building. He never complained. He always asked the guards who were on him to send word to Adrik that he appreciated everything. He was really happy to get moved to a better room over the weekend, telling the guards he liked the bed better in the new room. He’d requested a few books to read, but otherwise, he was quiet and kept to himself.

The last time we saw him, he looked frightened. Scattered even. He couldn’t focus on one thing for very long. I wassurprised when he wouldn’t look at any of us in the eyes for very long. It took me a bit to get him to look at me when we talked to him before. This time, he seemed more confident again. Calmer. It seemed like his time away from Massimo had been good for him.

He greeted everyone politely, taking a seat across from Adrik’s desk. I was on the cabinet behind his desk in my favorite spot to watch people. I glanced at Ivan when Dario sat down. He shook his head no.

“I can’t see anything. He doesn’t even have anything hanging around him,”he told me.

Andrei shared what he was seeing. Surprisingly, his aura didn’t look that bad. It was in need of repair, but compared to the man we’d seen before, I was surprised at how strong his aura was this time.

I didn’t feel Misha’s nausea either, which was also a favorable sign for Dario.

“How are things working out with the other bosses?” Dario asked. He’d been kept in the dark about everything that had happened with the other bosses. He didn’t know about any of it.

Adrik inhaled deeply. “There are only three left, along with Ricardo.”

Dario chuckled. “What of Lorenzo?”

“Dead.”

“Which three are left, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Niko, Vito, and Sal.”

Dario was quiet for a few moments. He looked visibly relieved to learn that Massimo was no longer among the living. “What happened to Massimo?”

“Trino lit him on fire and threw him off a cliff,” I said flatly.

Dario clearly didn’t believe me at first. He thought I was joking.

“She’s telling the truth. I can show you the video if you like,” Adrik said.

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