Page 106 of Little Dove

“Who do you need to call?” Alonzo asks suspiciously.

She glances at him, and then back at Pietro. “You said the paper from Giovanni’s desk says the word ‘chameleon’, right?” Pietro nods, watching her carefully. “‘Chameleon’ isn’t a word, it’s a person. Or,persons. I’ve heard my father and brothers use it before. They’re trained assassins that the Russians will hire for the jobs that their own men can’t or won’t do. They are deadly, dangerous, and if Ivan or Giovanni plan to use them, weneed to be ready. They make the ones that Parisi hired look like amateurs.”

“How does that have anything to do with you calling someone?” Alonzo asks.

“Because I have contacts of my own that know about the chameleons,” Rori answers after a minute. “Not my family, but others, and I can get information that you can’t.”

“Is there a point in asking how you know them?” Pietro asks shrewdly.

Rori holds his gaze. “No. And if they find out that you learned about them from me, I’m as good as dead.”

“What?” Alonzo hisses. “No, you are not calling them.”

“Yes, I am,” Rori says firmly, not even looking at him.

“I forbid it,” Alonzo barks.

“Call them,” Pietro finally declares. “You know the consequences of betraying us, Ms. O’Brien.” The warning is crystal clear, and I hear Amara gasp in shock and horror. I wrap my arm around her a little tighter, trying to calm her. It’s the nature of this world, but I know Alonzo will never allow anything to happen to Rori. It’s written all over his face.

“Yes,” Rori confirms. She leaves the room, Alonzo following after, his own face set in determination.

“Can we trust her?” I ask softly. “I like her, and she’s Sienna’s friend, but this is…this is different.”

“Of course you can trust her,” Amara tries to argue.

“Amara,” Sofia says, drawing her attention. “Trust in this world is earned, and Rori’s connections aren’t exactly ones that can be easily dismissed. It’s hard, I know, but friendships can’t factor in something this important. Not something that has the potential to kill us all, if the people Rori is talking to decide to come after us.”

Amara looks like she still wants to argue. “Colombina.” She looks up at me mutinously, mouth set in a thin line. “I'm surethat Rori is trustworthy, but we cannot risk your safety for anything. I can’t. But you need to trust us that we know what’s best and we will make sure everyone is safe, including Rori, alright?”

“She’s my friend, Lazaro.”

“I know she is, and I’m grateful for that. But Rori is connected to a powerful Russian family. Italians and Russians do not mix under normal circumstances. Her being here is cause for her family to go to the people they work for and cause problems. Problems we don’t have the time or resources to fight right now. So we must be careful.”

Amara stares up at me, until finally, she nods. “Alright.” She sighs. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

“Thank you,colombina,” I say, leaning down to kiss her forehead. I look back at Pietro and tell him in Italian, “I’m taking Amara upstairs. This is a lot for her for one day.”

Pietro gives Amara a smile. “Go with Lazaro,cara mia. Make sure that he’s not injured, and then we’ll figure out next steps, alright?”

Amara acquiesces. “Alright. Thank you, Don Caruso.”

“Pietro,cara,” he corrects. “In private company like this, we’re not formal; we use first names.” Then he takes her hand and kisses the back of it. “I could not have chosen a better woman for Lazaro myself,” he tells her with a warm smile. “We will sit and talk more when things are calmer, Amara. I would like to know more about the woman that can face down her father and uncle so well.” He winks and steps back, releasing her hand.

She blushes, and I shoot Pietro a scowl. Pietro grins wickedly, knowing full well how jealous his flirting is making me. “If only I was a decade or two younger, son. I’d have given you a run for your money,” he teases in Italian.

“I’d have run circles around you,” I retort, but I smile at him. Amara is watching us suspiciously. I smile at her and pull her toward the exit.

We make our way up to our room, neither of us saying a word, though we pause when we hear yelling coming from Alonzo’s room. “You have no say over my life, you overgrown ape!” Rori’s voice screams. “You think because we fucked once, that gives you any right? You took it back! You regretted it! You don’t get to change your tune now.”

Amara gapes at the door, but I pull her along. “Best not to get in the middle of that,colombina,” I warn her. “Those two need to figure it out themselves.”

“I thought they had chemistry, but I didn’t realize it went that far,” Amara replies, following me into our room. Once the door is shut and locked, she looks up at me with worried eyes. “Are you sure they’ll be alright?”

“Yes,” I promise her, pulling her deeper into the room. “Alonzo won’t hurt her. This is something they need to figure out, and they will. It may not work out in the way either of them expects, but until then, the two of them will always be at odds.”

“She was jealous that Alonzo gave me his shirt,” she admits. “She tried to hide it but I saw it on her face. I tried to turn him down, not wanting to hurt her like that, but she and Alonzo both said to take it.”

I scowl down at her as I pull her toward the bathroom. “I still don’t like the thought of you wearing his shirt, Amara,” I grumble.

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