Page 27 of Sin & Secrets

“On a…trial basis, really.” I shrug. “Perhaps I can sweeten the deal for you?”

Lazzaro stares at me as if trying to decipher my next move. “What kind of deal?”

“Claudio,” Cas’ voice cracks as she tries to protest.

That fucking scum bastard.

“I’ve recently been informed that you took a loan from the Guild a few months ago.”

Claudio’s head snaps to where Teo is lounging, and he glares at him.

Teo waves back merrily in return.

“You owe them money?” Cas whispers in horror.

It dawns on me that there is a very real possibility that Cas has no idea that Lazzaro is a part of the mafia. That, on top of everything else, he’s lied to her about the nature of his employment.

Would Cas have even followed him to Brooklyn if she’d known? Probably not.

It’s an unfairly bitter pill to swallow.

“After your recent payments, you’re down to one hundred and one thousand.”

“I’m aware,” Lazzaro answers through his teeth.

“I’m glad to hear it,” I smile again. “Because at this very moment in time, I find myself in a forgiving mood.”

Claudio blinks as he begins to understand what I’m getting at.

Still, I keep nudging him along. “Teo, what’s the interest rate on loans from the Guild?”

“There isn’t one,” he replies promptly.

“And why is that?”

“Because there aren’t any late payments.”

Perhaps the most effective banking system in the world. The threat of death tends to keep prospective borrowers away. Mia’s father, Chiavari, makes that abundantly and terrifyingly clear.

The fact that Lazzaro has gone so long without making a repayment is a massive anomaly—one that speaks to a corruption that goes far deeper than the few factions that defected when my father retired.

To have even pulled this off, Lazzaro would have needed an accomplice within my inner circle.

“How interesting.”

Despite Carmine Bellini’s insistence that he was the only rat trading secrets with the Cartel, information is still getting out from somewhere embarrassingly high up the food chain.

So I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both these things are happening at the same time. In fact, I’d be willing to bet my life that the second rat and Lazzaro’s accomplice are one and the same person.

We just need Lazzaro to slip up and lead us to them.

“You’re due to make your final payment next week, aren’t you?” I lie.

The date I’m referring to was taken from the forged loan agreement Teo initially dug up. The original expired over a month ago.

“Yes,” Claudio plays along gratefully, and it feels a bit like leading a lamb to slaughter.

I pick up the fountain pen at my side and examine its opal exterior with disinterest. “Given my forgiving mood and the factyou have something I desire, I would like to make you an offer, Claudio Lazzaro.”

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