Page 14 of The Seventh Circle
He shrugged. "Remembering isn't the same as becoming."
The café had emptied around us, the owner discreetly keeping other patrons away from our section. Lorenzo ordered a second bottle, and I knew I should decline. Drinking with the boss—especially this boss—wasn't wise. But I found myself nodding, unwilling to end our conversation.
"Your father expects great things," I said, redirecting to safer ground.
"My father expects exactly one thing—that I become him." Lorenzo poured for both of us. "But I'm not him, Romano. I don't want this business run the same way in my lifetime."
The admission surprised me. "How would you run it?"
"Smarter. Less blood, more strategy." His voice lowered. "The violence... it has a cost beyond the immediate."
I nodded, thinking of the nightmares that sometimes came after jobs went badly. The faces that stayed with me.
"The market," I said. "With Vito. You could have had me cut him badly. Most bosses would have."
"Would you have done it? If I'd ordered it?"
I considered the question honestly. "Yes. But I would have questioned your judgement afterward."
His laugh was unexpected and genuine. "Good. I need people who think, not just obey." He leaned forward. "That's why I requested you for collections. You see the larger picture."
Heat rose to my face at the praise. "Just doing my job."
"No." Lorenzo's gaze was intent. "You're doing more than your job. You're showing me a different way to operate."
The wine must have affected me more than I realized, because I found myself studying the curve of his mouth as hespoke. The elegant line of his throat when he swallowed. I forced my attention back to his words.
"—need allies who understand the vision," he was saying. "If I'm to change things without losing control."
"You consider me an ally?" I asked, surprised.
"I'd like to." His fingers brushed mine as he reached for the bottle, the contact brief but electric. "If you're interested in more than just following orders."
I withdrew my hand, uncomfortable with my body's response to that casual touch. "What exactly are you proposing?"
"A partnership of sorts. Your perspective is valuable to me, Romano."
Relief and disappointment mingled strangely in my chest. Of course he meant business. What else would Lorenzo Benedetto want from an enforcer from Trastevere?
"I'm not educated enough to advise the Benedetto heir," I said carefully.
"Education and intelligence aren't the same thing." He refilled my glass. "You have the latter in abundance."
The compliment warmed me more than the wine. I tried to remind myself of the danger here—not just from growing too familiar with a boss, but from the confusing reactions his presence triggered in me.
"I should get home," I said, noticing how late it had grown. "My mother worries."
Lorenzo nodded, though something like disappointment crossed his features. "Of course." He settled our bill and walked with me outside.
The night air cleared my head somewhat. Lorenzo stood too close, our shoulders nearly touching as we paused on the street corner.
"Take a different route tonight," he advised. "If Torrino's men are watching you."
"Already planned to." I gestured toward the eastern alleyways. "The long way home."
He frowned. "I'll have a car take you."
"And show them exactly where I live? No thank you."
