Chapter 7 - A Question of Trust
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The study was quiet, save for the rhythmic tapping of rain against the bullet-resistant glass of the bay windows.
Emily set the delicate porcelain espresso cup carefully onto Santino’s desk. She turned to walk back to her corner, but his voice stopped her.
“Why did you jump?”
Emily froze. She turned back to face him. Santino wasn't looking at his paperwork. He was looking directly at her, his hands steepled under his chin.
“Sir?”
“Two hundred people stood on that lawn,” Santino said, his voice a low, hypnotic rumble. “Men who owe me their lives. Men who owe me their fortunes. My own blood sister. They all watched me sink. You were a maid making minimum wage. Why did you jump?”
Emily had rehearsed this answer a hundred times in the dark of her miserable apartment. She had prepared a story about basic human decency, about panic, about instinct.
But looking into Santino’s eyes, she realized he would spot a rehearsed lie in a heartbeat. He was a human polygraph machine.
So, she offered him a piece of the dangerous truth.
“Because I know what it feels like to be drowning while everyone else watches and does nothing,” Emily said quietly.
Santino’s expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened, absorbing the weight of her words.
“Who let you drown, Emily?” he asked softly.
Emily’s heart hammered in her chest. Tommy's smiling face flashed in her mind. The police officers who had shrugged their shoulders. The landlord who had evicted her when she couldn't pay Tommy's share of the rent.
“The world, Mr. Ferrara,” Emily replied, keeping her voice completely steady. “The world lets people drown every day.”
Santino stared at her for a long, heavy moment. He slowly reached out and picked up his espresso cup.
“The world is a cruel place for those without power,” Santino agreed, taking a slow sip. “But you are no longer drowning, Emily. You are inside my walls now. And as long as you remain loyal to me, no one will ever let you sink again.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Go back to your desk. We have a meeting with the Morretti family in an hour. I want you to take notes.”
May you like
Emily nodded and walked back to her desk. Her hands were shaking slightly as she opened her notepad. She had just gained an inch of his trust. It was a terrifying, intoxicating feeling, but she couldn't forget why she was really here.
She was going to use his trust to find her brother.
