nod. He had a point. Everything he’d done up until now made him trustworthy, but bringing Tristan here still felt like a big risk.
Luis doubled back to go outside. Enzo leaned in and kept his voice low. “I don’t like this, Nic.”
“You don’t have to like it. But maybe Luis is right, maybe he does have good intel.” Lord only knew we needed it. Tommy and Stefan were still yet to dig up anything useful on Mike Fascini, and my old man wasn’t exactly over the moon when I told him me and Arianne were here. But he knew I wouldn’t relent again. He hadn’t even bothered to try to order me back to Boston.
I wasn’t going.
I’d stay in the cabin for now, but if it came to it, I would return home and face any consequences.
“We can’t trust him, he’s Fascini’s best friend,” Enzo spat the words, “or have you forgotten that?”
My mind went to two nights ago when I’d stood in the hospital room, confessing my deepest, darkest sins to Tristan. I’d assumed he was asleep... but I wasn’t sure now.
“Let’s just hear him out.”
Enzo pursed his lips, disapproval glittering in his eyes. “You hear him out. I’m going to take a drive around the perimeter, make sure Vitelli definitely covered his tracks.”
“You’re sure?”
“I think it’s for the best. I’m not sure I can be held responsible for my actions if I have to sit and listen to any of Capizola’s bullshit.”
“Okay, but don’t be too long.”
Enzo stalked out of the cabin just as Arianne and Tristan came inside.
“I know this is as awkward as fuck,” Tristan stepped forward, raking a hand through his hair. He looked pale, his eyes sunken and ringed with dark circles.
Guilt flooded me, but it didn’t override the need to protect Arianne. My hand slid inside my jacket and before giving it a second thought, I whipped out my pistol, pressing it right against his temple.
“Nicco!” Arianne shrieked and Luis moved to her side, gently holding her back.
But Tristan didn’t flinch. His hands went slowly up at his sides. “I swear, Marchetti, I’m here to help that’s all.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You can’t.” He inhaled a ragged breath. “You’re just going to have to take a leap of faith. She’s my cousin, she’s family. Surely you can appreciate that.”
Family meant everything to me, but to people like Tristan, people like Roberto Capizola and Mike Fascini, even family could be pawns. They’d proved that more than once.
We were locked in an impasse. I didn’t want to trust him—everything inside me screamed at me not to trust him—but we needed allies.
We needed answers.
And he was one person who could possibly give them to us.
“I’m sorry,” the words were out of me before I could stop them. I pulled my pistol away and engaged the safety, shoving it back in the waistband of my jeans.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he said. “I think once is enough, don’t you?” His expression turned smug.
So he had been awake the other night.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or embarrassed.
“Let’s sit.” I walked over to the sectional. Arianne sat down beside me, sliding her hand into mine. She cast me a concerned look.
“I had to,” I whispered.
“I know.” She gave me a sad smile.
Tristan and Luis took the chairs opposite. Silence stretched out before us. Thick and heavy with the secrets of our past. Tense with the reality of our current predicament.
“I should probably start,” Tristan said. “I got discharged from hospital yesterday.”
“I didn’t know.” Arianne sat a little straighter.
“Mom picked me up and I crashed.
“I headed over to the estate this morning, hoping to catch Uncle Roberto. I wanted to talk to him about some things...” His eyes flicked from Arianne to mine. “I knew something was wrong the second I got there.”
“You saw my father?”
He gave Arianne a sharp nod. “He was beside himself. I’ve never seen anything like it. Aunt Gabriella was trying to console him, but he got so angry. He trashed his office. That’s when she told me everything.”
Arianne stiffened. “H- how much?”
“Everything.”
“Oh.” She pressed closer to me.
“I want you to know I’m on your side, Ari. I didn’t know...” He let out a weary sigh. “If I’d have known what he would do, I would never have pushed the relationship. I didn’t—”
“Stop, just stop.” She breathed. “You said I needed to grow up and live in the real world. You said it was my destiny whether I liked it or not. You said