as she swallows, and she looks a little overwhelmed. I hope I didn’t freak her out by saying too much, but it’s the damn truth, and I’m done pretending otherwise. She may not see it, but she’s changed all of us. We’re not the same men we were when we pulled her from that church all those weeks ago.
“Speaking of being better, we shouldn’t keep our guest waiting. Wouldn’t want to be rude,” I joke, breaking the moment and drawing a small laugh from Grace.
I like that I can make her laugh. With all the shit going in on her life right now, it seems necessary.
We head down the steps together. The door to the interrogation room is unlocked, and we step inside the large, cement-walled space.
Ciro and Leland are both in the room, sitting almost exactly how I imagined. A vein bulges on the side of Leland’s head, a single bead of sweat rolling down his temple. Ciro watches him like a lion, lazy and sleepy in the sun, ready to pounce in a heartbeat.
Despite the tension in the room and the smell of blood that still lingers from last time Leland was here, Grace doesn’t look afraid. She even gives my brother a small smile as he and Hale enter the room a few moments later.
Hale steps forward, and Ciro rises smoothly from his chair. As a single unit, the five of us approach Leland, coming to stand before him.
I wonder what he has for us. It better be fucking good.
“You will take care to make this detailed, but not long winded,” Hale says, staring at Leland. He nods. “I want to hear everything, but you’re not here to waste any of our time. Got it?”
The physical stress is beginning to take a toll on the older man. I can see it in him. Fading bruises mar his face, and I hope like hell that Camilla bought his cover story explaining his fucked up appearance. Mafia life is violent, but even so, he looks like shit. He’s paler than he was last time he was here, his eyes glassy. He fidgets endlessly—with his tie, his sleeves, his fingers. The actions are so rapid and jerky that they irritate me, putting me on edge just like he is.
But his whole body stills when Hale speaks next.
“Tell us what you found.”
“Camilla has something big coming up.” The words burst from Leland’s mouth like he can’t wait to say his piece and get the fuck out of here. He’s lost weight too, his suit a little looser around the waist, hanging on his shoulders. “She’s working on a major deal right now.”
“A deal with who?”
“I don’t know.” He shakes his head rapidly. “I really don’t. I’m not that high up in her ranks, just a—”
“What. Is. This. Deal?” Hale speaks each word slowly, like he’s giving Leland a chance to reconsider that weak-ass excuse.
“It’s big!” Leland repeats, as if he didn’t already tell us that. “She’s been planning it for months. That’s all I know.” He swallows. “She’s convinced that when it goes through, she’ll be able to push us aside—”
“The Novaks,” Hale corrects. It couldn’t be more clear that he doesn’t consider Leland one of us anymore.
The traitor blanches. He’s getting more and more jittery the longer we talk. His gaze darts to Ciro before shifting back to Hale. “She thinks that this deal will bring the Novaks down, so she can start taking over our—your territory. Resources. Businesses. She seemed very pleased that it was going through.”
Hale mutters a curse under his breath. “How soon is it going through?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know or you’re choosing not to tell us?” Hale demands, and Ciro takes a single step forward as if on cue.
Leland flinches. “No! I don’t know anything else about it, I swear—”
Hale stops Ciro with a small movement of his hand. Looking at Leland long and hard, he clenches his jaw. The man squirms in his seat as Hale scrutinizes him.
“We need more.”
“I told you, I don’t have any more,” Leland says, and there’s a hysterical edge to his voice. “I got everything I could. She runs a tight ship, only the people who need to know are made aware of important deals. I’m not in that category. She still considers me a Nov—”
“If you finish that sentence, I’ll fucking kill you.” Hale’s voice cuts through Leland’s babbling. “You are not a Novak, and you don’t deserve to utter that name.”
When the man snaps his jaw shut,