"I am not using anything against him. I'm going to kill him," she added. "I need to know him first."
Julian let out a slow breath. "If this blows back on you, Bianca…" he began. "There is no escaping it. Marco is famiglia. Luca's capo."
That was protection. That was blood-bound loyalty.
"I don't care. I am a Vitale. Your famiglia rules don't apply to me." she snapped suddenly, the sharpness in her voice breaking through the carefully maintained composure she had worn all morning.
The façade cracked.
"I do not give a shit," she continued, her eyes blazing now. "Whatever and whoever stands in the way of my plans, I will get rid of."
"I'm not helping you," he said simply.
"What?"
"This madness we've gotten into," Julian went on, pushing to his feet now. "It hasn't yielded any success so far. I am not going to risk this until I am absolutely sure—one hundred percent—that your plan will not fail."
