Page 48 of His Puppet
“Soft,” Settimo corrects, although he’s looking at me. “He means soft. Not weak.”
I could easily commit murder right now, but I choose to ignore Lorenzo’s comment. I nod at Victor. “I want him out of here.” My eyes move to Lorenzo. “If that’s alright with you?”
Lorenzo pauses for a moment to stare me down, then he moves his eyes to Victor and nods. Victor walks down the hallway and slips into an office without another word.
Silence pierces the air, and tension doesn’t ease as Lorenzo and I stare at each other. Settimo clears his throat, and I finally break away from Lorenzo. Settimo looks at Emily and grins. “You must be Emily.” He holds his hand out, and she peers at me as if to get the okay. I give a curt nod just so she’ll hurry up, and she takes Settimo’s hand.
“Settimo,” he says with a charming smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He lets go of her hand, and she takes a step back. “Good things, I hope.”
Settimo shrugs. “A little of both.” He points to me. “I was pleased to hear about the file you downloaded for Mr. Bianchi, here. Very impressive.”
There’s a smile plastered on his face, but he’s the least bit sincere. I know Settimo. He lays the charm on thick when he thinks it’ll get him further than the threat of violence. I’m not sure what the right strategy for speaking to Emily is, but Lorenzo is balancing Settimo out, anyway. His skepticism could be felt a mile away. These two play good cop bad cop better than any pair I know, and they don’t have to try.
“Thanks. I um. I’m glad it helped … sir.”
“Helped us or helped you?” Lorenzo asks, drawing her attention to him.
Emily doesn’t respond, and he continues. “Could you tell ushowyou managed to retrieve the file?”
“Yeah, I uh—”
“Yeah?” Lorenzo’s brows pinch, and he makes a face of disapproval.
Emily takes a breath. “I mean, yes, sir. I made up a story about a dead dog and needing to get ahold of animal control, and he invited me in for water. We—”
“Just like that, huh? You tell him you need to make a call, and he invites you inside. He must be more trusting than most.”
Emily stands with her mouth open, presumably not knowing what to say.
“What he’s getting at is,” Settimo says. “It’s odd to imagine that scenario taking place without some sort of seduction involved.”
“Well, I mean, I was wearing a jogging outfit that showed skin, but—”
Lorenzo’s sigh cuts her off. He frowns like she’s disappointed him. “Emily, forgive me for being rude, but we don’t have time for this. It doesn’t matter what bullshit you fed him to get inside. Did you fuck him in exchange for the file?”
“What?” she asks, her face pinching.
Settimo puts his hand in front of Lorenzo to take the lead. “It’s okay if you did. Hell, if I was in your position, it would be the obvious route. It’s just that, if you did make some sort of an exchange with him, that could mean he knows exactly who you’re working for and what we have. It may have been a weak moment for him, but he’ll do what he can to repair the damage. Does that make sense?”
My eyes narrow, and I speak before Emily has a chance. “She was given strict instructions to get the file without the detective ever knowing about it.”
Lorenzo scoffs. “Ms. Won’t-Tell-You-Her-Name hasn’t exactly proven herself to be a rule follower. There is no plausible way she could have gotten into that detective’s computer, let alone thedatabase.”
“He never would have willingly given her access to that file,” I snap back.
Settimo interjects. “He would if she offered to help him get to you.”
I move my eyes to Settimo and am quiet a moment, my fists clenched.
Settimo frowns. “You know the guy has it out for you, Blade. The whole force does. You know they’d do anything to get to you, including giving you what you want.” He nods to Emily. “You can’t even tell us this young woman’s name, and you’re trusting her with this kind of sensitive information.”
My spine stiffens, and I roll my neck. I flex my fingers at my sides.
He has a point. I trust Emily … but I can’t explain to them why. Everything points against her deserving it.
“My name is Emily Wilson.”