Giovanni walks over to the armchair in the middle of the room and plops down in it, crossing his leg over his knee before gesturing for me to take the seat across from him. I do so, glancing at the small table in-between us. It has a couple of glasses on it, along with a decanter in the middle.
Sitting down on the chair, the leather sinks with my weight, but it's firm and comfortable. I relax my shoulders slightly before I look up and find Giovanni still watching me. I take a deep swallow, turning my gaze away from him.
He continues to study me, letting the silence linger in the room.
Does he want me to say something?
"How was your first night?" I'm surprised by his question.
"Oh... um," I fidget my hands along the arm of the chair. "It was okay."
"Okay?" he asks, the word sounding unfamiliar on his tongue. "And what of the employees?"
Oh, is this a debriefing on my... job.
"I don't... I didn't get a good feel for anyone," I say as if I know how to actually spot a traitor. It's better than giving him nothing, though, because I have a feeling he wouldn't like that in the slightest. So saying something is better even if it isn't completely helpful. "Todd was nice and so was Dave. Amarie too."
His eyes narrow. "So you thought everyone was nice?" The disgust in his voice is clear, amplified by the frown that crosses his lips.
I give a nod, my throat tight. "Yes, but it was just the first night," I remind him.
"The first night, yes, but every night that it takes before the rat is money that I lose."
"I didn't know that I was supposed to find the person tonight." I can't help the note of bitterness that crosses into my tone. I tense slightly after it's out, my hands clenching on the arm chairs as I peer at Giovanni. He doesn't look any more irritated by my talking back though, just... intrigued?
He leans forward, taking the cap off the decanter and pouring a brown liquid into two of the glasses on the table. He pushed one in my direction before picking up the other one.
"Drink."
I comply, picking up the glass and sipping slightly. I wince as the liquid passes down my throat, strong and burning slightly. My face grows hot and I cough slightly before composing myself and downing the rest of the glass in one go. It isn't that it tastes bad exactly, it's the opposite, actually, but I'm not used to liquor this strong or expensive.
Giovanni is still watching me, though his posture is more relaxed than I expect. This is the most approachable I've ever seen him and yet I still want to run out of the room and get the hell away from him. There's just something so cool and calculating about him that I don't get from the others.
Maximo is like a live wire, ready to shock you at any given moment. Enzo is like a light switch, his mood changing and turning on and off at the drop of a dime. Vito is like an electrical field, the energy that he always gives off strong and commanding.
And Giovanni… I’m not sure how to describe him. Maybe a fuse? I don’t see him often, but I know everything and everyone works because of him. And if something were to happen to him, the whole circuit would blow.
"I don't like you, Winter Chastine," he says after a moment. His glass is dangling from his fingers as he continues to stare at me with an intense look on his face. His expression is hard to read and his body is still as relaxed as I've ever seen it.
"I.." I pause, snapping my lips together. As much as I want to respond, Enzo's warnings flash through my head about talking back and questioning Giovanni.
"Speak freely," he says, watching me closely. "You won't have too many chances to let your tongue do as it pleases around me."
I swallow, feeling like I'm being led into a trap. But hell, I'm already caged so what would be the point? "I don't understand what you want me to do with that information. I know you don't like me and I don't expect you to.” I don’t like him either, frankly, I fucking hate him. “I'm an asset for you, nothing more, nothing less."
"Assets show their worth and I've yet to see yours."
"I've only been here a couple of days."
"Enzo killed a man trying to attack me on his second day with the family. Maximo performed his first hit before he was initiated. Vito connected us with the seven quad gang his first day in his position."
"But I'm not a part of the family."
"Still doesn't mean you shouldn't have shown your value by now." He leans forward and I feel frozen as his eyes tack me. "You should figure out how you can contribute and do so very soon. I don't expect you to only do what I ask of you. I expect you to do that and much more."
I swallow, thinking of a reply, because I don't understand what exactly he expects from me. I'm not a part of the family. And what would I even do to help the family besides trying to help them find whoever is betraying the family. "I have no... no special skills," I tell him.
He leans back in his seat, the glass still dangling in his hand as he brings his opposite hand up the side of his face. "But that isn't true is it? You saw the men fighting in the club before the shots went off. Even Enzo didn't see them. That makes you observative at the least."
What should sound like a compliment doesn't exactly sound like one, but it isn't an insult either, so all I can do is nod in response.
"Our rat is selling products that don't belong to us on our property and from what we know Delirium is their main source. It's where it all started at least, but it has spread to some of our other clubs. But since Delirium is where we do most of our sales, it's important that we cut the head of the snake off from there."
"And what do you think makes me qualified to find this person?" It's a genuine question, one I may not get the chance to ask him directly again..
A smile crosses his face, cold and cruel. "Desperation brings out parts of us we never knew existed. And you have no choice but to find them if you want to keep breathing, so you'll figure it out."