Chapter 66 Bait
"Absolutely not."
Gianni's voice was final. Immovable.
Cedric met his eyes. "You don't get a vote anymore."
"Cedric..."
"You let my father die." Each word was a blade. Sharp and precise. "You don't get to pretend you're protecting me out of love. This is guilt. And I don't need your guilt."
The penthouse door opened.
Marcus stepped in. He looked exhausted. Dark circles under his eyes. Shirt wrinkled. Gun visible in his shoulder holster.
"Are we doing this or not?"
"We're not," Gianni said.
"We are," Cedric said at the same time.
Marcus looked between them. "I need a decision. Dante's moving fast. We have maybe twelve hours before he changes locations again."
"The plan is simple." Marcus crossed to the table. Spread out a map. "We leak Cedric's location. Make it look like he's vulnerable, alone. When Dante comes for him, we'll be ready."
"You're asking him to be a sacrificial lamb." Gianni's voice was a growl.
"I'm asking him to help end this war before more people die." Marcus tapped the map. "Your people. My people. Innocent bystanders. How many more bodies before you accept that this is the only way?"
"Find another way."
"There is no other way. Dante won't stop. You know that."
Gianni's hands clenched. Unclenched.
"I'm in," Cedric said.
"No."
"I'm not asking permission." Cedric moved closer to the table. His hand pressed against his side where the stitches pulled. "This ends tomorrow. One way or another."
"I'm not letting you do this."
"You don't own me, Gianni." Cedric's voice went quiet. Deadly. "You never did. I'm making this choice."
"A choice that could get you killed."
"Then that's my choice to make."
"Is it?" Gianni turned on him. "Or is this just you punishing yourself? Punishing me? Throwing your life away because you can't stand to be in the same room with me anymore?"
"Don't." Cedric's eyes flashed. "Don't make this about us. This is about my mother. My sister. Mrs. Kozlov. Every person Dante is targeting because they had the misfortune of knowing me."
"They're protected. Marco has them all..."
"For how long?" Cedric's voice rose. "How long until Dante finds them? Until he slips through whatever security you've put in place? Until Lily ends up dead because I was too afraid to act?"
"That won't happen."
"You can't promise that."
Silence.
Gianni looked away. Toward the windows. The city that never stopped.
"I can't lose you," he said quietly.
"Then help me survive this." Cedric's voice softened. "Work with me. With Marcus. Stop fighting and help us plan this right."
Marcus cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, we can minimize the risk. Kevlar vest. Wire. Fifty shooters positioned at every angle."
"And if Dante shoots him in the head?" Gianni asked.
"He won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because Dante wants him to suffer first." Marcus's voice was flat. Clinical. "He'll want to gloat. To make Cedric watch while he destroys everything. That gives us time."
"Not much time."
"Enough." Marcus looked at Cedric. "You'd need to sell it. Look scared. Vulnerable. Can you do that?"
"I've been selling things for years." Cedric's smile was bitter. "I think I can manage scared."
"This isn't sex work, Cedric. This is..."
"Life or death?" Cedric cut Marco off. "Yeah. I've done that too."
\---
They argued for hours.
Gianni tried every tactic. Logic. Emotion. Threats. Promises.
Nothing worked.
Cedric sat on the couch. Arms crossed. Immovable.
"If you really love me," Cedric finally said, "you'll trust me to make my own decisions. Even dangerous ones."
Gianni's shoulders sagged.
He knew he'd lost.
"Fine." The word came out defeated. "But I'm there. In the building. Watching."
"No." Marcus shook his head. "You can't be. Dante will expect that. If he sees you anywhere near Cedric, he'll know it's a trap."
"I don't care."
"Boss." Marco stepped forward. "Chen is right. You being there compromises everything."
Gianni looked at Cedric.
Cedric looked back.
"I'll be okay," Cedric said.
"You don't know that."
"No. But I believe it." He stood. Walked to Gianni. "And you need to believe it too."
Gianni's hand came up. Cupped Cedric's face.
"If anything happens to you..."
"It won't."
"But if it does..."
"Then you'll have to live with it." Cedric's voice was gentle. "Just like I'm living with what you did to my father."
The words landed like a punch.
Gianni's hand dropped.
Marcus packed up the map. "We move tomorrow at dusk. Hospital safehouse in Chinatown. I'll make it look understaffed. Leak the location through channels Dante's monitoring."
"What about Cedric's injuries?" Marco asked.
"They help sell it." Marcus looked apologetic. "He looks weak. Vulnerable. Exactly what Dante wants to see."
"I hate this plan," Gianni said.
"So do I." Marcus met his eyes. "But it's the plan we have."
He left.
Marco followed.
The door closed.
Cedric and Gianni stood in the silent penthouse.
"I should get some rest," Cedric said finally.
"Yeah."
Neither of them moved.
"Cedric..."
"Don't." Cedric held up a hand. "Don't apologize again. Don't try to fix this. Just... let it be what it is."
He walked to the bedroom.
Closed the door behind him.
\---
The bed was too big.
Too empty.
Cedric lay on his back. Staring at the ceiling. The city lights painted shadows that moved and shifted.
He couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his father. Saw Lily finding the body. Saw Gianni at nineteen, making the choice that destroyed everything.
Hours passed.
The door opened.
Soft. Careful.
The bed dipped.
Gianni slid in beside him. Staying on the far edge. Not touching. Just there.
"If this goes wrong…" Gianni's voice was barely a whisper.
"It won't."
"If it does. I need you to know. Everything I did, every horrible thing, it was because I loved you. That doesn't excuse it. But it's the truth."
Cedric stared at the ceiling.
Counting cracks in the plaster.
"I know." His voice was hollow. "That's what makes it so fucked up."
They lay in silence.
Not touching.
The space between them felt like miles. Like oceans. Like the distance between alive and dead.
Outside, the city kept moving.
Inside, they both knew this might be their last night together.