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“It won’t.” He places his palms on the desk and watches the screen. “As far as they know, I did it. I would never put you in danger.”
I’m skeptical he can keep such a promise, but I can’t have his death on my conscience. It’s one transaction. How much trouble can it cause?
three
MACE
The clouds are heavy and nearly black, a warning of the violence the sky is going to pour down on New York City at any second. The darkness matches my mood. There are very few things I find pleasurable in life, and dealing with a made man throwing a tantrum is not one of them.
“Fuck!”
Pulling my attention from the window, I study Luca. His face is getting redder by the second. I hold his gaze, refusing to flinch when he slams his hand on the desk. In our short history together, I’ve discovered it takes a lot to make the Marino capo lose his shit, but learning someone managed to get into one of his legitimate business’s bank accounts and wire a hundred thousand dollars to the Morozov bratva appears to be the thing that lights his fuse.
Can’t say I blame him. If anyone else besides me and the IRS knows what was done, he’s dead. Any hint of disloyalty in the mafia is enough to warrant a death sentence. It doesn’t matter how high up you are or who you’re related to.
Clenching his fists, Luca shakes his head. “I want you to find who did it, and I want them underground by tonight.”
I arch an eyebrow. What am I, a magician? “It might take me a few days to find them.”
“It better fucking not,” he growls.
Exhaling, I look around his swanky mansion. Oakland Gardens is a nicer part of Queens, and this house is a little too nice for a capo. It’s pretty likely that Luca is skimming money. That’s not good for either of us. On paper, I’m simply the account manager for the legit companies he operates, but I’veassistedLuca with a few illegitimate activities. If anyone suspects he’s working outside the family, they’ll try to kill us both.
“Give me a week. I’ll find out who did it, and then you can take them to the boss. Set the record straight so everyone knows you’re loyal.”
Luca slams his fist onto his desk. “Fuck!”
I press my lips together and wait for him to decide. One day to hunt someone down is stupid, and he knows it. He can’t fucking do it, so he needs me.
“What do we pay your family for, huh?” Luca shoves out of his chair and pulls his gun, pointing it straight at me.
Paralysis hits me for a millisecond. I can almost taste the gunpowder. It’s not the first time he’s shoved a gun in my face, and it certainly won’t be the last. Luca deals in threats of death. I’ve been almost shot so many times now, the click of the safety disengaging barely makes my muscles tense. It’s just another day in my life. If I’m not dodging a gun, I’m fending off my dad.
“Are you fucking with me, Mace?”
God, this is getting old. When Dad took over Rex Tech, the company exploded, but garnering the title of the world’s most progressive tech conglomerate also caughtthe attention of various criminal organizations. One agreement led to a lifetime of debt, and instead of dealing with the consequences of his actions himself, my father forces me to. Have I mentioned I really fucking hate it?
Luca is trying to rattle me.Does he really think I did it?I breathe in, count to four, blink, and release my breath on a steady exhale.
“You know it wasn’t me. I don’t need your money.” I keep my voice even. My house is easily twice as big as his. I have more money than I know what to do with. If Luca was capable of rational thought, he’d realize that. “I’ll find who did it. I just need a little more time, that’s all.”
Tightening the grip on the gun, he releases a frustrated, “Arrgh!” then lowers the gun. “This is all I want you working on. If I so much as see you at other meetings, I’ll kill you.”
“No, you won’t.” I stand and smooth my shirt. “I might tolerate you pointing a gun in my face, but don’t forget who I am, Luca.”
“Yeah, fuck you, wolf,” he spits, reminding me of where I came from and setting the gun on the desk. “Call your daddy.”
The nickname brings back a flood of memories that make my stomach revolt. Of a cage in some abandoned warehouse. Men surrounding it and exchanging money. Dozens of young boys who stood across from me—children of the betting men who didn’t have a choice either—and the fights and sometimes deaths that followed. The boys who dropped to the ground when I knocked them out.Wolfwas the nickname they gave me in the ring, a natural-born killer. No one understood why I refused to lose.
Does he think I’ve gone soft?
Violence rolls through me, muscles tightening anddarkness tinging the edges of my vision. Luca notices the shift and uncertainty ripples over his features. I step toward him and hold his gaze, letting the silence linger for a few seconds. A lot can be said without even speaking, but sometimes words help put the assholes back where they belong. “Shut the fuck up and let me do the job. Otherwise, I’ll make sure Vito knows you’re in bed with the Russians and deliver your severed dick, alongside the evidence.”
“I could kill you,” he growls.
I’d like to see him try.
“Go ahead.” Grabbing the gun, I push it into his hands, calling his bluff. As expected, he refuses to take it. “Kill me, and kill your only chance of saving your life.”