Page 19 of Brutal Devil

I eye it like it’s a rattler poised to strike. But in the end, I’m shaken. The last thing I want to do is make a fool of myself struggling to my feet. So I settle my hand in his much larger one. He hauls me to my feet with one tug.

Our hands are still entwined, and I stare at them stupidly, intrigued by the ink swirling over his skin, my heart racing. But then he releases me just as quickly as he lifted me from the floor.

“How much do you know about Amedeo Revello?” he asks, and all the heat burning through my veins is cooled by icy dread.

Priest

“Enough to know he’s dangerous.”

Luna’s voice is flat when she makes the pronouncement. And that alone tells me more than mere words ever could. Because I’ve witnessed her battling me toe-to-toe ever since she showed up at Club Venere. She’s been fearless and badass. But unless I’m mistaken, Amedeo “the Animal” Revello terrifies her.

Unlike with most of my opponents, her fear doesn’t please me. But I will use it against her anyway. I have to.

“Then you know how ruthless he is,” I press, watching her carefully for any hint of emotion. “And that he wants to become don of the Revello family.”

“My father is the don, and Amedeo isn’t next in line.”

Her brother, Leo, would have been. But Leo’s dead.

“I know that, and you know that. Amedeo knows that too. But he doesn’t respect it. In your brother’s place, Tomasso has been looking to crown your cousin Francesco.”

“Squeaky?” She looks genuinely surprised.

I’ve put out some feelers where she’s concerned. And it’s looking like what my informants have told me is correct. She really has been out of the game these last five years, on the other side of the country, immersing herself in her degrees.

For a second, I feel a twinge of something that feels a whole lot like envy jolt through me at the idea of being able to escape this world. But then as quickly as it hits me, it’s gone. Pointless too.

I nod. “Tomasso wanted Squeaky to become the new don, and soon. Amedeo caught wind of the plan and has been workinghard to start something. He’s planning to have your father and Squeaky killed.”

“What? I don’t believe it. Amedeo is heartless and vile, but he always had nothing but respect for my father. He would never try to kill him. It can’t be true.”

“He’s already tried. Fortunately, we have some moles in the Revello ranks. We knew what was happening before it went down, and when the car your father and Squeaky were meant to take blew up last week, we had them miles away, safe.”

She’s gone pale now, her bravado flagging as she hugs herself. “Amedeo tried to bomb my father’s car? I don’t understand. Why would my father appoint Squeaky now?”

I hesitate, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, and then I mentally kick my own ass for such ridiculous weakness where she’s concerned.

“Daddy Dearest told you he’s got cancer, right?” I keep my voice cold and unaffected. “Started out in his lungs, and it’s spread. The prognosis isn’t good. He needed to make a move for the future of the family. Unfortunately for him, it’s one Amedeo doesn’t like.”

“I… So, hedoeshave cancer, then? My father, I mean. He told me. It was my reason for coming back here. But I wasn’t sure after what happened…”

Ah, so that was how Tomasso had lured her.

“He’s got cancer,” I confirm. “He’s been fighting it for a while now.”

“How long? Do you know?” Her gaze drops, her cracked lower lip trembling. “He never said anything. I…we haven’t kept in touch much. I’ve been so busy.”

I’m seeing a part of her she’s kept hidden until now. It’s like the walls she erected around herself have lowered, and suddenly, I’m in. I seize the advantage.

“I don’t think he ever wanted anyone to know. The stubborn bastard thought he’d fight it and win. But that’s changed.”

She’s still hugging herself, looking disheveled and alone, tears welling in her eyes. The angry, shoe-wielding wild woman has been tamed. And all because of sadness over her undeserving prick of a father.

“This is where we come in,” I add. “The Andrianis and the Revellos unite, and together, we’re stronger than Amedeo. We keep him in his place, and we keep the Irish, the Bratva, and the other families in theirs too. There’s only one way to do it, and if we don’t, Amedeo’s going to kill not just your father, but you too. He can’t afford to leave any stone unturned in a coup.”

Her eyes go wide. “Me? But that’s ridiculous. I don’t even live here. I don’t want to be a part of this fucked-up crime world.”

If I had a heart, I’d feel bad for her.