Page 38 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

“Anyone would think you spent all weekend partying,” she says with a laugh.

“If only,” I groan, fighting like hell to keep images of what my weekend really was like from my head. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just checking you’re still alive. You kinda went off-grid.”

Shit.

“Uh… yeah. I just needed a weekend to myself, you know? I had tons of work to do and—“

“It’s totally cool. Things have been a bit… crazy this weekend, anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” I mutter, already knowing that she’s only going to give me the CliffsNotes of what’s actually happened. It seems even my new best friends don’t think I can handle the whole truth these days.

“Shit, Cal,” she sighs, regret laced through her tone. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you. The Boss said—“

“I get it, okay? It’s my life.”

“Jodie and Joanne were abducted by Jonas after he escaped, and the Italians helped orchestrate the whole thing.”

“What?” I blurt, sitting bolt upright.

“Yeah, I know. It’s fucked up.”

“Is Jodie okay?” I ask. “Toby?”

“Yeah, everyone is good. Well, aside from that motherfucking cunt and his little Italian friend.”

“He’s gone?” I breathe, even more relieved than I expected to be at finally hearing that news.

“Yup. We’ve finally sent him on his one-way trip to hell. Toby blew that house sky high.”

“He… he blew up…”

“Jodie’s house.”

“Christ.”

“It’s over, that’s all that matters. They’re gonna set Joanne up in a flat downstairs.”

I nod, trying to imagine how they might be feeling right now.

“When did all this happen?”

“Friday night.” I swallow nervously as understanding dawns as to why Daemon was in the Italians’ warehouse then. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you more. We knew the Italians were involved and that they were potentially watching us. Damien and your dad demanded we all be as normal as possible.”

“Normal?” I balk, trying to push past the fact that they’d all lied to me. “If you all started acting normal then they’d know something was wrong.”

“Oh, shush you.”

“What’s happening with the Italians?” I ask, needing something, anything that might help me discover what happened to Ant. It’s not like I can just head over there and ask.

“Honestly, I don’t really know the details, but the guys went and raided their little hangout on Friday night. Took a couple of their key guys hostage in the hope of delivering a message. I dunno what they’re really planning to make it look like they’ve got the biggest dicks. What I do know is that they all came back looking like they’d been to war.”

“They killed them?” I ask, the blood visibly draining from my face, making me wish she hadn’t video called me. I might be getting better at hiding things, keeping my secrets, but I have zero game face.

“I don’t think anyone died, no. There are going to be a few suffering from the ambush, though, if the amount of blood on the guys was anything to go by.”

My lips part as a million questions dance on the end of my tongue about the events of Friday night, but I quickly swallow them all down for fear of giving too much away.