Page 25

LUCA

“Lorenzo said to give it a week,” Sal reminds me, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee while I leave mine untouched on his counter.

“I know, but I thought maybe…”

Uncle Sal’s phone starts to ring, and he holds up a finger to tell me to give him a second.

That’s fine, because I have no fucking clue what I was going to say anyway.

I thought maybe you’d give me the go-ahead to take care of this scumbag quick and easy .

I thought maybe we could get this prick behind bars before the end of the day today.

I thought maybe you’d tell me to forget about waiting and do what I have to…

“Xav, what’s up?” Sal says into the phone.

His eyes snap to mine and dance with a mixture of concern and amusement as he listens to whatever Xaviaro is saying on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah, he’s right here. I’ll send him over.

Thanks.” He hangs up and then spends a second tapping on his screen.

I raise both eyebrows. The trigger man was calling about me ? That can’t be good.

“What—” I start to ask, but my phone vibrates in my pocket and Sal cuts me off.

“Xav says your man killed some dude. I just sent you the location so you can go clean up after him.” My uncle stuffs his phone back into his pocket and takes another sip of his coffee like what he just said is no big thing.

“He— Anders ? Who?” I fumble for my phone to see where the location is.

I would ask what Xaviaro has to do with any of this, but I’m guessing it’s related to Sparrow shaking me down this morning for my credit card.

Sal just shrugs. Apparently asking follow-up questions didn’t occur to him.

I don’t bother with pleasantries, I just mutter a thanks, dump my full mug of coffee into the sink, and take off.

A million thoughts run through my head as I weave through traffic, ignoring honks and dirty looks from other drivers on my way to find out what the fuck is going on.

Did Anders’s father find him somehow? I can’t imagine who else he might have killed, although if he was with Sparrow, fuck only knows.

I’ve only met the man twice, but he seems a bit unhinged.

Since I’m anticipating hauling a couple hundred pounds of dead weight, I pull around into the wider end of the alley near the delivery entrances and dumpsters and park.

I’m not sure what I expected to find, but Anders and Sparrow leaning against the building, laughing while Xaviaro busies himself sorting recycling out of an overflowing trash bin and an unmoving body lies in a pool of blood a few feet away isn’t it.

“What the hell happened?” I ask.

“I didn’t actually kill him,” Anders says. “I only stabbed him once.”

Sparrow pats his arm consolingly. “If it makes you feel better, he would have bled out eventually, I just sped things along.”

Xaviaro grunts in agreement, and I just gape at the three of them for a few seconds.

Anders doesn’t appear to be upset, but it’s possible he’s just in shock.

I step over the body and make my way to him.

He straightens up, and I notice he’s wearing my clothes still, his messenger bag slung over his shoulder as usual and a shopping bag at his feet.

When I reach him, I cup his jaw and lean down to rest my forehead against his.

“What happened, little viper?” I ask again, more softly this time.

“That asshole went after Sparrow, and we took care of him.” The confidence in his voice and the unwavering way he meets my gaze makes my heart fucking soar.

“And you’re okay?”

He straightens up just a little more and gives a sharp nod. “I’m fine.”

“Alright.” I run my thumb over his smooth cheek and then brush a quick kiss to his lips. “Looks like I’m on cleanup duty then.”

Xaviaro finishes pulling large scraps of cardboard out of the trash and wipes his hands off on his suit pants.

“You got it from here, or do you want us to hang around?”

“I’m fine.” I wave him off. “Thanks.”

Sparrow steals Anders from me to pull him into a quick hug. “You better call me. We’re besties now, whether you like it or not.”

Anders chuckles. “Murder is a bonding experience.”

“It really is,” he agrees vehemently, then lets Anders go and saunters over to link his hand with Xaviaro’s.

“I think there’s a coffee shop right across the street. Why don’t you go get something to drink and I’ll pull around and pick you up once I’ve got this taken care of.” I nod towards the body.

Anders looks at it, then back at me, and shakes his head. “No, that’s okay. I can handle it.”

I arch an eyebrow, but I’m not going to argue. If he wants to help, he can help. Anders has had enough people in his life take his autonomy away already.

I pop open my trunk and pull out the roll of garbage bags I keep on hand for occasions just like this.

It’s not the first time I’ve gotten the call to get rid of a body, usually courtesy of Xaviaro himself.

He doesn’t flinch at pulling the trigger, but the rumor is he hates cleanup.

It’s not exactly my favorite activity either, but I’m not high enough in the Moretti chain of command to bitch about it. Maybe one day.

Anders helps me wrap the body up so it won’t leak all over the inside of my trunk. Then he grabs the legs while I grab the front end, and we heave it inside.

“Hold on,” Anders says before I shut the trunk.

He rummages through his shopping bag, pulling out a t-shirt and pair of jeans, then strips out of the oversized clothes he’s wearing, right there in the alley.

“They got some blood on them,” he explains, balling them up and stuffing them into another trash bag, then cinching it and tossing it into the trunk with our dead friend.

“By all means, take your time,” I tease, closing the trunk and leaning against it to enjoy the view with a smirk.

He snorts and starts to dress in his fresh clothes.

There’s something different about the way he’s holding himself now.

The confidence I saw in his eyes is seeping into every part of him, making him hold his head just a little bit higher and move just a little more fluidly.

Even the smile twisting his lips looks less forced than any of them have up until now.

He runs his fingers through his hair to tame it once he’s dressed and then meets my gaze.

My cock plumps lazily and I lick my lips.

“You look fucking hot,” I tell him.

He chuckles. “Do you mean in my new clothes? Or was it the flecks of blood doing it for you?”

I reach out and tug him in close. He braces his hands on my chest and tilts his head to keep his eyes on mine.

“It’s the ‘I’ll fucking cut you’ energy, little viper,” I purr, and he claims my lips in a hard kiss.

ANDERS

Luca joked last night that leaving bruises on him would be better than therapy, and he wasn’t completely wrong. But I think in a fucked up way, what happened today was the kind of catharsis I needed.

We leave the city behind and I can hear the thud of the body in the trunk shifting as Luca takes a sharp left turn onto a hidden side road.

“You said you’re working on getting my dad sent to prison. Do you think that will work?”

He glances over at me as we bump along a gravel road that leads up the side of a towering hill, trees on either side of us obscuring the late afternoon sun.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m betting he’s done plenty of illegal shit, but I’m not convinced that any of it will be worth more than a short stint behind bars.

Unless Sparrow can find kiddie pics on his computer or you know of anyone he’s offed and can get proof, I think it’s only a short-term solution. ”

I swallow around the acid building in the back of my throat. “Finn texted me yesterday that he might not leave Wildcliff at all. Short-term isn’t enough.”

Luca’s nostrils flare and he grunts. “I promise you don’t need to worry. I told you I’m going to keep you safe, and I mean it.”

The crazy thing is, I think I believe him.

Actually, I know I do. Luca has kept every promise so far, he’s passed every test I’ve unintentionally given him, he’s been exactly who he’s said he would be.

I reach over and put my hand on his thigh, warming inside from the small amount of connection and the way he presses up into my touch like he needs it as much as I do.

“I think we should just kill him.”

He chuckles. “One afternoon with Sparrow and you’re positively bloodthirsty.”

“He reminded me of who I used to be. Not the murder exactly, but the rest of it. I’m done being docile. You and Sparrow reminded me that I have fangs, and I’m going to use them from now on.”

Luca groans and reaches between his legs. “You’ve never been sexier. Do you know that?”

I believe him when he says that, too. He doesn’t just want the easy, quiet, agreeable parts of me, he wants all of me.

We reach the end of the road where the trees part, and slow to a stop in the middle of the clearing.

A few feet ahead, there’s a steep drop-off, and in the distance is a breathtaking view of the city skyline.

From up here, it almost looks like a nice place to live.

I glance over at Luca again and a grin twitches on my lips. Maybe it’s all about perspective.

We get out of the car and work together to carry the body over to the ledge, which is apparently a ravine.

“Set it down here,” Luca instructs. “There’s a standing directive not to toss the plastic bags into the water if we can help it. After seeing Xav playing Captain Planet in the alley today, I’m guessing that comes from him.”

I laugh and help him tear the bags off before we roll the body over the ledge.

“Wow, my first body dump,” I muse, brushing my hands off on my jeans when we’re done. “Do I get a merit badge or what?”

“No, you’re thinking of the Girl Scouts,” he deadpans.

“Ah, right. A difficult badge for eight-year-old girls to earn, I imagine.”