Page 121 of Dirty Hearts

“Shhhhh, don’t worry, Angel Doll. It’s just a little something I put on you to get you out of the house,” he said in a sing-song voice. He’d touched my shoulder moments ago.What did he put on me?“Can’t scream, can’t shout for dear old Claudius. You see, that bomb was supposed to kill him too. Him and Marissa. That was what I wanted, but that’s the kind of shit that happens to you when you’re a grunt. See, if it had been me in charge back then, I would have seen shit clearer that day. Because anyone who knows him can tell straight away that you were the twin he loved the most. Not his wife.”

My legs gave, and he caught me. The room spun, and my arms felt like I had weights attached to my fingers.

“I guess I’m the Trojan horse.” He laughed. “Dressed up like a blessing of a gift in disguise.”

I was a fool not to be suspicious. Through all this, Claudius had never sent any of his men to watch me.Never.

It was always Luc, or one of Luc’s guys.

Now I knew why.

Claudius had never trusted his own men.

The window opened, and a man I’d never seen before stepped through it before I blacked out.

Chapter 30

Claudius

* * *

“What now, Claudius?” Luc asked with a tentative expression.

I was helping him sweep up some broken glass.

Everyone was milling around doing stuff to fix the place. I felt like I should be doing it all.

Luc continued to stare at me, obviously expecting more than the nothing of an explanation I’d given him. I just didn’t know where to begin.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened in your home.”

“Claudius, just tell me what happened.”

I pulled in a deep breath, looked ahead to the glass doors that were all smashed up, then back to him, and filled him in.

“You never saw who hit you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Alex. Had to be him. But I thought it was Jude. Luc, I was out of it. To me, it sounded like both of them.”

“Maybe it was.” He quirked a brow.

“Jude’s here. I’m certain I saw one person with Goliath. One other voice asking if he wasn’t going to kill me.”

When I’d come to, it was Dante and Gio who stood over me, trying to wake me up. Cora had told them where to find me. We came straight here. I rode as fast as I could because I knew what was going to happen.

I just knew.

“He’ll strike again. I say we go after him before that happens. We can’t sit around here.”

“Luc, I can’t drag you into my mess.”

“I’m already involved, Claudius. They knew to come here. They knew I live here, and yet they came. I have a wife and a child. When they stepped on my property and shot up my house with my wife and my child inside it, they declared war on me. So, I’m asking you, what now?” Luc eyed me dangerously, and I frowned. This was exactly what I’d never wanted to happen, but then, what did I expect?

I must have expected something when I’d asked Luc to step in and take care of Ava. I must have known on some level that things could go south and he’d have to get involved.

“I don’t know.”

“Guys.” Amelia ran down the stairs looking panicked. “Did Ava come down here? She’s not in her room.”