Page 110 of Madness & Mercy

My jaw tightens.

“Absolutely fucking not,”I growl, stepping between him and the table, grabbing his wrist hard.

“Jesus Christ, let go of me!” he snaps, trying to twist away.

I drag him into the dark corner of the back office, out of sight. He stumbles a bit, but I don’t let go.

I look him dead in the eye. “That shit about you being an addict, about Braga drugging you. That was all true, wasn’t it?”

He bites his lip, and without saying a word, I already know the answer

“I’ll kill these motherfuckers.”

I turn to leave, rage already in my blood, but he catches my arm.

“Nico, wait. Don’t do anything stupid. I’m not an idiot. I’ve been clean for seven years. I wasn’t gonna do anything.”

Seven years…

Fuck.

I breathe through my teeth, pulse throbbing behind my eyes. “Fine. Let’s see if Luca and Enzo got anything useful.”

But just as we start to head out, he stops again.

“Can I at least take the money?”

I turn back slowly.

“Why would you need that?”

He glares at me like I just asked the world’s dumbest question. “Because I’m fuckingbroke,that’s why. It’s not like you pay me for this shit.”

That catches me off guard… I hadn’t thought about that. Technically, he’s supposed to be my P.I A shitty one at that, but still. A deal’s a deal.

I pause. “You’re right, I’ll pay you. Starting tomorrow.”

He quirks a brow. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah. But you’re not taking Braga’s fucking drug money. I’ll give you double that.”

He smirks.

“Triple.”

I scowl. “You greedy little bastard.”

“Don’t act surprised.”

I roll my eyes, but my voice softens. “Fine,piccolino.Triple.”

Luca and Enzo stride toward us, blood speckled across their sleeves, knuckles raw. They don’t look pleased.

“Find anything?” I ask, my voice low.

Luca nods, wiping a smear from his jaw with the back of his hand. “Braga’s not here. But one of his guys cracked. Said he’ll be making an appearance at the docks at midnight. Another shipment.”

Julian tenses beside me.