Page 71 of The Disputed Legacy

What in the fuck…

Staying with Oscar, I fought this need to understand why she was so afraid. I cleared my throat and resumed talking about the study guide with Oscar, whose stare was burning on me. He was observant, like me, and he was watching me for direction.

As he nodded and ducked his head to keep working on his problems, I listened in to the cops talking to Margo.

They hadn’t noticed me, and even if they did, they wouldn’t approach me. No laymen cops who knew to shut up and look the other way near someone in my standing in the Ivanov Syndicate would bother me. A mutual distance was respected. But they seemed oblivious to the fact that I was there at all. They spoke with Margo only, seeking the manager who wasn’t there.

Willow kept working, but she lowered her head and avoided coming near them.

“Just following up on the incident,” the taller cop said after they had a cup of coffee at the counter, chatting with Margo.

It seemed like that really was all they were doing. Stopping by, probably on their patrol for the night, and checking in because there’d been a recent shooting.

“And you still don’t know who’d done it?” she asked.

The older cop shook his head. “No, we do. He’s in custody.”

“Oh?” Margo asked.

I was all ears, too.

“Yeah,” the taller one said. “Some punks trying to be recruited into the Cartel. They were dared to attack this place at random to prove they could join.”

His partner laughed wryly. “Instead, all he’s joining after that confession is the others in jail.”

Aha.So, it hadn’t been the Romanos, after all. While I wouldn’t take these cops’ word as any accurate piece of the truth, it was a lead I could direct Hugo to follow up on.

But if that shooting wasn’t because of the Romanos, how did that asshole know where to find me at Willow’s apartment?

There had to be a link somewhere. Someone had to be watching me, even from afar, and that didn’t sit well with me. I had to get Willow to safety in my home—sooner rather than later.

Overhearing these cops dismiss the shooting at the diner was a relief, if it was true that it was just a dumb act by the Cartel. Young men were constantly attracted to join the gangster lifestyle, so that was plausible.

That didn’t erase the threat hanging over my head.

The Romanos wouldn’t stop until we stopped them. Dominic Romano’s ridiculous idea of saying I was his son was just one more step of his wild agenda to end us. And so long as anyone was trying to manipulate me or my family, it would be a threat against Willow and Oscar.

Unless I walked away.

That wasn’t happening. Not now. Not later.

Watching her move through the diner while the cops stayed to talk with Margo, she was so clearly distraught and nervous. Seeing her tense pissed me off, and it was with that raging need to protect her that I could laugh at leaving her—ever.

Associating with her would pull her into the attention of my enemies, but I refused to worry about that for long. The Romanos would be done with soon. Dominic had been taking histime to absorb all that Anton had. Maybe that was what he was thinking by making up a lie that I was a Romano son, collecting me under the umbrella of the empire he wanted to grow.

That wouldn’t happen. Because I was an Ivanov. And soon, Willow would be too.

My phone buzzed, and I got it out to glance at it.

Hugo:Leo says cops showed up.

Hugo:What’s going on?

I breathed out another exhale of relief. I always had my brothers and men at my back.

Saul:They’re just walking by and checking on things.

Saul:Seems like nothing more than a courtesy check.