Page 148 of The Enforcer

Nova looked back to Dante, knowing he would much rather deal with the De Lucas as allies.

So Nova put his suitcase on his lap and said, “Fine.”

He opened it and pulled out the picture he’d put back at the last second in the commission meeting and handed it to Dante.

Dante looked at the image and then flipped it over, studying the back, which was blank. “What’s his name?”

Nova looked out the window again. “Anthony.”

“Looks like a big guy. How old is he?”

“Eighteen.”

Nova glanced back to see Dante staring at the picture before he asked, “He’s a De Luca, isn’t he?”

“Hard to miss a De Luca,” Nova had to agree. “Probably why you fucking followed me.”

Dante kept staring at the picture. “Who’s his father? I mean, it’s pretty obvious, and I know my pop, but—”

“He’s your brother,” Nova finally decided to admit, as Anthony De Luca’s secrets became another casualty to Cosa Nostra politics.

“Jesus, Moretti.” Dante looked at Nova, completely thunderstruck. “Why didn’t you use this? You know I would’ve voted different. Now there’s a fucking peace treaty. As long as the Brambinos pay—”

“I dunno.” Nova shrugged. “You De Lucas, you’re a little too intense about merda. I figured you wouldn’t appreciate all your business hanging out on the table. You had my back, so I pulled it.”

Dante nodded, still looking at the picture, before he lifted his head and asked, “Who made more, your brother or my brother?”

“Really?” Nova asked in disbelief. “You just found out you have a brother, and that’s what matters to you? That pisses me off, De Luca.”

“I’m just curious. I’m gathering all the information. If we’re putting price tags on names.”

“It’s more than the name.” Nova felt his stomach churn even as he said it. “There’s a lotta disturbing variables.”

“So?”

“Your brother made more.” Nova looked out the window again, because he didn’t want to fucking deal with this anymore. “He made more than all of them. He was their top earner. Congratulations. De Lucas win.”

“No shit?” Dante said distantly. “He looks like me.”

“Yup, weird how that happens,” Nova agreed. “I guess if you ever get tired of being capo bastone, you got other options.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

The fucking aspirin made Brianna fade out.

Now it was just Tino in a basement.

Throat swollen because the cup of water that came with the aspirin hadn’t been enough. All it really did was take Brianna away, but his heartbeat still pounded in his ears. His shoulder was on fire.

To say nothing of his leg.

And his back wasn’t feeling too fucking great either.

He finally glanced away from the ray of light cast across the stairs after staring at it until his eyes burned, waiting for his Brianna to show back up, even if she was just a hallucination. He looked at the pants they’d put on him, old suit pants, thank fucking God, because he would’ve passed out if they tried to pull jeans over his thigh.

He shifted, propping up his good leg, trying like hell to take some pressure off his back and shoulder, but fuck it, nothing was helping.

Stupid fucking aspirin.