Page 18 of The Fractured

“Dean. It’s good to see you again.” He stepped aside to let me pass.

I didn’t bother with the niceties, not when I wanted this over and done with. Vince wasn’t the kind of guy to be offended if I didn’t say a polite hello. “Am I late?”

Vince shrugged, closing the front door. “Everyone’s here.”

“Fantastic,” I drawled, falling into step with him as we headed down the long hall on our right.

The detectives had taken extra care, and their fucking time, making sure the wires and microphone transmitted to the radios and other devices built into their unmarked van — their unmarked van that tailed me the entire drive here. It was parkedout of sight, a few houses down from Antonio’s, where they would listen in to whatever unfolded in Antonio’s office.

The closer Vince and I got to the doors at the end of the hallway, the more my stomach tensed.

If I were caught wearing a wire, those same detectives would rush to my help. However, based on the way they spoke to me at the office, I knew they would take their sweet time getting here. I imagined I would have a bullet in my head before they breached the gates.

“What’s with the sucker?” Vince asked.

My mind was blank for a second before he motioned to my mouth — to the lollipop. Probably my fourth or fifth one today after I received that text. Despite brushing my teeth at Lily’s earlier, my mouth was beginning to taste too sweet, and there were faint ridges on the inside of my left cheek from keeping the lollipop in one place for too long.

“Quit smoking.” I dropped the lollipop into an ashtray sitting on a wall table.

Vince chuckled. “Yeah? How’s that goin’?”

I rubbed my index finger against the front of my teeth to rid them of that furry feeling. “What do you think?”

We reached the double doors of Antonio’s office. Vince shouldered one open, and I followed him through.

Everyone was there — everyone meaning the majority of Antonio’s best fighters, which was only a handful of us. The boss himself was sitting at his desk, reclined in his black leather chair as he smiled at my entry.

“Now that we’re all here…”

Antonio began his usual spiel about the importance of loyalty and family as I edged along the wall and stopped beside Seb in the corner by the window.

He tucked his hands behind his back, lips twitching with a grin as he looked at me side-on.

I rolled my eyes and slipped him the spare lollipop I had in my pocket.

“Where’s Joe?” I murmured. I hadn’t spotted the old fight announcer in the room.

“Retired,” Seb muttered back.

While Seb was busy trying to inconspicuously unwrap the plastic wrapper, I glanced around the room.

There were three other fighters in attendance —The Viperand two other guys I hadn’t spoken to before.

My eyes landed on Roxy, opposite us, and standing offside to Antonio. She smiled, revealing pearl white teeth behind dark red lips as she winked, crossed her arms across her busty chest, and dropped a hip.

Once upon a time, I would’ve given in to that look alone. But now? Now I felt nothing towards that woman and everything for the one waiting at home — not quite my home, but close enough. I wanted to ditch this meeting, return to Lily’s couch or bed, and wrap myself in her arms.

Antonio was still talking. “As you’re all aware, the burning down of The Den wasn’t my doing. Not long after it occurred, I received a message, or more of a warning, from my estranged children.” The last part looked like it tasted bitter in Antonio’s mouth. Meanwhile, the mood in the room changed to subtle shock. “Though they didn’t indicate in their message that they were the ones responsible for the fire, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it… They have let me know they are staying for good, which isn’t ideal.”

I tucked my hands into my pockets and looked around at the scarred and poxy mean faces of the other fighters, watching them process the news of Antonio’s other family.

I was one of two in this room who knew about his first family. I hadn’t met them — Antonio had them shipped off to Rome with his ex-wife before I started fighting for him. But I knewenough about them, thanks to Vince, to understand Antonio had a good reason for sending them away. Far away. His ex-wife was an alcoholic and tended to blab in her social groups about the things he did. She wasn’t so much of a threat these days when she spent most of her time in a luxury villa somewhere in Italy.

And then there were the triplets — two girls and a boy. Each sadistic in their own individual way. They were entitled rich kids, thanks to old money, who had a taste for luxury, revenge, and murder. The latter started with pets when they were kids, and then any enemies with their father when they began working for him. Except they took things too far, made messes, and brought too much attention to Antonio’s business deals with their trail of murders.

Antonio eventually cut them off completely. That didn’t sit well with them.

Antonio leaned back in his chair, pausing in thought as he steepled his fingers. His white hair was more disheveled tonight. “They have started their own nightclub. And it seems, they have convinced the rest of my fighters to join them.”