Page 72 of The Mafia's Bride

Nodding, he drops the empty tumbler, reclining just slightly. “It’s an inside job. Can’t trust everyone. Or maybe you don’t know who to trust. And let me guess.” He clucks his tongue. “Ace doesn’t know about it.”

“Not yet,” I agree. “I can’t go to her empty handed, and I don’t want to raise alarms if it can be handled before her shipment arrives.”

He smiles again and it’s more disturbing than if he had taken the gun and put a bullet in my head. “You think to solve this in two days?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Ballsy.” He smirks, tapping his fingers on to the armchair. On his palms are faded tattoos, the ink more blue-green than black. I can’t place the words, but the Old English Script covers across his knuckles and parts of his hand. “What do you want from me?”

“I’ve got another shipment tonight. It’ll be you, me, and my right-hand man there to accept it. I have to personally check my goods. And check the ship out in the process.”

“You want them to fear you, in case they’re fucking you over.”

I incline my head. “Something like that. I don’t know who to trust, and I need all the help I can get.”

He gestures to the club. “You want to hire me, but I think you have a good idea of who it might be. You just don’t want to look too far into it. Not all wonderful in your family, heir?”

My jaw clenches. My hand twitches to grab my gun and end this conversation in a bloody way.

But I rein back my murderous thoughts and calm myself. Only Sloane can break my control, and I don’t lose it anywhere else. Not even with this tool.

“Then what do you propose, Linwood?”

Stretching like a cat after a long nap, the ghoul cracks his neck, bomber jacket crinkling in the quiet of the room. “I’ll help secure theshipment tonight and then look into your crew. On my own.” I open my mouth to refuse when he glares.

The coldness in his gaze stops me in my tracks. There's something unnerving about how effortlessly he can silence anyone, even someone like me.

“You’re too close to it, heir. I can look into everyone and have a name for you by next week.”

“But that will run into the timetable with Ace’s shipment.” Frustration builds in my chest giving me a pounding migraine. “I need this figured out before that.”

“You could always tell her.” I give him a flat look which he chuckles. “Yea, I wouldn’t either. She’s very good with knives.” He rubs his forearm almost tenderly.

“It’s the best I can offer.”

“What about in the meantime?”

Raising one dark brow, the killer points to my form. “Looks like you’re on night guard duty, heir. You remember those shifts, don’t you?”

Biting on my irritation to pounce across the table and punch the reaper, I jerk my chin toward my office door. “Get the fuck out of my office, Killian.”

“A pleasure as always, Alessio.” He smirks, standing. Before either of us can leave, my office door flies open. Tony walks in with a bundle in his arms, and I’m moving before I comprehend the sight before me.

My wife is in his arms, sobbing, and I surge forward, readying to beat the life out of my right-hand man.

28

LEX

“What the fuck happened?” I growl, my body primed for a fight. My wife is sobbing, and I feel the instinctive drive to find the threat and handle it.

“Sloane?” Killian asks, kneeling on the couch as Tony deposits her gently on the cushions. I rear on him, eyes wide, mouth ready to snarl as I grab my best friend by his throat.

I don’t want the reaper anywhere near my wife, but Tony is the closest target.

“What happened?”

Killian moves beside Sloane, not touching her but scanning her over in a clinical way that stills my heart. It’s too impersonal, too professional that I want to rip him away and toss him into the alley without a second thought.