I can’t tell her why he’s got my head on a chopping block right now, either.
Savio dicked him over on payment for some job and now he’s threatening to take his rage out on me…and the Ivankov girls.
He wants his money and Savio refuses to pay.
That makes me liable in Savio’s eyes.
My phone vibrates against my leg again and I grab it, stabbing the Accept button.
“What the fuck do you want now?”
“Massimo, you’ve spent a lot of time building yourself up. It really is impressive. Now, you’re going to take a piece of what you’ve created and give it to your enemy. Consider it insurance. You pay off Lugo and everybody lives for one more day.”
I grab onto the edge of the kitchen island feeling as if a sledgehammer has been slung into my chest.
“That wasn’t part of our deal,” I seethe.
“The deal wasn’t set in stone. I don’t recall signing any contracts, do you?”
I am seriously going to brutalize this bastard the second I get the chance.
“You knew our arrangement. I act as your security guy and you call off Lugo.”
“And now I’ve changed the terms. You’re in no position to challenge me. Danger is coming because of Anton Ivankov’s business dealings. Not only did someone on his side leak information about our plans to the Juarez Cartel, but I am almost certain that he was working independently of the Leota Commission. Those are the reasons why he and his wife were murdered. So now protecting the syndicate and keeping it as strong and well-funded as possible are my priorities. And that includes the now-vacant seat.”
“That seat isn’t empty and you know it,” I hiss. “Kristina inherited it.”
“She did, indeed. But she’s weak. Hardly a force to be reckoned with. She will never be able to fill her father’s shoes and play the role she needs to.”
“She’ll never fold. Her family’s legacy is too important to her. She’s a lot stronger than you think and you should give her more credit.”
“Says the bodyguard who sounds like he’s falling for his charge,” Savio snips. “Besides, she’ll have to answer to more than just me. There is another syndicate family to consider. Ronin Valenti has been out of pocket, but he’ll be back soon enough. And he will want to know that his interests will be protected now that Anton is gone. When he was killed, we lost a lot of money, money that needs to be recouped in some way or else we will be vulnerable to our enemies.”
“You told Kristina you’d guide her,” I say, clutching the phone. “That she wouldn’t be left on her own. And now it sounds like you’re ready to eliminate her.”
“My loyalty is to the Leota Commission.”
“What the fuck does that mean? And why am I even here if you’re planning to rage some coup against her? You wanted me to protect her, remember?” My voice shakes with anger, pulse hammering hard against my throat. “Tell me what you’re going to do,” I choke. “What the hell are you planning next, Savio? Because I don’t believe that you give a damn about those girls.”
“Please, Massimo. If I didn’t, I would never have offered you up to them as protection. I have a vested interest in them and in keeping them out of the line of fire. But there are loose ends to be tied up. And you’re going to be the string.”
“Savio, I swear, I will—"
“No, actually, you won’t.” He takes a short pause. “Instead of finishing that thought, you’re going to think about your friend Joey, not putting your livelihood on the line for a hot piece of pussy. Keep your focus, Massimo.” The sound of his sinister chuckle makes my blood curdle in my veins. “Now go and settle up with Lugo. Otherwise I can’t promise what he might do. And where his tirade might end. Could be Syosset. And you’ve got enough on your plate to deal with. You don’t want him breathing down your little girlfriend’s neck.”
“Fuck you.”
“Just get into the city and give him what he wants before anything…happens.”
Click.
It takes everything in me not to hurl my phone against the wall and watch it smash into a million pieces.
A knock on the front door makes me jump and I stalk toward it, leaving Kristina standing in the kitchen with her jaw pretty much dragging on the floor. I pull open the door to find Quinn lounging against the side of the house. He rolls his eyes when he sees me.
“Fuck, Mas. You know I’m here for whatever you need but this is fucking early. Too early, man. What the hell was so important that you had to drag me out here at the ass-crack of dawn?”
“Lugo,” I hiss. “He wasn’t the original reason but I need to deal with him. He’s making a lot of threats, Q. Against me, you guys, Joey. I have to take care of him.”
“Damn, I’d have much rather be on Lugo detail,” he groans. “I’ve got my ass-kicking sneakers on.” He winks and nods at me. “You know the ones.”
Despite myself and the blood-boiling exchange I just had with Savio, I chuckle. “Yeah, you probably won’t need them today.”
“So what do you want me to do for ya, brah?” He pushes past me and enters the house, taking a deep breath. “Ah, fuck yeah. Coffee. I’m definitely there for some caffeine.” He wanders into the kitchen, flashing a grin at Kristina. “What’s up, Doc?”
I’ll give her credit. After all she just witnessed, she still forces a smile and pours him a mug of steaming coffee.
I follow him into the kitchen. “I need you to take Kristina’s sisters to the high school and wait there.”
“Like, for the whole day?”
“The whole school day, yeah.”
“What about breakfast? And lunch? And snacks?”
I roll my eyes. “Door Dash whatever the hell you need.”
“Okay, fine.” He snickers, taking a long gulp of coffee. Then his face sobers. “What am I waiting for, Mas?” He looks up at Kristina. “Oh, wait. Are we being transparent about shit right now?”
“That’s a big word for you. And so early in the morning, too. Impressed.” I give him a punch on the shoulder after he sets the mug on the island so the coffee doesn’t slosh over the sides and spill onto his chosen footwear.
His ass-kicking sneakers are white, ironically, and he hates getting them dirty.
I personally see a lot of problems with his choice of color, but hey, to each his own.
Quinn’s got a lot of quirks.
He flips me off and I grab his finger in my fist.
“She knows about the dangers facing her and the girls right now,” I say, hoping to God he gets my underlying message…that she knows nothing about the rest, including my true affiliation to Savio.
Only the Mulligans and Joey’s family know he’s my biological father, and for any of this to work, that information needs to stay under wraps. I changed my last name as soon as I could, opting to use my mother’s maiden name, just another way for me to cut ties to Satan.
He gives me a quick nod, seeming to get my telepathic message.
At least, I hope that was what it was.
My eyes float over to Kristina. She’s tracing her finger over one of the threads of gold in the white Italian marble countertop, mouthing something.