Renzo observed her in silence. He was just a messenger, she knew. One shouldn’t kill those, but she was seriously considering it at the moment. Some things just couldn’t be helped.
At Penny’s left where he sat with nothing in front of him, watching the scene unfold, Luca spoke up with, “If I could track you down, even by shit luck in some cases, then someone else can, too, sweetheart. Someone with more money, control ... access. You should consider—”
“Fuck off. Don’t talk on something you don’t know.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luca’s brow arch.
“Ouch,” he murmured.
She would have apologized.
Except no.
He didn’t understand what was on the line. The guy didn’t have a single clue how much was at stake now.
“He has a point, even if you’re unwilling to listen,” Renzo said quietly. “The plan from here on out is for you to move a lot less than you have been—don’t be seen. At all. Nothing is to be done with your name, moniker, or otherwise, attached. Or The League. Not until the situation is under control and a better assessment has been done where all parties involved can make an educated decision on continuing with the plan. As of now, the plan is off—”
“No.”
Renzo dragged in a heavy breath.
Penny swallowed hard. “No, we’re finally making progress here. It would be stupid to give them time to protect themselves further than they already have. They’re weak. Now is the best time to finish it entirely.”
“Dare has made the call, Penny. Your directive is clear—if you don’t follow orders, then you know the risk you’re taking. Beyond just the consequences you’ll take from The League and your boss, you’ll put everyone who can be connected to you in danger.”
Luca.
Nazio.
Roz.
Little Cross.
Any Donati.
Probably Luca’s family, too.
She knew it.
And still ...
Nothing was simple.
This was also for them.
17.
Luca
LUCA was finally the fly on the wall in Penny’s life, gathering more information by the second to connect every dot he had ever missed, but he wasn’t sure that he liked it. Especially while the conversation between her and Renzo continued at the table. He wasn’t stupid—the few things that had slipped from Penny over the time they were together added into what he already knew, and now piled onto the details Renzo gave about the situation ... it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure things out.
He could put two and two together.
This wasn’t good.
At all.
Penny also didn’t seem to care.
“So, what you’re saying is The League is going to force my hand one way or another,” Penny said, “because if a simple order isn’t going to make me follow along, then the subsequent threat will?”
Renzo sighed. “You know it’s not like that.”
“What is it fucking like, then?”
“Dare and Cree—”
“Have no bone in this fight but money. The money they get for every successful job I do, and you know it. Were you any different, Renzo?”
The man at the other side of the table from Penny didn’t blink a lash at her growing anger. “They warned me this might happen.”
Penny’s brow dipped. “Excuse me?”
“This,” Renzo said, gesturing between the two of them. “That you would put up a fight about everything. They planned for that, too.”
Now, it was Luca’s turn to worry about what he was hearing. He managed to stay quiet at his table but only because he didn’t think speaking up would help the situation at all when he still wasn’t sure what the entire situation was, to begin with.
One thing was clear, though.
Every single move Penny had made up until that moment had been done with a purpose for her work and little else. It was obviously the one and only thing that kept her moving. The very idea that someone planned to shut her down—even for a time—was too much for her to handle.
He supposed if the past five years of her life had revolved solely around hunting the same kind of monsters that had hurt her, it would be horrifying for someone to say they were going to back off. Allowing those same monsters to continue hurting others.
No wonder Penny had been able to pinpoint his obsession in finding her with such cruel precision. She wasn’t any different from him at the end of the day; her reason for doing so was the only major change from his own.
“And because they figured this is what would happen when I came to deliver to you the news,” Renzo continued saying, dragging Luca from his thoughts before they could spiral further. “Your handlers have arranged a private jet by your boss’s demand—”
“Who’s the boss, exactly?” Luca asked.
Speaking up before he could help himself.
Neither answered. In fact, they didn’t even look his way. If the small bit of information he had gathered on The League was true—their practices and members were infamous for being difficult to track or infiltrate; his work trying to find Penny proved both to be correct—then getting the name of the person pulling all of Penny’s strings would be impossible.
Assassins trained by The League were not owned by the organization but rather, whoever delivered them to their training. There were also rumors of auctions where assassins fresh out of the program were sold to the highest bidder to do whatever they wanted. Penny’s situation could be either of those things—or something else entirely.
He doubted she would tell him even if he asked.
Renzo continued speaking to Penny as though Luca hadn’t interrupted in the first place, explaining, “At the moment, considering everything that’s happened, they all think removing you from the state and taking you back to Nevada is the best choice. The only choice.”
“It’s not the only—”
“It is,” the man interjected, shrugging like nothing she said would make a difference. “You’ll be better protected where The League has more control and resources. Once Dare and Cree are satisfied with the new plan—whatever that might be—then, you can go from there. So far, you’ve done well by going underground like you have, but now they want you to do that at headquarters. Or at least, somewhere within their reach. I’m sure you understand.”
Despite her earlier anger, Penny reverted to a cold demeanor in a blink when she stood from the table and replied, “No, I don’t understand.”
Without another word, she stepped out from behind the table and shoved the chair in with a rough hand. She didn’t even glance over her shoulder as she walked away, sending Luca to his feet to follow after her.
The man at the table held up a hand, stopping him when he said, “Let her go. Penny has always handled her issues far better when she’s given the opportunity to do so alone.”
Luca wasn’t sure he believed that—no one wanted to be alone. Hadn’t Penny spent enough time without the comfort of people who cared about her?
Nevertheless, with the chance to speak to the familiar man without Penny close enough to hear his questions, he couldn’t pass up the chance. Instead of retaking his previous seat, he sat down in the one Penny had exited. Folding his arms over his chest, he observed the man staring him down.