His tongue lapped over his dry, chapped lips. “But we all know how that turned out.” He took a long breath. “But now, you’re next.”
I let go of his face and straightened, my heart pounding as I tried to make sense of it all.
His eyes fluttered open and he stared up at me. “She’s so pretty. I can see why she has you all fucked up.”
“You’re talking about Layla?”
Again, the corners of his mouth turned into a smile—a freaky as fuck dreamy smile. “Layla. A pretty name for a pretty lady.”
I was losing my patience. And this piece of shit referring to my woman as a pretty lady was pushing me to the fucking edge.
“If you don’t tell me right now what the fuck Matteo is up to, and what Layla has to do with all of this, my cousin here will put a bullet in your head.”
Still, he just smiled. “Such a pretty lady. Such a shame…such a shame.”
Jesus Christ. I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him toward me, so damn close to my face I could smell the horrid stench of his breath. “Why the fuck do you keep on saying that? What is such a shame?”
“Such a shame…such a shame he messed up such a pretty lady.”
A cold tremor moved all the way from my neck, down my spine, settling heavily at the soles of my feet.
Messed up? What did he mean by messed up?
Dear God. My head was spinning, blood and adrenaline rushing through my veins.
“So…so…so pretty.” His words were now nothing more than mumbling.
“Why did he mess Layla up? How?” I jerked him, desperate to get more answers, but with his eyes closed, he just kept on mumbling, the sound growing softer and softer.
“So…so…so…pr—”
And then I lost it. I grabbed the gun out of Lucio’s hand, aimed…and pulled the trigger. Within a split second, there was nothing left of the man whose body still sat in the chair. With a bullet wound to the head, bruised face, and knives sliced through his hands, the son of a bitch was now where he deserved to be. Hell.
Lucio wiped away a drop of blood that splashed on his cheek. “I’m guessing you have a clue as to what he was rambling on about?”
I nodded, my mind still in shock.
“This blonde he was talking about—”
“Layla. Her name is Layla.”
“She someone to you?”
I walked over to the table with the knives and picked up the cloth to wipe my hands. “You can say that.”
“What can I do?”
Typical Lucio. Always ready for orders, ready to help. No questions asked. That was what I liked most about him. He didn’t meddle, interfere, or try to get you to “open up.” You told him to do something, and he did it. Loyal fucker.
I turned to face him. “I need you to keep this between us until I can figure out what’s going on with Layla and why Matteo is using her.”
He walked closer. “You heard what this asshole said. They want to ruin us, and since they didn’t manage to pull off their plan with Karina, you’re next.”
I tossed the cloth on the table. “I heard what he said.”
“They are using her to get to you.”
“Yeah, I got that. I need to figure out how they’re using her, and what they’re doing to her.”