There’s one person I can’t keep this a secret from, whether Paolo likes it or not.
20
SETTIMO
“Boss?”
I turn and spot Hector in the doorway of what I like to call my interrogation room. It sounds more pleasant than torture chamber.
“What?” I snap, letting the pliers dangle from my fingertips at my side. The Russian man I have tied to a chair sighs in relief behind me, and I clench my jaw. I had the pliers already dug beneath his fingernail before the interruption. I hadn’t even noticed the sound of the door opening.
“Sorry to bother, but Alexa Volkov is here to see you.”
My eyes darken, and I grip the pliers tight. I look over Hector’s shoulder but don’t see Alex. “Here?”
“The office, sir. She showed up at your home and asked to be taken to you. She said it was urgent.”
“Urgent enough for you to bring her,a Russian girl, to ourprivateestablishment?”
Fucking idiot.
I don’t for one minute believe Alex is a threat to me or the familia, but I would never allow her to come here. This is a gruesome side of me I don’t ever want her to see.
At least I don’t have blood on me yet.
I glance at Lorenzo, who has an eyebrow raised and the slightest smirk on his face. For all the times he chooses to hide his emotions, now he decides to silently tease me.
“She says she has information on Mr. Petrov,” Hector says.
Information she couldn’t send me in a fucking text? She’s endangering herself by being here, and I’m beginning to think she’ll never learn.
“Here.” I toss the pliers to Lorenzo. He catches them with one hand. “Start without me. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Lorenzo smiles and moves his gaze to the man in the chair. “My pleasure.”
“Wait, no.” The chair scrapes the concrete when he thrashes. “Hold on a minute. I—”
I spin and swing my fist, connecting with his jaw and drawing the first bit of blood. A few drops splatter onto my white shirt, so I guess Alex will have to see it after all.
I can’t remember the man’s name, but I get an inkling of respect for him as he rights himself and moves his glare between me and Lorenzo. I have a feeling he’ll be a tough one to crack, but in the end, he’ll tell us the locations of the Russian’s weapon supplies.
We’re running low on dealers and had to pull all our men from the streets, but the Russians are hurting much worse. Cormac brought an army of Irish men back to town, and with both the familia and the Irish going after the Russians, they don’t stand a chance. It’s pitiful they’re still fighting, but they’re desperate enough for anything at this point. It wouldn’t surprise me if Nikita plans to bomb the city just to kill some of us in the process. Particularly me.
I turn back to Lorenzo and give a curt nod. “I’ll be back.”
I head from the room and walk the short distance to the office. I take a deep breath before opening the door.
Alex stands from the chair in front of a desk and wrings her hands.
“Hi,” she says as I step into the room and shut the door. A shriek comes from the room down the hall. There goes the first fingernail.
Alex’s eyes widen, and she looks behind me.
“You shouldn’t be here.” I keep my face blank and stand tall. There isn’t a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought of her, imagined my tongue sliding across those pouty lips. She’s a forbidden fruit to me. Irresistible. Everything I want. Theonlything I want.
And I love her. I truly, undeniably love her, and I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to snap out of it.
Because this can’t fucking happen. I thought we agreed.