Dante
Spades waits in the car, with the engine running to keep the inside warm. He looks at me when Layla and I take the back seat. No words are needed. His expression paints the picture perfectly—someone’s dead.
The only thing he overlooked tonight is that Layla’s not some half-brained bimbo sitting by my side who can’t figure out how to put an armrest down, let alone notice that something’s wrong. This time, it’s Layla.
Intelligent and perceptive Layla.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, sensing the heavy, ominous atmosphere.
“Who?” I counter, praying it’s not one of my men.
Spades shakes his head, refusing to talk while Layla listens to our every word. Whatever happened is fuckingbad,bad.
She rolls her eyes, silently stewing. “I’ll wait outside,” she clips, not passing on the chance to slam the door on her way out of the car.
“Jackson called,” Spades says, forcing me to look away from my girl, who takes her phone out, pressing it to her ear. “Luca got a bit carried away. Bya bit,I mean a whole fucking lot.”
“What did he do?”
“He checked the security footage and found the guy who hit Layla. He split his skull open on the curb.”
If there was a wall in front of me right now, my knuckles would bleed. I know the scene Luca based his act upon. Since he first sawAmerican History, he wanted to kill someone that way. At the beginning of the movie, there’s one of the most brutal scenes in modern cinematography. Luca’s a bit psycho, but I didn’t expect him to ever take it that far.
“He found him outside,” Spades continues. “The guy stood with his friends, cleaning up his face. Jackson followed Luca but thought he was only trying to scare the guy. They argued for a moment before Luca rammed a baseball bat across his knees and made him bite the curb. Before Jackson realized he wasn’t fucking around, Luca jumped on the guy’s head.”
I rub my face, trying to devise the most effective way out of this situation. I can’t scold him for defending Layla, but he took it too fucking far. He executed a guy who hit her byaccident.She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this guy has paid the ultimate price.
“I didn’t want to bother you because I know you want to take Layla home, but we’ve got sixty witnesses. It’s a matter of minutes before the cops raid the place.”
A long conversation with the chief of police is unavoidable. If charged, Luca will get a life sentence for murdering the guy in cold blood. Twenty-five years if I bribe relevant people. The problem is that Luca is one of my most trusted men. Given their bumpy start, it’s surprising he defended Layla to this extent, but I can’t leave him alone in this shit.
I own the cops, but with sixty witnesses and the footage, there’s no way of sweeping this under the carpet. The only light in the long, dark tunnel is Plan B.
Layla remains outside, talking over the phone, scraping her heel on the pavement. She makes her agitation known by sporting her signature calculated expression.
“I don’t want Layla to see any of this,” I say, determined to keep her in the dark. “You’ll leave me on the corner of the street, and you’ll take her back to my place.”
Spades nods, glancing at Layla through the side window. “That’s why I didn’t want her to hear the news. She’ll lose her shit if she finds out that guy is dead.”
I open the door, bracing to feel her anger. “Come on, Star. We’re leaving.”
She turns on her heel, says one more word to whoever she’s talking to, and gets in, slamming the door again. Spades performs an unintentional burnout on hospital grounds while Layla stares out the window, a fierce look on her perfect face. God, she’s so deep under my skin I feel her everywhere. Everything I do is with her on my mind. Tonight’s no exception. Covering up the murder and ensuring it never reaches her ears is my priority. She can’t find out. She’d be devastated, and I can’t fucking handle her tears.
I try taking her hand, but she jerks it away. “Don’t get pissy with me. You can’t hear or see it all.”
“Ican’t? You don’t make decisions for me. I already told you that you don’t own me, Dante.”
Her attitude is the sexiest thing about her. She’s not scared and doesn’t care how she’ll come across, whether she’ll vex me or anyone else. I love that she speaks her mind, but I want to strangle her right now.
“You shouldn’t,” I hiss, careful not to sound too demanding, or a shit storm will ensue. “I’ve got to get back to Delta, but it’s no place for you to be right now. Spades will take you back to our house.”
She clicks her tongue, looking away, her chin high, arms crossed. “Don’t rush. Adam’s picking me up from Delta. I’m going home.”
I grit my teeth so hard they start to fucking crack. Adam informing Frank about the situation is the last thing I need. “Call him and tell him that you changed your mind.”
“I haven’t. He’s on his way now. I’m going home.”
I fall into the trap of my own rage. The confined space, Layla’s attitude, the problems awaiting in Delta, and Luca’s stunt all bubble in my mind like the reaction of sodium bicarbonate with acid. I just want to protect her, keep her safe, calm, and happy, but she makes it fucking impossible.