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8
LIAM
I’m leaning against a filing cabinet in the basement of Niko’s pizzeria where he has his main office. I’m the epitome of nonchalance even though inside I’m coiled up tighter than a snake about to bite.
Lucy just got a call and with a glance at me stepped outside the office to take it. I have no clue why she looked at me unless it’s the FBI or one of my men.
Considering she’s now in partnership with Donovan in taking over her father’s business, I doubt it’s the FBI.
Donovan’s gaze follows her. I can’t be sure whether it’s a protective instinct or lust. Maybe it’s both. Or maybe lust because Lucy knows how to take care of herself.
The man in me is irked that Lucy saved Kate from Fiori instead of me.
But that’s the price I pay for failing to keep Kate safe in the first place. I don’t plan to make any mistakes going forward. It’s why there are so many dead bodies in my wake.
“You’re not worried you bit off more than you can chew?” Niko’s question filters into my mind.
“No. Did you feel like that when you killed your uncle and took over the Leone family?” I’m miffed that he’s suggesting I can’t take care of my own. Then again, I have a black eye from a fight I hadn’t anticipated.
Then I sent someone to move Kate, and he drugged her. She tried to escape, threatening me with a knife. I never felt in danger, although I might have a new scar from the vase she threw at me. Maybe I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
Niko’s eyes narrow. “There were moments I wondered if I had it in me, but I pushed through. I suppose my question isn’t about whether you’re capable, but you didn’t want this life. At least not to be a Boss. You were good in the FBI, and I don’t mean just to me. It’s a shame to give that up if it’s what you really want.”
What I want is Kate. Since I can’t have her, what I want is her safety. I can only guarantee that by eliminating all of Igor Peprov’s men, including Dimitri Babichev.
“Call it destiny,” I quip.
“I think it’s great.” Donovan gives me a thumbs-up.
The door opens, and Lucy returns with a smirk on her face directed toward me.
“Everything okay?” Donovan asks.
“I suppose that depends on who you ask. Kate seems to think she’s in danger.”
What the fucking hell? “She just called you?”
Lucy nods. “She said you kidnapped her and that you’re not really in the FBI. Apparently, you killed someone?—”
“I’ve killed several people for her.” I’m trying not to show it, but I’m fucking pissed. Especially since I’ve told my men to be scarce.
Not that they’re not there to protect her or stop her from leaving, but they’re not out in the open talking shop while they clean their guns. In my mind, if they’re not lingering or hovering, Kate will feel safer in my home.
“She thinks I’m on my way to save her.”
“What’s going on?” Niko asks me. He’s not the boss of me anymore, so I’d be well within my right to tell him to fuck off.
I grit my teeth. “She’s realized I’m no longer in the FBI?—”
“I think she believes you never were,” Lucy says.
“I had to kill one of my men. Apparently, she was watching. In my defense, he was supposed to move her to my place up north, but he did so by drugging her.”
“Fuck! I’d kill him too if he drugged the woman I love.” Donovan reaches out a hand, touching Lucy’s arm.
“I don’t love her. I just… he fucked up.” I scrape my hands over my face, a frequent gesture where Kate is concerned. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You know… Elena is still asking about her. We can take her,” Niko offers.
