Page 81 of The Devil's Playground

Heather. He’s talking about Heather. “Being on the wrong side of town shouldn’t be a death sentence, Damien.”

The mafia leader doesn’t disagree, and even goes one step further by admitting: “What happened to Heather Valiant was and will always be a mistake. A tragic mistake, but one that I readily corrected. I would have done the same thing tonight if I had to. I want you to understand that.”

I do. It’s for the same reason why the prick who shot Heather was dead within twenty-four hours while I just had to carry the guilt with me that I couldn’t stop her from getting mixed up with the syndicates.

I nod. “I’m glad you see it that way.” And that he doesn’t seem pissed that I offed Alfieri. “Now, if you’ll just move over, I’m getting Nic?—”

Before I can finish my demand, another car turns the corner. For a second, I think Damien was stalling, that he was waiting for more of his mafia to show up, but then I recognize Luca set behind the wheel of the luxury town car as it stops by us.

The door to the backseat flings open. Bursting at the seams of his suit from his obvious temper, Link comes stalking toward us.

Damien smiles at him. “Ah… Lincoln. So nice of you to join us at last.”

“Fuck you, Damien. I was already on my way before you called me and told me my underboss might need a hand.”

So he didn’t bring any back-up… but he arranged for me to have some?

Fucking hell. Just when I think I have Damien Libellula figured out, he does something like this.

“Link—”

My old friend takes in the unconscious woman in my arms. He points. “You found her. Great. But what the fuck happened tonight?”

I can answer that.

“One of his enforcers took Nicolette. He hurt my wife.” I swallow and purposely meet Link’s dark gaze. “I killed the fucker.”

I don’t have to tell either of these leaders who was responsible for it. Damien had his cameras that showed Kieran carrying an obviously drugged Nicolette into the basement—that had to be the case, and depending on what he gave her, that might also explain why she passed out again—and Link knows because I talked to him about Nic’s ex before.

Damien doesn’t say anything now. Link, however, looks confused for a moment.

He wipes the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “Did I miss something? Wife?”

I nod. “We haven’t had the wedding yet, but she’s my wife.”

Link’s dark eyes light up. “Ah. Gotcha.”

I don’t have to explain—and I wouldn’t have the chance to if I wanted to give it a try. Slipping away from where the rest of us were gathered, Damien crosses the small parking lot. A high-pitched beep as he disengages his car’s alarm catches both mine and Link’s attention.

“In honor of our truce, I hope to be invited to your wedding,” is the last thing Damien says before he slides into the flashy red car parked next to my boring black one and closes the door, leaving me and Link alone behind his counterfeiting operation.

I take that as our cue to get the hell out of the East End. Despite what Damien said about understanding why I had to eliminate his enforcer, I’m sure he’ll have his own clean-up crew coming to take care of his soldier’s body.

As for his request… I don’t say anything to that since he wouldn’t be able to hear me anyway, but I make a mental note. If Nicolette is okay with me inviting the head of the Libellula Family to our wedding in the future, sure, I’ll send him a save the date.

I just got to get there first—and that includes taking Nicolette back to the West Side where I can get her checked over.

We wait for Damien to leave. Once his car disappears from our sight, Link turns to me.

“Luca’s gonna drive you. I know you won’t want to put her down until you’re somewhere you trust, so let’s do that. Give me your keys, okay? I’ll bring your car back to the Suites.”

“Link, I don’t know what to say?—”

He claps me on the shoulder. “You’re my second, Royce. You’ve stood by my side even before we were Sinners. It’s about time I return the favor. I got this. You take care of your girl.”

I nod, ignoring the lump in my throat. Link… he gets it—and he proves that he gets me, too, when he says, “Listen. My second biggest regret is not putting a bullet in Joey Maglione’s skull before Ava was forced to. You did what you had to. Don’t think about the bastard you blew away. Just focus on your wife, okay?”

I don’t ask what Link’s first biggest regret is. It’s obvious. If he could turn back time, he’d never have walked away from Ava in the first place. He had fifteen years to regret willingly giving her up because he was convinced he wasn’t good enough for her.

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