Page 4 of Last Hand

“I killed his sister,” I say. My voice is dead even to my ears. Milo swallows thickly.

“He kills her, he gets nothing. She is still alive.”

I nod.

The call comes exactlytwo weeks later. Two weeks of not hearing a thing, two weeks of us searching for where he has kept her. We’ve raided every known location, every friend and acquaintance. Dante has been missing for just as long. My father is convinced he was also kidnapped and was forced to let Mikhail and his men in. Despite the video footage, my father refused to believe his beloved son was a snake.

Encrypted. Routed through six dummy locations.

Milo patches it into the secure line and stands just out of frame.

“Mikhail.”

His voice comes through, smooth and calm.

“Leone. I hope you liked the preview.”

“If you lay a hand on her again, I will cut them off and feed them to you before you die.”

He laughs. Softly. Like he’s enjoying this.

“And there it is—the famous rage. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to reach the surface. No need to worry. She’s intact. For now.”

I say nothing.

Let him fill the silence. Let him show his hand.

“I know what kind of man you are,” he continues. “Calculated. Controlled. A creature of loyalty. So I thought… let’s test that, shall we?”

Milo tenses across the room. He knows what’s coming.

“There’s a shipment coming in. Port side. Not yours. Belongs to our mutual friends south of the border.”

“You want the Cartel shipment?”

“I want you to take it.”

“And give it to you?”

“Yes.”

I sit back, hands steepled under my chin.

“You’re asking me to start a war.”

“Not if it looks like someone else took it. A small explosion. Some cartel-on-cartel drama. You’ve staged worse. You’ll manage.”

I grit my teeth, knowing he is referring to Lydia. As far as he knows, she overdosed. My voice stays level.

“And in return?”

A long pause.

“Proof she’s still in one piece. Only if you pass this little test.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I start mailing you the leftovers.”

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