Page 41 of The Prices We Pay
Three: The way Enzo, Sebastian, and Dante looked at me while Luca kissed me. Not even in a million years would I have imagined myself wanting to be wanted by four men, let alone finding out that they all want to be with me too. Just the thought of this should have some sort of adverseaffect on me, though, right? I’m not entirely sure why, but it doesn’t. Sure, I tried to avoid the infatuation that I have for each of them. I even went as far as redownloading a fucking dating app, but it had little to do with the fact that I was ashamed of wanting all of them and more to do with the fact that I knew deep in my bones that being with them would come with the risk of self-implosion. But when I opened my eyes as Luca was kissing me and looked over his shoulder, the look on their faces told me this might all be worth it.
However, I’m not taking another step with them unless I know all the facts.
I take another bite of my deliciously spicy Pho, knowing it might be cold by the time I get another chance. Four sets of eyes are on me as I take my time savoring my favorite dish.
Setting my chopsticks in the bowl, I cross my feet in my chair and prepare myself to watch them be amazed at how insanely smart I am. “Since you took over and made your feeble attempt at filling out all of the customs paperwork,” I say as I watch Luca roll his eyes so hard that I’m surprised theydon’t get stuck in the back of his head. “A handful of small shipments have gone missing. They weren’t anything big enough to cause concern and were small enough in dollar amount that your insurance covered them without question. The shipments that I found that are missing from Angelo’s and a couple of other high-end businesses you own aren’t really missing. They were stolen. When I told Enzo, and he told you…” I point at Luca. “The two of you made the decision to change the delivery schedules, which apparently was made abundantly clear to whoever was stealing them. And considering our little meet-cute with Damien Popov and his extensive research on me, I’m assuming the person stealing from you was Andrei Novikov, head of the Bratva here in New York.” The four of them stared at me, slack-jawed. “But what I can’t figure out is why the four of you who, besides Andre the giant over here”—my finger swings to Dante—“are supposedly nothing more than extremely successful businessmen and a computer genius, are acting like you’re prepared to go to war over theRussian Mafiastealing from you rather than reporting itto the authorities. So… look me in the eyes and tell me you know where to go paintballing in New York City in the middle of the night. I’ll wait.”
Once again, the four of them have one of their silent conversations, sharing looks back and forth before Luca asks, “Have you ever heard of The Horsemen?”
“Like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Like in the Bible?”
Enzo chuckles. “Church girl, too, huh? Should have known when I heard the country music.”
My lips curl into a smile as I roll my eyes. “I grew up in Montana around a bunch of ranchers and farmers. I’ve read my fair share of the Bible.”
“What are the odds I can get you into a naughty nun costume?” Dante reaches across the counter, but this time, Enzo’s faster. He grabs him by the wrist and says, “If you hit me again, I fucking swear.”
“Enough children.” Seb laughs.
Enzo raises his brows at Seb. “Yes, Sir.” Luca’s head snaps toward Enzo so fast that I’m surprisedhis neck doesn’t break. “What? You can say it, so why can’t I?”
“Is that a road you want to go down with me, Lorenzo?” Seb’s voice is now deep and commanding. It sends chills down my spine.
Enzo doesn’t falter, though. “Name the time and place.”
My mind is whirling at the sexual innuendos being passed around and the fact that Luca looks like he’s about to have a coronary. And as much as I want to see how this plays out, we have a conversation to finish. “Focus, boys. The Horsemen… not the ones in the Bible.”
Seb huffs out a laugh before asking, “Do you remember the district attorney who died about six months ago? The one they found hanging in his home?”
My mind buzzes as I remember the high-profile case. “Yeah. They ruled it a murder but couldn’t find out who did it. They did find a ton of files on his computer, though. Child pornography, right? Motherfucker got what was coming to him as far as I’m concerned.”
Seb smiles at my last comment. “The wrong people found out about his little side hustle and ordered a hit on him.”
I would have remembered if that had been released. I followed that case like a hawk. I’m a little bit of a true crime freak. I fall asleep watching episodes ofCriminal Minds,for fuck’s sake. “How do you guys know that?”
The three of them look at Luca. He reaches out and wraps his hand around my thigh, caressing my leg as gently as possible. Letting out a heavy sigh, he answers, “It was us.”
“What was you?”
“We’re the hitmen.”
I scoff. “You’re what?”
“We’re The Horsemen, Joe,” Dante answers, his body tenses like he’s waiting for me to react to whatever they’re trying to tell me.
“No, you’re not.”
“Sweetheart, yes. We are.”
My eyes bounce between the four of them as I try to process what they just told me. But that’s ridiculous. They can’t possibly be… “You guys are funny,” I half-heartedly laugh out. “This is a joke, right? You are not hired hitmen.”
“Well, we prefer the term mercenaries, but hitmen is fun,” says Enzo.
“No,” I say, shaking my head as my brain begins to come to terms with the information.
“Yes, Joe,” says Seb.
My head shakes faster. “No.”
