Page 163 of Hexed
I glance over at Gio, bouncing my leg. “You think this is a trick?”
Gio shrugs, puffing on a cigarette with one hand and resting his other on the steering wheel. “Could be.”
“They could be too afraid of Pops to take the chance.”
He side-eyes me. “But you’re gonna take the risk anyway.”
“I’m gonna take the risk anyway,” I confirm.
He puffs on his smoke again before flicking it through the open window, then reaches over to squeeze my shoulder. “You’re my guy, you know that, right? To the ends of the fucking world, I’d ride for you. So when we walk into that warehouse in a few minutes, and we meet with these guys? I’m with you. And they’ll be with you too. You should run this shit, not your pops. Everybody knows it; they’re all just afraid of what will happen if they say it out loud.”
“I neverwantedto run this shit.”
Gio nods. “Yeah, well…maybe that’s the reason you should.”
I let his words settle over me like a blanket of calm, and then I nod, staring at the warehouse in front of us before glancing to Gio. “You ready?”
He grins like a schoolboy. “Always.”
I’m not sure what to expect when we walk into the warehouse. Even though Gio called the meeting with the De Luca family, it could easily be an ambush, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the nerves scattering through my body like fire ants, stinging every spot they touch. But the important thing is I don’t let it show on my face.
The warehouse itself doesn’t have much in it, its soaring metal roof creating an echo chamber that makes our voices ricochet off the walls, and when we walk in, there are two men standing in the center, with perfectly pressed suits and slicked-back hair, their dark brown eyes already on me.
Matteo De Luca and his consigliere Leo.
I walk forward, gritting my teeth and reaching out a hand. “Matteo, thanks for coming.”
We shake, and something curious gleams across his irises, his head tilting to the side. “The great Enzo Marino calls for a meeting? How could I say no?”
I smile. “I’ll get to the point, then. Things have recently come to light that changed my perspective on a few things.”
Matteo tilts his head. “This is my problem because…?”
“Because my father forced you out of the decisions, out of power, and I thought you might be interested in getting some of it back.”
Leo laughs and spits on the ground at my feet. “You mocking us? Fuck you.”
Gio steps forward and opens his mouth, but I cut him off before he can say anything with a hand on his shoulder and a shake of my head. “It’s all right, Gio. They have no reason to trust me.” I look back to Matteo. “But I have a feeling it wasyouwho sent that little spy to South Carolina to follow me. Wasn’t it?”
Matteo’s chin lifts but he doesn’t reply.
“How’s he doing by the way?” I chuckle, my thumb brushing against my scruff. “Listen, Matteo, I don’t have time for games. I’m offering you something here, a way to bring back the round table, but you’re gonna need to work with me. Don’t forget who actually has the power in these parts right now. This is a gift I’m willing to give you.”
“We were protecting our interests,” Matteo replies finally. “If you Marinos can use guys from Jersey to do work you don’t want coming back to nobody, then so can we. It’s stillourtown.”
My brows lift. “You talking about Frankie?”
He nods and continues. “We sent someone to follow you because nobody around here trusts a Marino, especially not your crazy-as-fuck father. Once that little rat Frankie squealed about working with Carlos and…others to try and take you out, I thought maybe you oughta know.” He shrugs. “But I had to make sure you weren’t part of the fucked-up system your family’s created, that Frankie wasn’t spouting bullshit as some type of game or trap. Sean was sent to watch you and report back.”
“Well…sorry he never got the chance to say his goodbyes.”
I watch his reaction, and when he gives a short chin jerk in confirmation, I know at least now that Sean really did end up dead after Venesa had her way with him.
“I just recently found out about Frankie and my pops,” I confirm. “You could say it’s changed my outlook on a lot of things. Redefined what loyalty is.”
Matteo’s eyes flash. “Your father wouldn’t know loyalty if it smacked him in the face.”
“Yeah,” I agree, although admitting it is like a knife in my solar plexus. Blowing out a breath and cracking my neck, I meet his gaze. “Well, my father and I differ in a lot of ways. I don’twant unlimited power, have no use for it. I find that workingwithothers is a lot better in the long run… So I’d like to bring back the commission.”
