Page 75 of Bullseye
“I appreciate it, Don. But I think you would understand that I have some reservations.”
Chuckling, the Don lays his round forearms on the desk. He’s gained a significant amount of weight since I’ve seen him last, and it’s like his forearms are straining against the wool of his charcoal-colored suit as they try to burst free.
“Listen, Bullseye. Mikey and Tony weren’t supposed to be at that hit. It was a solo job. Your solo job. They’re wildcards.”
“The kid there. The one doing time for Mikey and Tony. I think I know who he is.”
“Oh?” He raises his eyebrows. He’s intrigued. This is a turn he wasn’t expecting.
“I think he’s Matt Villetrio. The brother of—”
“—the lovely Seneca Villetrio.”
“Yes.” My voice is weak, so I clear my throat and repeat myself. “Yes.”
Fuck. Just saying it makes a chill rush up and down my spine. If it’s true, she’ll never forgive me. How did fate bring us together like this, only to mess with us in the end? Oh, screw it. It’s not fate’s fault. It’s mine.
“Don Bordono, I love you like a father, but there’s someone I love even more.”
“Seneca.”
Nodding, I go on. “So, I have to insist that my price has gone up. I will do this job for you…” My stomach ties into knots just saying it. “But in return, I ask three things. First, that my father is let go. He’ll have to pay down his debt to you, but that’s on you two. Second, that Matt Villetrio is freed. And lastly, that Seneca is kept safe and allowed to go back to Hoppa.”
No, it won’t be with me, but at least she’ll be safe and the guys will look out for her. Maybe her brother can join her—Nick’s a good guy, he’ll set Matt up with a job. And maybe even Harry will forgive me enough to take care of them.
“That’s a lot of demands.”
“Don Bordono.” I sit forward in my chair. “I would never make demands of you. They are simply the cost of my skills.”
“I see.” As he leans forward, we’re so close, I can feel the warmth of his breath. “And what happens to you?”
Pushing aside my angst, I sit up taller. “I replace my father, of course.”
No, it’s not the life I want, but it gets Matt freed and keeps Seneca safe. And it beats the hell out of jail. His eyes light up. He wants this.
“Can Matt be freed?” I ask.
“If I say that Mikey and Tony are the real murderers, then yes.”
“What will it take for that?”
Smiling, he pushes his chair back from his desk and stands up. Walking to an old-fashioned wood filing cabinet, he takes a key from the chain around his neck, and bending down, he slips it into a lock and opens a drawer. Rifling through a few files, he chooses a manila envelope and pulls it out. Then, locking up the cabinet and tucking away his key, he turns back to me.
He tosses the envelope onto the desk and nods to it. Staring at that damned file, a strange sensation courses through me. It’s like there’s a poisonous snake inside that’s ready to strike. Steadying my hand and my breath, I open the envelope. Shit. It is a snake.
Ironclad.
This is exactly what I thought would happen, only in reverse. My shoulders relax, and I take a deep breath. No, I don’t want to kill anyone. But if I have to, then yes, I’d sure as hell rather it was Ironclad than Don Bordono.
“He’s getting too powerful. Those two buffoons, Mikey and Tony, were at that job because Ironclad is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. He’s supposed to move product for me through Lucifer’s Riders, but lately, he’s dabbling in other areas. Getting his own shipment. It’s one thing to let him think he controls a few clubs, it’s another to let him gain any real power.”
“Will that get Matt freed?”
“Get rid of Ironclad, and Mikey and Tony will go down for murder.”
Anger, resentment, fear—it’s all swirling in my gut and making me want to jump up out of my chair, but I have to stay here and stay cool.
Lifting a leg, he hoists himself up to sit on the edge of his desk closest to me. “Love, Avery, is a bitch.” Nodding, I have to agree. I’d do anything to keep Seneca safe. Even to go back into this world. “How far will you go?”
