Page 45 of Primo DeLuca

Chapter Eighteen

Primo

The ride was a long maze of highways, streets, and roadways that led us to two wrong locations before we were finally driving past the place where he claimed he’d picked up the first half of his payment.

When I drove up to the warehouse and around the side, the man’s wide eyes bounced back and forth between me and the front view through the windshield. I rolled up to the door and waved at the camera he couldn’t see before the wide double doors opened, and I drove inside. The men inside the warehouse were hard at work as usual and some waved upon seeing me.

“Get out,” I called to my passenger, who sat slack jawed and gawking around the warehouse. A forklift was in the distance, lifting and stacking large crates, and a few men used pallet jacks to move boxes and stack others. I glanced back at an observing Nevah, who exited the back of the car on the driver’s side. Her questioning gaze met mine.

“Stay close to my side.”

She nodded before taking the few steps that had her shoulder brushing my arm. Cautious steps inched my guest forward before I pointed him in the direction I wanted him to walk.

“Primo!” Big Bear, another one of my many cousins, called out. It was his way of greeting me.

“How’s it going?”

“All good,” he replied, lifting a large box that should have been moved by a forklift and proving why he was called Big Bear instead of his given name, Tomme. His eyes were on my current company. He inched his head up at the man, asking who it was without saying a word.

I lifted a hand, letting him know not to worry about it. He cast a glance and attempted but failed to hide the smile he flashed in Nevah’s direction before returning his attention back to his work.

Eyes came at us from every direction as we walked. I hadn’t introduced the man on purpose, checking to see if anyone would react with suspicion about seeing him. They were all well informed about me having a woman in my life and appeared more concerned at getting a good look at Nevah than they were about the stranger I’d brought into our warehouse.

Since she’d washed and put on the same outfit from the club, I figured it would be difficult for some of the men to resist staring at the way those jeans hugged her teasing curves or the way the heels extended her long legs. Maybe it was just too hard to ignore the pretty face complementing her body.

“Primo. Didn’t expect to see you today. Who’s that?” Brizio asked when we walked into the office he was temporarily occupying. He bore the same curious glint about the man as the rest of the guys.

“Have a seat,” I commanded my guest, pointing him to a ratty leather couch sitting against the wall facing the desk Brizio sat behind. I positioned myself on the side of the desk to have the best view of the man and be able to talk to my cousin.

Nevah was at my side, her small hand clamped around my forearm. Brizio was in the room the night Nevah and I had met, but I hadn’t officially introduced them to each other.

“Brizio, this is Nevah. Nevah, my cousin Brizio,” I introduced her.

Her gaze flashed recognition.

Brizio’s wide smile greeted her before he reached out and took her free hand.

“Good to see you again.”

“You too,” she said.

He held her hand long enough for me to flash him a death stare. When I reached up, palmed his grinning face, and shoved him away from her, he released a loud outburst of laughter.

“Never thought I’d see the fucking day that it actually happened to Hades himself,” he said, his teasing laughter ongoing.

Nevah’s forehead pinched at his reaction, unaware that her being at my side in any room was about as rare as a bigfoot sighting.

“Nevah. I’m the cousin you can call when this dry-as-toast ogre bores you to death.”

His comment won him a heart-warming smile before she mouthed, “Okay.”

Once he’d shown Nevah that he could be fun-loving and friendly, Brizio’s cold gaze landed on the man sitting on the couch, who met that gaze with an expression that suggested he wanted to throw up.

“Who do we have here?” Brizio questioned, his gaze zeroing in on the man like he’d locked on to a target he was preparing to destroy.

“He and his buddies just tried to kill me. Had to get Franco involved. This one said he came to this location to pick up the first payment for the hit that was put out on me.”

“What the fuck? You don’t believe that shit, do you?” Brizio questioned, his face tight with disbelief. “I believe I’d know if there was a fucking diseased rat among the crew. I’ll vouch for every man out there.”

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