Page 39 of Flawed

"Luca," Jacopo calls out.

My chest tightens and I spin. I raise my eyebrows in question.

His lips curl into the sinister smile I hate. One of these days, I'll enjoy wiping it off his face. He warns, "Don't take too long setting it up."

"I won't," I claim, then hightail it out of the room. I avoid the faces of the women, other men, and guards. I step out into the fresh air, try to regulate my pulse, and use all my control not to speed out of Jacopo's driveway.

When I get far enough away from his compound, I pull over and slam my hand on the steering wheel, shouting, "Shit!"

This is bad. I cannot kill an O'Connor. Yet I don't know how to get out of this.

I veer back onto the road, rev the Viper's engine, and accelerate until I'm racing down the expressway at over one hundred miles per hour.

Horns blare all around me, but I don't slow. I pull off the exit for Angelo's and barrel through the gates. I ignore the guards and go directly to his study, not even bothering to knock on the door.

"We need to talk," I hurl.

Dante and Gianni are with Angelo. They all spin, and Angelo questions, "What's going on?"

I shut the door and approach the men, accusing, "Did you know it was the O'Connors who had the Feds shut down the Abruzzo whorehouse?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Gianni inquires.

"They wouldn't do that," Dante follows.

"Yeah, think again. And now I've been given the job to kill Brody," I state, then light up a joint, trying to calm my quivering insides.

The twins' eyes widen.

Angelo's face pales. "What are you talking about?"

I inhale deeply, holding the smoke in my lungs, then exhale. I take another hit, do the same thing, then go to the bar and pour myself a glass of water.

"Luca," Angelo demands.

I drink all of it then spin toward Angelo. "You knew, didn't you?"

Angelo's expression answers my question.

I snarl, "Did you ever think I might need to know something like that?"

He avoids answering me, asking, "How did they find out?"

"Brody's friend Danny is an O'Leary," I declare.

"No fucking way," Dante mumbles.

Angelo's eyes turn to slits.

Gianni bursts out, "That motherfucker! He's been Brody's right hand forever!"

A new wave of anger bursts through me. "Can we focus on the fact that Jacopo just ordered me to meet up with Danny and kill Brody?"

Angelo points to the chair. "Sit down, Luca."

"I prefer to stand. Now, what the hell am I supposed to do?" I demand.

Angelo firmly orders, "I said to sit down, Luca."

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