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Ace shoves his hands into his pockets. “You look like shit, Trouble.”
I roll my eyes. “Gee. Thanks.”
He rubs a hand over his jaw and it rasps against his thick beard. “Your friend didn’t make it. You know that, right?”
A fresh wave of despair rolls in my stomach and tears stream down my cheeks. “I remember.”
“Father Mike said a few words for her. We buried her in the cemetery at his church.”
Unlike me, she believed in God, and I’m glad that someone who cared for her said something as she was laid to rest. Hopefully she’ll find peace now. “Was it you who carried me out of there?”
“Yeah. You passed out. You were bleeding out so fast. I thought we were going to lose you, Trouble.”
I scoff. “Lose me? Hard to be lost when you don’t belong anywhere.”
Something that looks like hurt flashes over his face. The thick vein in his neck pulses, and I want to tell him how sorry I am that I dragged him and Romeo into this. I’m pretty sure Lorenzo Moretti will deal with them once he’s done with me. But the words won’t come.
The sound of the door snatches both our attention. My breath hitches, and a thick ball of anxiety settles in my stomach as Lorenzo Moretti strolls into the room, his eyes fixed on mine like he sees nothing but me. A dark-haired woman with a kind face follows him. I assume this is Kat. No doubt checking to ensure I’m fit and well before Lorenzo takes me to a cell to be tortured.
He pulls up a chair and takes a seat beside the bed while the woman moves to stand on my other side. “Keres, I’m Kat. I’m going to change your drip now, okay?” Her voice is soft and soothing. I bet she’s a good mom. Memories of my own mother threaten to overwhelm me. My mouth too dry to speak, I blink away a tear and nod.
“Keres.” Lorenzo says my name like a command, and I turn and focus on him while Kat does what she needs to.
“H-how is Mia?” I blurt.
“She’s fine,” he replies curtly.
“The baby too?”
He twists his neck. “Yes, the baby too.”
I sink back against the pillow, relieved despite the circumstances.
“Tell me why you came here, Keres.”
I swallow again. Is it hot in here? “To get the name I asked you for. I knew Salvatore Moretti worked with him. I thought you did too.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It was more than that. You took my wife out from under the noses of two of my best men. I suspect you were going after my sister, but I also suspect you’ve been planning this for years. You’ve been watching my family. Why?”
I scrunch my eyes closed, wanting to avoid his questions. Kat places a fresh bandage on my arm and Lorenzo remains silent, waiting for my reply. “Because I hate Salvatore Moretti.”
“But why?” he presses.
I stare at him. His eyes are like mine. So dark that the pupils are almost obscured by the irises. I always thought I looked like my mom until I met Lorenzo and Dante. “Because he sold my mom into slavery.”
“When she was pregnant with you?”
My heart hurts. I lick my lips. “Yes.”
“Who was your father?”
Was, not is. Lorenzo Moretti is a man of few words, and he chooses each one carefully. He’s already figured it out, I’m sure. I harden my gaze. “Salvatore Moretti.”
He nods like my answer doesn’t surprise him. “And you assumed that Dante and I, along with Max, were fully aware and involved in his crimes?”
“Well, you’re his sons. It made sense.”
He rubs a hand over his dark beard but doesn’t say anything.
