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“Do you still love me?”
“I don’t know.” Her face fell as she rushed to try to make me understand, “You’ve been gone.”
For her. Everything, always, had been for her.
And it had ended because of the man in front of me.
I took unhurried steps toward Mickey until I was a foot away. My fingers twitched with the need to reach for one of my blades, but I forced the urge and the monster back and just stared at him until I knew I was in control of myself.
Mickey looked amused, but the thundering of his pulse at his throat always gave him away.
“Lily told me our relationship ended because I was always gone. Because I was always working jobs for you.” I tilted my head mockingly. “You know what I’ve wondered in the months you’ve been gone? If you didn’t have me away all but a few hours each week so it would ruin us. So something like this would happen. If this isn’t part of your fucked-up plan.” My gaze fell and lingered on his throat. My mouth lifted into a smirk. “But it’s me you don’t trust.”
I watched his pulse point for another few seconds before looking into ice-blue eyes identical to Lily’s. But where Lily’s were soft and filled with warmth, Mickey’s were cold and held a lethal edge.
My smirk widened as I turned to leave.
I was at the door of his office when he said, “Tommy didn’t skip out . . . I had him killed before he had the chance. I’ve been having everyone watched. I have my suspicions on who was feeding information, and whoever put a knife in my back will get an order with their name on it. My guy is simply waiting for me to give him the go ahead.”
Letting my blank expression fall over my face again, I looked over my shoulder. “Since when is it not my job to keep your hands clean?”
A knowing smirk pulled at Mickey’s mouth. “Since you were one of the few who knew the information the Borellos got their hands on. And, as you said, I can’t trust you.”
He must have seen the way my eyes narrowed—the hatred and anger that slipped through for just a second—because he laughed long and loud.
“I wouldn’t go getting ideas, Nightshade. If anything happens to me, there’s a man with orders to kill someone I really don’t think you want in the ground.”
I doubted that.
I turned and reached for the door.
“Although . . . I think Conor might deserve it anyway since he was always on guard when the Borellos got through.”
My hand missed the handle and something heavy settled in my stomach.
Fuck.
Conor never had anything to do with the information passed back and forth because Beck had tried to keep his younger brother as far from the bad shit as possible. Because he wasn’t meant for life in the mob—should’ve never seen it. Tasted it. It’s why I’d put him on Lily’s guard.
Those brothers were the only ones I’d trusted with her life, and Conor had almost died to save her.
But this . . .
I repeated the four names and forced myself to relax as I opened the door.
For Lily, I would make Mickey’s death excruciating.
For having Conor as his safeguard, I would make it slow.
Without looking back, I said, “Then I suggest you don’t accidentally get yourself killed.”
I knew before I entered the trailer that home was somewhere I didn’t want to be that night.
I also had a feeling the extra deal with Beck this week hadn’t been my mom’s idea.
I threw the door open and stormed in, my eyes already narrowed and my gaze darting around the cramped space, though it probably looked like I was simply searching for my mom.
Two men I’d never seen before were sitting in the living area. I was sure one was new to the game from the look of him. The other I’d bet had been in on it as long as Momma had. And he was looking at me like he wanted to throw me on the coke-lined table and have his way with me. The first looked like he was going down in three . . . two . . . one.
