Page 4 of Ruthless

I could’ve killed her on the spot, except she doesn’t deserve a quick death.

Luca Navarro pushes his reading glasses onto his head and raises a quizzical brow, a mixture of amusement and concern glinting in his perceptive lead gray eyes. “Someone’s in a cheerful mood.”

Tall and lithe, my second-in-command reclines in the chair across from me.

Growing up in upstate New York, Luca’s early love of hunting and tracking provided him with the perfect skills to serve as my shadow. Better yet, he understands my need for control.

“I’m waiting for the Council to reply to my meeting request.”

He ignores my scowl and stretches his powerful legs out in front of him. “The meeting you requested,” he glances at his phone, “less than an hour ago? Shocking how slow they are to respond these days.”

My scowl deepens. Luca’s one of the few people who can get away with calling me out like that. He can be a giant pain in the ass, but I trust him with my life.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting to wring his neck sometimes.

“Have you checked on Mr. Boyd?”

My sharp tone prompts Luca to cock his head. “Considering you just gave the order on the drive over, no. I haven’t had the chance.”

Luca also earned my permanent loyalty by helping my brother Marco keep the family running smoothly when I couldn’t. He and I may not share blood, but he’s the closest thing I have to a friend, and I count on him more than anyone. Where most of my men depend on brute force to eliminate threats, Luca plots, relying on his brilliant mind and computer savvy. He possesses plenty of skill with weapons but prefers precision over power. My second would much rather drive a knife into someone’s carotid artery than shower them in bullets.

He shifts positions in the chair, one of his silent tells. With a sigh, I spin around to face him. “What else?”

“The latest lead we found. I’ve got a name, but I need your approval to proceed. The cops are sniffing around, so if I pick him up now, things could get messy.”

“Leave him.” A couple of hours ago, I would have jumped on this lead that Luca and I tracked for weeks.

That all changed the moment I laid eyes on Sara. I’ve had my people monitoring her for the past month, but today was the first time I followed her myself.

As a result, I can’t focus on anything else. “We’ll take care of him once the heat dies down.”

Luca rears back in surprise. “You realize we may miss our window if we wait too long?”

“I have faith in you. You found him once, and you can do so again.”

“Lucky me.” He hunches forward in his chair. “And the Ghost?—”

“Is mine. I’ll punish him when, and how, I see fit.” My tone signals the end of the conversation.

“Understood.” Luca pokes his tongue into his cheek but doesn’t argue further.

Pinching the bridge of my nose to ward off the encroaching headache, I consult my watch again. “Fuck. Where are they?”

“Are you sure this is wise? I thought you planned to mess with her more first.”

“Plans change.”

Visceral skepticism radiates from my friend. Because, while plans may change for most people, I’m usually not a creature of impulse. I’m cold. Calculating. He knows it’s out of character for me to alter things last minute.

My ringing phone interrupts our standoff. The words “restricted number” flash across the screen.

Finally.

“Hello?”

A robotic voice replies, “Meet at Giovani’s restaurant in one hour.”

Click.