Page 107 of Unlock My Heart

“I’m not giving autographs at the moment,” Angelo says in a bored tone.

Kirksey chuckles. “Fabien, you never mentioned your brother had a sense of humor.”

“News to me,” I mutter.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m expanding my territory, which now includes New Orleans. Angelo, you’re going to sign over the deed to the hotel; so really, you are giving autographs.”

“You want to cosplay me?” Angelo clicks his tongue. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Kirksey, but an ex pimp such as yourself would be better suited in a brothel than a boardroom.” That rewards my brother with a kick under the table. Kirksey’s more prideful than I am, and I don’t plan on fucking dying today.

Kirksey’s eyes flicker with anger, but he covers the direct hit with a chuckle. “Fabien, I’m starting to understand why you wanted your brother dead. He is a self-righteous prick.”

“No argument there,” I agree, and it’s my turn to receive a kick under the table.

Kirksey grabs a cigarette from a pack, lighting it and taking a puff. “Here’s how this plays out. Fabien, you’ll commit the homicide of your brother, and then you’ll kill yourself. The least I can do is let you go out with a little pri⁠—”

Kirksey freezes at the strange sound coming from overhead. “What the hell?” He looks up, as do we all.

A large piece of sheet metal comes crashing down, along with some kind of wild animal.

The bobcat-looking thing latches its claws onto Kirksey’s head as he squeals, falling to the stage floor. “What the fuck is this? A bobcat?”

Before I get an answer to that question, gunfire pops off, and I grab my gun, kicking the table over. I jerk my brother down, but he shrugs out of my hold.

I pop back up with gun drawn; Kirksey’s face looks like it’s been through a meat grinder as he flings the creature off him. The bobcat goes flying, and Kirksey takes off like a little chicken shit backstage as gunfire pops off.

My brother sprints to the stage.

Oh, hell no. I sprint to the stage and tackle him to the ground, shielding his body with mine as the deafening sounds of gunfire reverberate through the room.

And then there’s silence.

Over the ringing in my ears, I can faintly make out the sound of Italian, and I raise to find some familiar Calvani family soldiers.

Dazed, my brother lifts his head.

One bullet could end this, but I find myself cursing as I holster my gun and roll him on his back. “You better not die like a little bitch and leave this unfinished between us. And when the fuck did you get a bobcat?” My eyes dart between the creature and my brother.

“I’m wearing a vest.” Angelo rips the buttons of his shirt and unsnaps the vest, and a single bullet drops to the floor. “She’s not a bobcat, but yes, Nola’s mine. We’ll work out our situation later; right now, go put a bullet in Kirksey’s head.”

“With pleasure.” I take off in a dead sprint outside, skittering to a stop when my sister appears with a woman I don’t know.

“Where did he go?” I ask Al.

“Where is Angelo?” The woman beside my sister demands with way too much bravado for her pint size.

“Inside with his bobcat. Where did Kirksey go?” I ask Al again, shielding her with my body. “That way. Follow the blood.” My sister points toward the alley.

I take off in a sprint and round the corner, only to find a car barreling toward me. Jumping out of the way, I land beside the godforsaken dumpster.

Pulling myself off the ground, I aim my gun, but Kirksey is long gone.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sienna

The present

My hand jiggles the door handle for the hundredth time, and for the hundredth time, it remains locked. My captive accommodations are sparse: a single room with a cot and one of those annoying flickering lightbulbs overhead. No windows, and without daylight, it’s hard to tell how long I’ve been here.