Page 115 of Cash

I felt my eyes narrow. “Dead? Like CIA cover up dead or not breathing dead?”

“I’ve asked Vinnie G to hold the body until we get there so you can personally ID him,” Nebraska told me.

Cash was already pushing back from the table. “Where is he?”

Nebraska frowned. “The farm.”

The farm?

“The place on the Eastern Shore? That farm?” I asked.

“How the hell did Damion get on the property?” Cash growled.

Zane speared Cash with a look that would make a normal man piss his pants. “Vinnie didn’t pull back the contract on Damion, he just changed the perimeters. Capture only. Seems he was salivating for a marker from the King. His men found him in Vermont and decided to hand deliver him to you. Outside of New Milford when they were stopping for gas, Damion thought it was his time to escape. Vinnie’s guy accidently killed him when, in an attempt to get him back into the car, broke his neck. Now Vinnie’s pissed because he doesn’t get his marker. He’s also pissed because he gave Nebraska his word Damion would be delivered to Stella. And he’s pissed because he feels that a broken neck was too easy.”

A broken neck was too easy.

Way too easy.

“He’s dead,” I whispered.

Cash turned to look at me, but instead of meeting my eyes, his roamed my face.

Unconsciously my eyes closed. Then my head dropped forward as fury seared through me.

Dead.

Just like that.

Years of abuse. Years of torment. And that was it, an easy death.

No retribution.

The unfairness beat into my head.

I felt Cash’s hand wrap around the back of my neck. I heard his whispered, “Stella.”

I opened my eyes. Cash had his mouth open to say more. He closed it and stared into my eyes.

Ocean blue.

Clear. Beautiful.

Mine.

“It’s done,” I told him.

“Yeah, Stella, it’s done.”

Stella.

Lore was well and truly dead.

I was clean.

“You offered a mob boss a marker for my brother?” I asked.

“Of course I did.”