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“You don’t wanna save that for later?” I took a final pull from the cigarette before I stubbed it out on the desk. “You’re sending a whole other message with an assassination.”
Finn lifted a shoulder. “It wouldn’t be at the top of the agenda, but once we have everything we need to finish this once and for all…? Yeah, I want him out. He can cause enough mayhem behind bars.”
True.
And who knew, it might flush out the mother if we got rid of her son. I wanted her to regret her family’s actions, starting a war against us. I wanted her to savor the last moments she had left with the son who was still a kid, ’cause he had a target on his forehead too.
“Here’s the thing, Kellan,” Finn continued. “I’m not sending you. And before you flip your shit, hear me out.”
I felt my jaw tick, and I gripped the edge of the desk. Why the fuck wouldn’t he send me?
“Life here at home has to proceed as normal,” he said. “The authorities are still too interested in us, and you’d be hauled in as a suspect the minute they discovered you’ve left the country—if things start happening in Italy.”
“That’s horseshit,” I blurted out. “I’m not the one with a goddamn Wikipedia page to my name.”
Finn gave me a look that asked if I was stupid. “Because that’s where the Feds grab their intel? Fucking Wikipedia? Get over yourself—I need you here at home for other reasons than an impressive case file, regardless. For one, there’s no other I trust to handle my sit-downs if it comes to that. More than that, there’s no other the crew bosses would accept. Imagine we had a low-man collect our cut every week? What message would that send?”
That didn’t alleviate my anger, despite that I saw where he was coming from.
He wasn’t done. “As soon as you became my man on the street, you turned into the permanent fixture whose presence represents the stability of the syndicate. I can’t have you running around in Europe for several months right now.”
Did he think stroking my ego was gonna work?
I grumbled under my breath, already envious of the guys he was shipping to Europe, and lit up a new smoke.
“Furthermore—”
“Oh, great, here come the furthermores.”
Finn let out a laugh. “Shut the fuck up, you child. You think it’s fun for me to take cover whenever we’re facing heat? If I had it my way, I’d go to Europe myself—but I can’t. And neither can you. We’re more likely to end up at politicians’ rallies and banquets to grease pockets than outside some villa in Naples with a detonator.”
Wow. I didn’t think it was possible to make our organization sound less thrilling.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t have fun too,” he said. “Colm’s secured a new location for us near the airport, so we’re moving the Italians tonight.” He walked over to me and extended two fingers, and I gave him a smoke and a lighter. “It’ll be our temporary headquarters until this is over. Eric will transport his equipment there, and you and I will get those two motherfuckers out there to talk.”
That made me perk up. “Can I be bad cop?”
He snorted. “You can be batshit-crazy cop.”
I grinned and scratched my jaw. Time to shave soon. “Now you’re just flirtin’.”
He shook his head in amusement and exhaled smoke through his nose. “Eh—maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Pop can’t live without you these days, and Emilia will get sick of me sooner or later. You’re a bottom, right?”
I chuckled. Finn and Emilia were the type of people that would stay sickeningly in love forever. Even when they drove each other bonkers, they were solid.
“On that note, where can I find cards?” he asked. “We’re talking Grade A Hallmark.”
“Uh…I don’t know. Target?”
“Okay, good. I need one that says, ‘It was probably a dick move to point the TV remote at you to see if I could turn down the volume, but I’m not sorry because it led to some fantastic sex, and I very much enjoyed fucking your brains out, baby.’”
Case in point.
“Definitely Target,” I said. “Or Autumn can help you make a card like that with her glitter glue and stickers.”
He seemed to genuinely consider it. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Plus, you’ll put her very own crafts studio to use.”
That made him frown. “Are you implying my daughter’s spoiled?”
“Mate, I’m flat-out saying it. You give her everything before she’s even asked for it.” But now we were getting off track; I still had questions. “What I wanna know is who you’re sending to Europe.”
He was still frowning, but at least he moved on. “Seán and Sullivan outta Chicago, and Colm and Mikey from here.”
Lucky sons’a bitches.
“And when are we getting our fun with the two out there?” I jerked my chin at the door.
