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“Was that really necessary?” I gestured behind me. “You could’ve disarmed him if you thought he had a weapon.”
His smirk was the same one I’d seen him flash a million times in our childhood. He’d been Dante’s best friend and right hand man since I could remember. I hadn’t seen him in years.
About as long as it had been since I’d laid eyes on my brother.
“I’ll remember that next time I’m saving your life, Gio.”
“What are you even doing here?” I cast a glance over my shoulder, expecting to see the cops—or maybe the crowd of spectators—advancing on us. But the lot had emptied out fast, and no one seemed to care that a guy had just breathed his last behind us.
“I thought I just clarified I was here to save your life.” He arched an eyebrow in the direction of the Mustang. “Sat nearby and watched that individual, one Zaccharius L. Froio, rig his car with explosives several hours ago. I imagine if you’d laid a hand on that door handle, you would’ve gone up like a Roman candle.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, seemed like extreme punishment for you pussying out on that fight. Your call, though.”
“Where’s my brother?” I didn’t ask about Carly. Yet.
“He’s a little busy. I do believe you sent him to collect some cargo this evening.”
“She’s not cargo.”
“Whatever term you prefer, she’s been collected.”
I cast a glance over my shoulder again, making sure no one was close by. “She’s okay?”
“Spitting cat mad, but fine. And your name didn’t seem to make her less so. Guess your influence with the lady isn’t what you’d hoped.”
I smiled, shaking my head. That was my Carly. She’d never go down without a fight for anyone. “Tomorrow, you’ll take me to her.”
Luke jerked a shoulder. “Could do it right now, if you want.”
“No. Not now.” I couldn’t take the risk of someone following us to her location. “Tomorrow. We need to figure out what the plan is for her.”
She needed to be protected, no matter what. Maybe it would be safer if she was kept under lock and key until Roberto was taken care of, and the organization had much bigger problems to worry about than one stripper. She was so much more than that, but not to them.
To me, she was everything.
“Whatever you say.” Luke dusted off his hands with what looked like a linen handkerchief.
Sighing, I glanced at the car. So much for my staging a meet with Roberto. This little meetup had eaten too much time, and then there was the matter of the rigged car. “Guess we should get out of here and call this in.”
He frowned, obviously perplexed. “Why?”
“Why? Never mind that a man died here tonight, this car is a public hazard. If someone touches it, the damn thing might explode.”
Luke shrugged and scraped a hand over his scruffy jaw. “Guess that’s a problem, huh?”
“Go on back to Dante. I’ll handle this.” At the end of my patience, I bent to say a quick prayer over Z then headed for my own vehicle. I stopped halfway there and glanced back. “Thanks, for…” I let my gaze drift to the boots still visible between the cars. Something too close to pity moved through me, and I squashed it. Pity was wasted on men like him.
Men like you.
“Thanks,” I said again, without elaborating.
Luke nodded. “All in a night’s work.”
Because I was certain that wasn’t an exaggeration, I got in my truck and drove away from the warehouse. Even pressing my foot down on the gas required more effort than I had left to expend, but instead of going right home, I took a zigzagging route through the city to make sure I wasn’t being tracked.
Paranoia had me in its grips. Since it might just keep me alive, I wasn’t fighting it.
Along the way, I pulled out the drop phone I’d picked up earlier in the week in case I had to run. I had another in the bag in my trunk. I called the cops, disguising my voice as I told them about the body and the rigged car back at the warehouse. Then I hung up and finally went home.
Alone. So fucking alone.
