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“Who cares!” Luca roars, flying to his feet. Both Joshua and I watch him silently, knowing the signs of Luca’s outbursts. “Ghost is a fictional fucking person, or persons who we don’t even know are real.” He points to his father. “You’re telling me that some old fuck that has been here before your day is still here now?”
I shrug, crossing my leg on top of the other. “Maybe.”
“Bullshit,” Luca spits. “I’ll kill him myself.”
I choke down the laugh that bubbles up my throat. Luca is many things, but mostly Luca is an antagonist. He teases people to the point where they’d want to die, but he’s also a coward. His brash and impulsiveness to give in to his emotions will get him killed one day.
And I’ll be there to watch it.
“I would pay to see you do that.” I chuckle under my breath.
The pain is instant, as my cheek stings from the impact of Luca’s hand.
“Luca!” Joshua is up on his feet, his fingers intertwined in front of himself. “Enough.”
I don’t flinch when Luca starts moving back toward me, fisting my face in his palm and forcing my eyes right on him. Spit flies out of his mouth, but all I hear is white noise. A ringing in my ears to counter his roaring voice. It’s almost a response any time I feel Luca getting worked up. I block him out and don’t realize it. At first, I’d pray for the day where he’d just put me out of my misery, right up until Niko rode back into town.
But now that’s turned back to shit.
He shoves my face away. “You ungrateful bitch! We took you in when your aunt died.”
“You—” I glare up at him from damp lashes. I’ve not tested Luca after that week in the gallows, not the way I have been lately. I can’t explain why I’ve followed him blindly through life, as if he’s the owner and I’m the puppy—only I know why I’ve done it. And I’ll keep doing it until I die if I have to. “—killed her.” It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud since that night.
Luca laughs, leaning back against the bench and looking back to his father, dismissing me. “So what do we do?”
“I don’t know, Luca. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
A door opens and closes to the side, and I turn to see who it is when my eyes come to the sister, whose head is bowed until she comes closer to us.
“One of the girls has fallen ill. We have done what we can do from here, but I fear she may need a hospital.”
Luca waves her away without bringing his eyes to mine. “Meraki, go sort it out.”
I shove myself up from the chair, but not before offering her a gentle smile. She follows me all the way to the doors, but it’s not until they swing closed that she grabs me by the hand and squeezes.
“Tu dois partir, Meraki! You can’t be here.”
I pat her hand with mine, the withered wrinkles feeling softer against my harsh palms. “C’est bon, ma soeur.”
I make my way through the back kitchen and to the fire exit, pushing on the old doors. The weather outside slaps me across the face, but it’s the silence that’s eerie.
I take in the little houses that are scattered around the yard. All one-bedroom self-contained units.
“Where is she?”
Ma soeur points to the little green home in the middle, and my brows cross with worry.
I turn back to face her. “What’s wrong?”
“She had the baby,” ma soeur says gently, her shoulders slumping and a look of defeat crossing her features.
I lose focus over her shoulder. “Okay, right.” I spin around and tap the side of my thigh, making sure my Glock is wrapped around it. “I fucking hate this.” The loose gravel kicks up as I tread toward the house.
I turn around just before I hit the house to see ma soeur. She’s watching me from the same spot, her hands folded in front of herself. Even from this distance, I can see the sadness weighing her down. In all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her look so defeated.
She’s almost done.
I can’t let this be it.
Turning the handle, I push the door open. “Here’s the plan.”
I stare back at my father, watching as his mouth opens and closes. He keeps talking like I should give a fuck about this Ghost, or whatever. I don’t. I couldn’t give a shit who this person is, I’d simply put a hit on him and be done with it. I was known for it.
“He is a problem for us, Luca, but you already know that.”
“Mmhmm,” I mutter, pushing up from the bench. “Where did Meraki go?”
Joseph’s eyes shift over my shoulder to the side door. “She went to the back.” He didn’t finish his sentence before my feet were taking me the same way she went.
