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“Explain... Give us a place to start...”
“The same place we would’ve started anyway.”
I nudged Sienna’s shoulder. “Sorry about this. You’re just trying to help.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to skeptics by now, and honestly, she’s right.” Sienna frowned. “What I saw wasn’t helpful. They could’ve figured it out on their own. You figured it out, suggesting Vito might’ve done it to avenge the Kings and get back what was taken from them. If their father, Sinjin, was the guy who destroyed his grandfather, it explains why he’s going after Sinjin’s family. And maybe why he’s so twisted with hate, he didn’t care if Tricky got caught in the cross fire.”
I found myself nodding. “It takes a serious fracture of the soul to order the death of a six-year-old girl, even if she wasn’t the main target. He knew she was getting in that car.”
“That’s Vito.”
We snapped up. Sunny and Genny had stopped, clearly overhearing our conversation.
“Fractured soul,” Genny continued. “When Frenchie and my girls died, he laughed in my face. Said he jacked off at night imagining their screams as their flesh melted off.”
I hissed, disgust twisting my stomach.
“He laughed till I put a fist through his teeth. I would’ve killed him right then, but he chose his spot well. Taunting me in a crowded bar with two cops drinking beers in the booth next to us.”
“I’d believe a man like that would throw someone off an overpass. Is he bald?”
Sunny shook his head. “I’ve met Vito Bernardi. He’s a few years older than me with a full head of hair. He didn’t lock eyes with you on that bridge. It’s possible he hired someone, but when the Kings went, so did their money. His family is solidly middle class, and it takes serious cash to hire a hit man and pay valets to plant bombs.”
“You said he has friends,” I pushed. “Friends can have money. Digger would’ve told everyone I didn’t have the means or the backup to get to him, until you put a gun in his mouth.”
“The lady has a point.” He swung to Genny. “Vito’s our strongest lead right now. I say Kenzie talks to him first.”
“Excuse me?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s perfect,” Sunny said to himself. “Kenzie takes over the Sons of Saint, then she approaches Vito. Tells him since she’s in charge now, she’s not living under anyone’s thumb—least of all the Merchants. She offers to join forces, and while he’s getting lost in her inky eyes, he spills all he’s already done to break the Merchants’ hold on Cinco—including getting rid of her predecessor. If we’re lucky, he’ll drop that brag quick, thinking it’ll get him grateful sex.”
“Sunny, there’s a whole mess of nonsense spewing out of your mouth right now,” Genny said. “Why on earth would Feisty do any of that shit? She’s not taking over the Sons of Saint. If something happens to any of us, the family steps up to run the borough. That’s how it works. That’s how it’ll always work. Cinco is ours.”
I cocked a brow. “Damn, you’re possessive. You can have Cinco if you want, but you should know that unlike your fuckboys, the city does like to cuddle.”
She jabbed a finger at me. “I really like her,” she said to her brother, “but she better marry you, or marry me, if she wants a seat at the table.”
“Gen, relax. We didn’t get to the rest of the plan. It all hinges on her.”
Genny listened to the rest, brows climbing higher as he described pretending he was dead and sending me in to interrogate his gang, Vito, and any traitors helping avenge an old grudge.
“And Liam agreed to this?”
“With extreme reluctance,” Sunny replied. “He agreed to go along if Bane backs it up.”
“Oh, hell,” she said, screwing up her face. “That’s why you want to see Bane? You’re making him the tiebreaker? Fucking hell, I leave you boys alone for a second and you get it into your heads that you’re equipped to make decisions without me.”
“Uh, you dumped your phone in a lake, promised to beat us up if we crashed your bar, and dipped for six months—hardly a second. And yeah, once I learned to use the big-boy potty, I figured I could steer the ship alone from there.”
“You were wrong.” Genny snapped her fingers. “Feisty, up here with me. I’m handling the vetting from here on out. I’ll decide if you can handle playing female Sunny. If not, I’ll find someone else to step up.”
I readied to argue but, once again, she grabbed me around the waist and marched us through the woods. I overheard Sunny asking Sienna for more details about her visions. I was on my own.
“Alright, Blaine.” This close, she smelled faintly of beer and mint soap. Somehow it worked. “Let’s cut through the bullshit. Are you fucking my brother? Is that how you got him believing you’re superwoman?”
