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Nico scowls at me. “You think that I, of all people, don’t know that?”
Dean chimes in. “He’s sending me away, Lil.”
That gets my attention. “To where?”
“Italy.” He shrugs. “Your father still has use for me, he just doesn’t want me here.”
There must be another way. “Then just don’t go. Nico, tell him you need Dean as your second. Tell him—”
“I’ve tried. I think Pop knows about Dean and me. At least he suspects.”
“If he knew for sure, I’d already be dead.” Dean says that so nonchalantly; like it isn’t preposterous for a man to be killed simply for loving another man. But then, in my father’s world, it isn’t outrageous—it’s normal.
“So, you’re going to kill him. Both of you?”
Nico’s eyes dart around the room. “Zeke and West are going to help.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No.” I look at Zeke sitting beside me. “You don’t know this world. You can’t just go to Vegas and kill Carmine Constantine and walk out again.”
Zeke lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “We know what we’re doing, buttercup.”
“Trust us, princess,” West adds.
My heart feels like it’s being crushed in a vise. Carmine Constantine is a powerful, violent, cruel man. They have no idea what he’s capable of. “When is this happening?”
“Soon,” West answers.
“Soon?” I wail. “How long is soon?”
“A week or two at most,” Nico replies.
No. I need more time to convince them how crazy this is.
Zeke rubs a hand over my back. “Nico will let us know when the time’s right, and we’ll go to Vegas. We’ll be on the jet and back home with you, Fitch, and the dogs within a day, baby doll. I promise.”
I wrench my hand from his. “You can’t make that kind of promise, Zeke. Nobody can.” What I wouldn’t give to rewind my life one hour and be back in the kitchen with him laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.
“We know what we’re doing, princess,” West says, his eyes dark as they burn into mine.
“No.” I shake my head. “You really don’t. None of you do.” I stare at Xander, sure that he’ll see sense. “You must see how crazy this is.”
He leans forward with his hands clasped between his spread thighs. “It’ll be fine, shorty.”
I turn my pleas to my brother. Of all the people in this room, he knows what Carmine Constantine is capable of. “Please don’t do this.”
“I have to, Lily Pad. I can’t go on living like this. My whole life is a fucking lie. Theonlything that keeps me sane is Dean.” He places his hand on Dean’s thigh. “And now Pop’s sending him away because he knows it will break me. We can end this for good, sis. With West and Zeke’s help, I know we can.”
I can’t breathe. They’re crazy. But how do I deny my brother the chance at a life like the one I’ve found, one I’m only allowed to live because of the sacrifices he made for me?
My head is spinning. I know that Carmine must die. It’s the only way. Because if he knows about Nico and Dean, there’s every chance he’s having them followed. And that means the likelihood of him finding out that I’m alive grows stronger with each passing day.
“Did I smell your incredible fried chicken when we came in earlier?” Xander asks, changing the subject and effortlessly relieving the tension in the way that only he can.
I take a deep breath and accept what I need to do next. Then I let it all go and focus on enjoying a meal with my five favorite people on the planet. “You did.”
“So let’s go fucking eat.”
* * *
