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“Cover the door, Luca.”
He moves to the doorway, a steak knife in his hand, staring at Russel. I pick up a knife, too, grab Russel by the shirt, and hold the knife to his throat.
“Please move,” I tell Russel. “Please fight. I’d enjoy that.”
“I think you should listen to your mom,” he says, and that almost makes me drive the blade into his throat—the fact he thinks he has any right to get involved with my family. OrtheFamily, and especially after what he did to my woman.
Mom stands behind her chair, her hand on her head. She glances at Dad, then at Luca. “Luca, please, take your father.”
“Mom—”
“Please,” she pleads.
“I’d listen to her,” Russel says. “Unless you want a nasty surprise—”
I give him a stiff jab at the base of his spine, letting him feel how serious I am. He grunts and stumbles forward. I grab his shirt, pull him backward, and press the knife against his throat again.
“Do it, Luca,” I tell him.
He groans, walking around the table. “Dad, I’m taking you to your room, okay? I’ll have Sebastian stay with you.”
Dad sits there, borderline lifeless. It breaks my damn heart. Luca wheels Dad from the room.
“We’ll wait for Luca to return.” Mom sits, sighs, and waves a hand. “You might as well sit down, dear.”
Despite the circumstances, hearing her call Scarletdeartouches me deeply. I know it’s a small thing, nothing to get overly excited about, but it’s enough to make me think of the future—the days when she and Mom will become friends, all this crap behind us.
Luca returns, closing the door behind him.
“Do you want to tell them?” Russel says. “Or shall I?”
Mom whimpers. “You do it, you evil man.You fucking do it!”
Luca and I exchange a look. It’s rare to hear Mom curse or see her so irate.
“Can I do it without a knife in my throat?” Russel says. “And maybe I could get a damn napkin for my nose?”
“You’ll be a corpse soon,” I tell him coldly. “No need to worry about any of that.”
When he laughs, I almost lose it again. I can only forcibly calm myself down when my Scarlet gives me a look. It’s a complicated look, saying a whole lot. It’s like she’s telling me shewantsRussel to pay, but she also wants me to keep the Family safe. Maybe that involves hearing how Russel has Mom so scared.
“Get on with it,” I snap, shaking him.
Russel sighs. “I’ve been the leader of the Shanks for six years.”
“You say that like we should be impressed,” Luca snaps.
Russel shrugs. He’s keeping his composure well for a man whose life is at serious risk. I’d admire it if I wasn’t ready to gut him like the pig he is.
“We were less impressive when we started,” Russel says. “Say what you want, but many of our members are rich. We’ve dragged ourselves out of the dirt. We’re succeeding.”
“Good for you,” Scarlet says bitterly. “We should give you a round of applause.”
“Feisty, aren’t you?” Russel says, and then he makes an animal whining noise.
Mom averts her gaze. Scarlet gasps. I don’t give a fuck. I’ve dragged the blade across his throat just a little, not deep enough to cut, enough to make him bleed, but not enough to hurt seriously.
“Say one more word to her,” I tell him, “and the next cut won’t be so nice.”
