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"Go on then. Make it right." I gave the dockmaster one final warning glare before releasing him. He stumbled backward, nearly falling on his ass, then quickly scurried away.
The shipment of smuggled processors was our primary concern, but the real reason I'd switched places with Teagan on today's rounds was eating at me. I was going to have it out with Alfie, today, for better or worse. The signs were getting too much for me to ignore. This life was treacherous, and loyalty was our most sacred currency. In a world where trust could get you killed, I couldn't afford to ignore any doubts, not even those about a friend I'd known for the better part of my life.
"You got a smoke?" I asked.
Alfie smirked, but his brow was creased as he studied me. "You only smoke when you're stressed. What's up?"
He handed me a cigarette anyway. I took it and tapped the tobacco down thoughtfully. "How's the leg?"
"Good as new. I barely even limp anymore. Thank God for Cassidy--I probably would've lost the whole leg if Delaney had been the one stitching me up." he laughed.
I didn't. "We never finished our conversation from that night."
"What conversation, Con? I was pretty loopy." He was looking through the shipping manifest again, but I knew Alfie enough to know when he was stalling. Or hiding something.
"The conversation where I asked you what was so important that you missed your rounds with Teag that night, and you gave me some bullshit excuse about a girl. I'd love to know what kind of kinky shit you've got going on in the bedroom that ends up with you getting shot, Alfie."
He flinched, face reddening like it always did when he got angry. "It's just a girl, Connor. We were out, I wasn't paying attention, and some pisshead tried to mug us."
"Where were you?"
"Shawmut."
"Bullshit. Jack and Grady were running for Arthur Sullivan that night. Try again."
The angry heat in Alfie's cheeks darkened, and he pushed an unruly lock of curls back from his forehead. I crossed my arms and sat on a crate. "You're acting different. You're harder to reach, always on your phone. You've been missing your rounds with Teagan. You're lying to me. I have never seen you this screwed up over some girl, so what the fuck is going on, Alfie?"
He blanched. "Connor, it's not what you think. I had a run-in with some thugs up in the North End, but it's not related to the family."
"Fuck!" I shoved off the crate so suddenly it tipped, rocking precariously on it's edge before falling over with a loud bang. I kicked it for good measure. Taking several steps away, I ran my hands through my hair and clasped them behind my head, breathing deeply until I felt my blood pressure return to something resembling normal. "You realize what this looks like, don't you?"
As the words left my mouth, Alfie's eyes widened, and he paled. "You--what? You think I'm the mole?"
My silence was all the confirmation Alfie needed. He took a step back, shaking his head, disbelief etched into his features. "Connor, I would never betray you or the family. You know me. This is all I've got. I woulddiebefore I would sell you out."
Three quick steps, and I had my hands fisted in his jacket. Pleading, threatening, I didn't know what. "Then tell me what is going on with you. I don't care how bad it is."
"It's a girl, Connor. I wasn't lying about that part." Alfie took a breath, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. "I met her in a bookshop in the North End. Her name is Emilia Moretti."
Dread sank like a lead weight to the pit of my stomach. I knew that name. I released Alfie and stepped back, blood dripping unheeded from my right hand onto the dock between us. I shook my head. "No.No."
"Emilia is Lorenzo Moretti's adopted daughter. Her father was one of his lieutenants when he was killed. She was seven. Her mother left a year later, and she was raised by Lorenzo outside the family." This time, he met my eyes. "Emilia has absolutely nothing to do with the Moretti Crime Family."
"Alfie." My voice was thick. "How can you be so sodding stupid."
"She owns a bookstore."
I closed my eyes. "His fucking daughter."
"It's a front."
"It's fucking books!" Alfie's voice echoed in the cavernous space. I didn't know what the hell Unger was doing, but he was right to stay away. I was liable to blacken his other eye, just so I could hit someone.
"It's just books, Connor," Alfie said again. "I checked. Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to go chasing after someone like her without doing a little digging, first?"
"You wouldn't be the first man to be blinded by a pair of tits."
A muscle thrummed in his jaw. "The day I met her, I was in Back Bay looking into Johnny's shooting, per your orders. I was tailing one of his contacts, and we drifted into Moretti territory. He flushed me into an ambush. Three guys tried to jump me and ended up chasing me into Emilia's bookshop."
