Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Looking around the room at Nero, Maria, Sal, Drago, Amo, Vincent, and Angel, he remembered the first time he’d gathered them all together what seemed like an eternity ago …
* * *
“Now that we’re all here”—Lucca flipped his lighter open to take a much-needed hit off a cigarette—“look around to the people in this room.”
Eyeing everyone in the room himself, he saw their faces turned serious; the boardroom they were in quickly turning into a war room with just a few words.
“These are the only faces you can trust,” their underboss continued, commanding each and every one. “Anyone outside, we cannot trust isn’t One-Shot. No matter who it is.”
Solemnly, every soldier nodded their head, fully understanding that he was suspecting a Caruso to hide behind the curtain.
“One-Shot might be gone for now, but he will return … and when he does, the only one who will deal with him”—looking at each pair of eyes, Lucca staked his claim—“is me.”
* * *
Lucca wasted no time getting right to it. “One-Shot is one of us.”
“One of us?” Vincent’s baby blues darted around the room in shock until they stopped on Angel suspiciously. “Gee, I wonder which one of us is not like the other …”
“Not us, you idiot.” Grabbing the bridge of his nose was better than grabbing Vincent’s neck as Lucca contemplated for the millionth time why he had let him in in the first place.
“A Caruso,” Maria finished for him, stating the fucking obvious that everyone else knew.
“Oh, my bad.” Vincent threw the Luciano an apologetic glance. “Old habits die hard.”
The tatted angel didn’t even bother. “Sure.”
“Anyway, back to what I was saying.” Lucca took back command of the room. “I know we’ve all had our suspicions it might’ve been a Caruso all along, but I’m almost positive it is now.”
It wasn’t until Amo regretfully said, “I agree,” that everyone else seemed convinced. When it came from a Caruso who had done some things he shouldn’t have … his insight was insurmountable.
“How?” his brother, Nero, asked with his green gaze turning into slits.
“When Dominic took over as head of the Luciano family, he wiped out Lucifer’s followers, which were the older generation of family members.”
“That’s correct,” Angel backed up the claim, knowing most of the Luciano men left weren’t much older than Dom. “But what does that have to do with One-Shot’s identity?”
Sal was the one to answer. “Because I can’t find a single trace of him.”
“So, we’re left to believe he’s a man with the love for the old ways,” Lucca continued.
It was as if you could see the light bulb going off above everyone’s head.
Drago cracked his knuckles, ready to break some necks. “What’s the plan, then, boss?”
“We do what our fathers and their fathers did …” He wanted to pull out a cigarette but settled for flipping his lighter when his sister gave him a death glare to remind him of her condition. “Go old-school.”
“And how exactly do we do that?” Vincent asked, wondering if he was just too dumb, too young, or simply both in this case to understand.
Lucca flipped his silver Zippo to a close, capturing the flame. “We set a trap.”
FIFTEEN
WWMD. WHAT WOULD MARIA DO.
Fortunately for them, they were able to tag team Gia for a table for the rest of the week. When Monday came and Professor Miller’s TA continued to teach his class, Chloe’s suspicions were aroused again.
By the end of the class, she knew exactly who was responsible.
“I’m going to miss lunch today. I need to run back to the penthouse. I forgot a paper I need for my next class. Can I borrow your car?” Thankfully, Lucca had let the girls drive lately as their guards followed closely behind.
Adalyn looked at her quizzically. “Why not have Lucca send someone with what you forgot or get Henry to drive you?”
By now, Chloe had taken a few lessons from Maria. Each time they went over wedding stuff, her future sister-in-law took the opportunity to sprinkle in her “How to Become a Badass Woman Overnight.” She really thought Maria needed to write a book.
“Why ask someone else when I can do it myself?”
Not knowing what was coming over her friend, Adalyn still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t want to get in trouble with Lucca.”
“Please, Adalyn. You won’t get in any trouble. I promise.”
At her promise, Adalyn handed her the keys. “I’m going to be dead meat, but go ahead. Just remember this the next time I need your help.”
Knowing Adalyn, she’d definitely need her help one day, so she made her another promise. “The next time you resurrect your grandmother, just to bring her back to death’s door, I’ll even bring you flowers.”
“Now, you don’t have to go that far …” However, she still liked her enthusiasm. “But if you could manage a few tears, that would be great.”