She pauses at the last step. We’re face to face now, close enough for me to see the calculation behind her gaze. That samelook she wore at my father’s funeral. The one that never mourns, only measures.
“You’re being watched,” she says.
My shoulders tense. “I’m being watched by everyone. That’s not news.”
“No, is different.” She crosses her arms. “One of Silvio’s dogs?”
I don’t answer.
I don’t need to. The flicker in her eyes says she already knows I’ve found something. Or someone.
She clicks her tongue, soft and sharp.“Kill him.”
I arch a brow. “You haven’t even seen his face.”
“I’ve seen yours,” she replies. “And I know that look. You’re curious. Curiosity is a crack in the foundation, Nico. You let it in, and everything falls.”
“I won’t make the same mistakes he did.”
“No. You’ll make new ones.”
She leans in just enough to lower her voice.
“Kill the man following you. Before it’s too late.”
Then she walks past me, her perfume trailing behind her.
I reach into my pocket for my phone, knuckles still tight from the morning. My steps echo through the marble foyer as I cut through the hall, headed straight for the garage.
The house is silent. Even the guards keep their distance when I’m like this.
I swipe the key fob for the black Benz, the one that doesn’t draw attention like the Rolls. Sleek. Fast. Disposable, if it needs to be.
The line clicks as Luca answers after one ring. He always does.
“Where is he?” I grit out, already unlocking the car.
“Midtown,” Luca replies. He’s calm, controlled. That’s why he’s still breathing after all these years. “Spotted him walking near Park Row station. Same clothes from the photos. He’s not hiding.”
I slide into the driver’s seat, the engine purring to life beneath my hands like a beast waiting to be unleashed. “Then he wants me to find him.”
“Or he’s testing how long it takes you to notice,” Luca says.
“Too fucking late for that.”
I pull out of the driveway, tires whispering across the stone. Enzo’s already gone, off to bury one more problem in a long list of them. He’s a cleaner. A loyal one. One of the last men I trust to handle messes without asking questions.
Ishould be the one putting that body in the ground. But I’ve got a different ghost to chase.
One that walks like he’s got nothing to lose.
I tap the wheel once, tension riding just beneath my skin. “Keep eyes on him. Don’t make contact.”
“You think he’s working alone?” Luca asks.
“No,” I murmur. “I think he’s a fucking trap. And I want to know who set him.”
Silence hums through the line. Then Luca exhales. “You want backup?”
