The food is delivered, and unfortunately, that means that I don’t get to enjoy said food with this situation being done and over. Either the cook is too quick, or Lorenzo is too slow. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it’s both.
“He’s a good boy.”
CHAPTER NINE
CIDNEY
The last thing that Goffredo,JeffreyHagerty, is… is agood boy. He’s the exact fucking opposite. I know that without a doubt because I saw it in his eyes when he tried to kill me. When he actually shot Lightning.
I knew at that moment that I was looking into the face of pure evil.
My heart squeezes at the memory.
I’ve never wished death on anyone before, not even my parents, who weren’t the best, not even when a friend burned me, or when a guy hurt my feelings. I never wished harm on any other person until him.
Honestly, I don’t want to ever see him again, breathing or not. I don’t want to think about him either, except he keeps getting brought up. I don’t want him to exist, but I also realize that I don’t get a choice in the matter.
“I’m sure he is,” I say, breaking my thoughts, bringing myself back to the conversation, although reluctantly. I can’t bringmyself to say the wordsgood boy, so I just let them hang in the air.
It’s the very last thing I would ever actually think about the asshole. He’s not good, nothing about him isgood, but I’m not going to tell his father that, at least not yet. I might one day. Sooner rather than later, because it’s hanging on the tip of my tongue, what I actually think about him.
“But that doesn’t explain why,” I point out.
I’m going to need some answers, because otherwise, it would just be some complete random situation, and I know it’s not. There is more to what happened and why my apartment is now under surveillance, why he tried to kill me, and why he targeted me.
Lorenzo reaches for another piece of bread, soaking it in the olive oil and vinegar before plopping it in his mouth. I watch as he chews the bread, no doubt delaying the inevitable. He’s going to have to tell me. I can’t imagine he can skirt around this, not any longer. Not with Bullet sitting beside me.
“He played me, and I think I deserve to know why,” I state.
I don’t know if he’ll tell me the real reason why, but I do deserve to know why Jeffrey treated me like a fool and then tried to kill me. I should know how and why Lightning had to take a bullet for me and why agood boylike Jeffrey would try that.
Because he tried to kill me.Good boyor not.
He. Tried. To. Kill. Me.
“He hears things, my boy. His mother was always a bit too vocal, in my opinion. God rest her soul.”
I want to roll my eyes so damn hard at this whole conversation, but I can tell that Lorenzo wants to be the one in charge here. He’s used to being the big bad boss. I let him have that, but I’m not sure how long Bullet and Goose are going to allow it. I can feel the masculine energy rising higher and higher by the second. They are getting fed up and losing patience.
“Goffredo hears his mother one night. She’d had too much to drink. She accused me of still being in love with my ex, and your mother’s name was mentioned. Maybe he thinks by doing this, he will make her feel better.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” I whisper.
Lorenzo lifts his hand, waving it around. “Emotions hardly ever do.”
He’s so flippant about it. I think there is more to the story, and thankfully, so do Bullet and Goose, because Bullet is the one who speaks next, and when he does, I watch as Lorenzo’s spine straightens. And if I ever thought he was just a mild-mannered older man, that thought vanishes instantly.
“Business and manipulating someone, then trying to kill them—you need to give us more. Because where I am sitting, in order to make this right, you would need to hand over Goffredo to us.”
“I will not,” Lorenzo snaps.
“Then you need to get talking and make shit make some fucking sense,” Bullet growls right back at him.
Lorenzo flicks his gaze to meet mine, then shifts it back to Bullet’s. “Not with a woman present.”
I open my mouth to protest, because screw that. But when Bullet dips his chin and tells me to leave, that Piggy is waiting outside for me, I decide not to fight the situation. I know that if I fight it right here in front of Lorenzo, Bullet will look weak. I don’t want that. I want this shit done, and I want to be the one to hear it all, but I don’t argue.
Dipping my chin, I push my chair back and stand. Giving Lorenzo a half smile, I turn and walk out of the restaurant. Everything inside me screams to stay inside and find out what the hell is going on, but I don’t do that. I follow the rules and step outside, and there is Piggy, just as Bullet said he would be.
