Lazzarini spun on me and the grumble of disapproval from him wasn’t unexpected. He slammed his fists on his hips and pulled his mouth in a frown. “I don’t want any trouble from you, Sweeney. Take your man and his belongings and get out of here.”
“I don’t know, Sergeant. You don’t seem to handle your people very well, and I constantly have to deal with Campbell when I shouldn’t,” I drawled.
He snorted. “You’re lucky that’s all you have to handle.” He got in closer and pointed a finger at me. “We knowwhatyou are, Sweeney, but don’t forget where you came from.”
I tensed. Lazzarini was one of the few who remembered my dad and our past, and that was one thing I hated about him. I’d considered it an underdog story because we’d come up from the lowest spot on the food chain and gotten rid of the Italian mafia’s dominance on the east coast, but to people like Lazzarini, we would always be rubbish. The dirt under his feet.
He smiled as though he knew he’d hit a sore spot. “Your dad was a common criminal.”
“I remember he got a few over on you, Lazzarini.” I grinned back at him. Two could play that game. Right now, I couldn’t focus on my Lolly’s reaction because beating Lazzarini in this battle was more important.
“Did he?” He grunted. “Last I remember, I got the last laugh. Your dad ended up dead in the gutter of a footpath with a sign on his chest.For you.”
I couldn’t deny the truth. Dad hadn’t seen my victory against the Italians, and it’d been partly my fault. I’d pushed, and as revenge, they’d targeted my dad. The old man had been good at taking care of himself, but that time he’d drunk too much grog at the pub after a day of betting on the horses, and he’d been walking home plastered when they’d run upon him by accident and had taken him out. The men who’d done it hadn’t lived long enough to regret it.
I stepped in closer to Lazzarini so I wouldn’t have to speak loudly, and he straightened his shoulders, meeting me with a stern look that might’ve scared anyone else. “You should be on your knees thanking us for what we did.”
Lazzarini’s left eye twitched. “You’re just another rat, Sweeney. It doesn’t matter who it is. Italian, Irish, or another bloody group. You’re all the same. You prey on people.”
My mouth curved to the side. “You’re lucky I’m keeping the Italians out. You’d have to get off your fat arse and clean up messes if I didn’t.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “Grab your little boyfriend and get out of my station.”
I didn’t argue with him about that. Pulling out my phone, I texted Hero, and a few moments later a couple of my men came into the station. I pointed at the room, and they strode straight in there, gathering the American men’s belongings together and shoving them into their luggage. Apparently, the constables had started searching through the bags.
Finn touched my arm, but I shook my head at him. I would buy him pretty new clothes later if I had to, but it was better to get out of here as quickly as possible. I grabbed Finn’s elbow gently, and with a final sneer at Lazzarini, I led Finn out of the station’s front doors.
Cillian and Fallon were waiting down the stone steps with Mercy and Hero, and while Cillian’s jaw tightened, he didn’t say a word when I raised my hand at him to keep him quiet.
“I’m taking my Lolly home. I don’t want any questions until Finn has a rest. Then we’ll ask.”
While Cillian didn’t appear happy about the prospect, he nodded sharply. I led Finn away, noting the tightness in his body as I guided him to my Toyota Land Cruiser. The vehicle was a massive midnight blue, double-cab truck with a large tray on the back and a bull bar on the front, which was great for driving at night, in case we hit any roos. Wide and heavy, it had a V-8 engine and lots of room. But right now, it was only meant for me and Finn.
I opened the passenger-side door for him, and when I held out my hand, he took it and used the step to heave himself up into the ute. Once I had his door closed, I went around to my side and got in. I’d had the cab modified for my height and the body lifted. Being as tall as I was, I needed a lot of my property customized to make it comfortable.
He stayed quiet as I pressed the ignition button, starting the loud engine, which roared to life. Luckily I’d taken the time to reverse into the diagonal park so I could drive straight out and onto the street.
When I got on the go, I reached out for Finn’s hand and threaded my fingers with his. “Righto, Lolly. Tell me. Are you okay? Do I need to kill anyone?”
He laughed nervously. “No. Well.... Maybe that asshole who shot at me.”
I nodded seriously. “Oh, trust me, there’s a bullet in my gun with his name on it.”
“You have guns? Didn’t think you would in Australia.” The teasing lilt in his tone made me laugh.
“We definitely do, we just need to hide them better. Even the blokes with licenses need to have their guns locked up in heavy safes secured to the ground.” I shrugged. I’d never bothered getting a license for my guns. It would only give the cops a reason to pay me a visit andcheckto make sure I was complying with laws.
“It blows my mind how different your country is.” He squeezed my hand and gave me a small smile. “I’ve never seen this kind of truck around New York.”
“Christ. You don’t have Land Cruisers?” I whistled, and when I stopped at a red light, I patted the dashboard with the hand not holding Finn’s. “This is my baby. Up here in North Queensland, these utes are a dream.”
“It’s possible we do, but they’re too big for the city. And ute?” He laughed. “What does that mean?”
I winked. “Short for utility vehicle.”
“Do you have to shorten everything?” His eyes glittered with mischief. Cheeky bugger.
“We shorten everything... except our cocks.” I waggled my eyebrows at him, and he laughed harder, lips curling.
