“I didn’t kill him. Luna did. She beat him to death with a fire poker.”
“Jeeeeeesus. It makes sense why she’s with you then.”
I ignore the sting his words leave. “Where are we meeting? The quicker we can put an end to this, the better.”
“We will meet Johnny at his warehouse down in the Upper North Side at the docks. Be there in an hour.”
“Got it.” I end the call, looking back at Luna from the doorway. She looks so peaceful sleeping. I ache to crawl back into bed with her, and spend our last night together, holding her, and letting her know how perfect she is—but that’s not my reality. It can’t be. I have to fix everything and make it right.
For her.
I pull up at the dock on my bike, Alex slowing as I approach him. “He’s up ahead in the open hangar waiting for us. I have my guys waiting up there with the dead guy.”
“Let's get this over with.” Alex nods, and we pull into the hangar around the bend.
Armed security stands next to Johnny, his suit bloody, and hisface furious. ‘Bout time you boys showed up. I hear you have the traitor.”
Alex and I dismount, and Alex nods to his guys behind us. They get out of the white van, round the back, and pull out a body bag, dragging it to Johnny’s feet. “Unzip it,” Alex says, and his men do so, revealing Greg’s rearranged face.
“Jesus. I can barely tell it’s him, but I know that ugly mug, eyes or not. Fuck. I wanted to kill him myself. Fucker had both my brothers murdered in cold blood.”
“Why?” Alex asks.
“More money, probably. Got a taste for the lifestyle and thought he could undermine me—speaking of money,” Johnny turns to me, “I believe you have something else that belongs to me, and I would likeherback.”
“That won’t be happening,” I say, trying to control my emotions, but I really want to jump across the short distance and rip his throat out for suggesting it.
Johnny cocks his brow and huffs a laugh. “No, you see, I would have made a large sum of money off of her tonight, and seeing as the night is ruined, I won’t be making that money, so if you don’t mind, I need my whore back.”
“She’s not a whore, and she doesn’t belong to you,” I growl.
Johnny throws his hands up, “Could have fooled me. She sure knows how to work a sale. She was going to make me a lot of money, and I’m not willing to lose her. And shedoesbelong to me; I paid to have her kidnapped.”
“The girl is a non-negotiable. She’s no longer in the city.” Alex interjects.
Johnny smirks, flashing the Desert Eagle on his hip. “That’s not how this is going to work, gentlemen. She was promised to me, and I paid for her.”
“How much do you want?” I ask, growing more irritated by the second, and the grip on my emotions is loosening.
“Ah—she’s not for sale right now. Once she’s in my possession, I’ll rent her to you for the night, for the right price.” Johnny smiles, winking, and I swallow my rage down. “You see, I won’t give up, so you either need to give me something of equal value, or we have no deal.”
“You can’t have her.” I shift my gaze back to Alex, and I can see his eyes already begging me not to do what I’m about to do, but Luna has to be safe. If it's the last thing I do, I will always protect her. “Ioffer myself in her place.” Johnny cocks a brow, amusement written on his smug face. “You need protection, you’re vulnerable right now, and you have a target on your back. You think Greg did all this behind your back, on his own, without you knowing? Sounds like you got rats in your nest.”
Johnny’s lip twitches. He knows I’m right. “Go on.”
“I’m a contract killer; my usual clients pay me for personal hits, but I’m willing to exchange my services for the girl. I can track down anyone, anywhere, and I can kill them with little effort on my part because they never see me coming. The girl has nothing to do with this and deserves to move on peacefully. Once I kill everyone that you need killed, our deal will be done, and I’ll disappear from the city. Deal?”
Johnny stares at me, a smile spreading across his face. “Deal. I’ll reach out to you soon with a list of names. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Dante.” He sticks his hand out for me to shake, and it takes everything in me to move and grab it.
With the final shake, it feels like my fate and future are sealed, and Luna will no longer be part of it.
Johnny snaps his fingers, and his two bodyguards pick up Greg’s corpse, tossing it in the back of their van. Johnny looks back, waving before they take off, and the hopelessness I feel is all-consuming.
“Dante, I’m sorry, brother. But you won’t do this alone. I’ll help you, and hopefully it will be over faster,” Alex says, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“It’ll never be over, Alex. This is my fate.”
“Dante, come on, I know it feels bleak right now—”
