“I’m beginning to think I should have listened last night when you said you had more to tell me,” he said, dropping his chin into his hand. “To be fair, I really didn’t think you could tell me anything that would beat out you being a hitman.”
“Valid,” Ghost put in.
I gave him a dirty look.
Haz straightened, his eyes widening as if a lightbulb went off above his head. “You said you found out who wanted me deadandwhy.”
Did that just now register? I glanced at Ghost.See? See how damn helpless he is?
Ghost frowned.
“Kieran.”
“Baby doll.”
“Do you know who wants me dead and why?” he asked point-blank.
“Yes.”
I braced myself for the can of worms about to pop wide open.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Have you ever heard of the Salvatore family? They?—”
“Of course I have.” Haz interrupted. “I live in the worst part of Buffalo. Everyone knows the Salvatores are the most powerful mob in this region. Everyone is scared shitless of them.” A look crossed his face, shock and doubt twined into one. “Wait, are you saying the Salvatores want me dead?Themob?”
“Yes, baby,” I replied, wishing I could sugarcoat it way better than with the word baby. But there was no sugarcoating that you were a target for the mob.
Hazard leaped up. The stool he was in went skittering back and then tipped over. “That’s impossible!” he exclaimed. “Why would they want me dead? I didn’t do anything. I’m no one!”
“But you are,” I said, but Haz started pacing, going all the way into the living room to wear a track in the floor in front of the windows.
I gave Ghost a look and followed.
“There has to be some mistake,” Haz reasoned. He gasped so hard his entire body moved. “Wait! Didn’t that Matteo guy just die a few weeks ago? He was the head of everything, right? Oh my God, is that why they want me dead? Do they somehow think I killed him?” He spun to face me, his wide eyes innocent and pleading. “Is that why, Kieran?”
“No,” I said, my heart constricting.
“Then why?” he asked. “What possible reason could the mob have for wanting me dead?”
“Because you’re Matteo Salvatore’s son.”
Haz froze. The room plunged into deafening silence, only to be shattered a moment later by laughter.
“He’s cracking up,” Ghost whispered out of the side of his mouth.
Haz continued laughing, bending at the waist, his forced humor pointed at the floor.
“Haz,” I called, stepping forward to wrap a hand around his arm and pull him up.
“No!” he shouted, jerking free of my grasp. “That’s not funny, Kieran. How could you even say such a thing? Take it back.”
I stayed silent because, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t take it back.
“Take it back,” Haz said again, losing some of the humor in his tone.
My lips rolled in.
