"That went well," Kon observes, and I can hear the smirk in his voice even without looking at him. "You only threatened to have me murder him once."
I lift a shoulder. "The night's young."
He laughs, low and rough. "Something on your mind, brother? You seem distracted tonight."
Distracted. That's one word for it. Another word would be obsessed. Consumed. Unable to think about anything except the way she flinched when I touched her cheek, the way her eyes went wide and vulnerable before she remembered to put her walls back up.
"Nothing that concerns you," I say, which is a lie and we both know it.
Kon doesn't push. That's one of the things I appreciate about him. He knows when to ask questions and when to let silence hang.
We reach the car, a black sedan with bulletproof windows and siding that costs more than I care to think about. Rafael insisted on the protection, and I have to admit he's right. If even one of the six Red Letter brothers fall, the whole empire we’ve fought to build crumbles.
My driver opens the door, and I slide into the backseat, already reaching for my phone before Kon can slide in beside me.
The screen lights up with Luca's contact information. I stare at it for a long moment, knowing that what I'm about to do crosses a line I've carefully maintained for three years.
I've watched Katriana from a distance since that dinner when Jonah first brought her home. Watched my idiot brother parade her around like a prize he'd won, too stupid to realize he was holding something precious. She wore a green sweater that night, soft and simple, and she had a book tucked in her purse that she thought no one noticed.
I noticed.
I noticed everything about her. The way she laughed, genuine and surprised by her own amusement. The way she asked questions and actually listened to the answers. The way she was so clearly, painfully too good for my worthless brother.
I kept my distance because she wasn't mine. Because taking what belongs to someone else, even someone who doesn't deserve it, isn't the kind of man my mother raised me to be. But Jonah threw Katriana away. Called her frigid because she wouldn't let him take what he wanted. Blamed her for his own infidelity because that's what weak men do when they're confronted with their failures. At least that is what he told me while slamming back tequila shots and licking lime and salt off naked escorts.
And now she's shown up at Scarlet Thorn with bruises on her face and desperation in her eyes, and I am done keeping my distance.
I press the call button.
Luca answers on the second ring. "Brother. Little late for social calls, isn't it?"
I flick his irritation away with a grunt. "Katriana Bellrose," I say without preamble.
“Name rings a bell, yeah. What about her?”
"She’s Jonah's ex.”
“Right. Haven’t seen her in ages. She back with him?”
“Let’s find out. She showed up at Scarlet Thorn tonight with bruises on her face and throat. I want to know who put them there and what kind of trouble she's in."
“Why was she at the club?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing all night.”
There's a pause on the other end. I can practically hear Luca's brain working, cataloguing the information, filing away the pieces for later analysis. Luca Valentina knows everyone's secrets before they even confess to a priest. If anyone can find out what's happening with Katriana, it's him.
"This personal or business?"
"Just find out who hurt her."
Another pause. "You know Jonah's going to lose his mind when he finds out you're sniffing around his ex."
"Jonah can go to hell."
"Fair enough." There's a rustle of movement, like Luca is reaching for something. A laptop, probably. The man is nevermore than arm's length from his surveillance networks. "Give me a few hours. I'll have something for you by morning."
"Make it sooner, brother. This can’t wait."
