“So what’s the plan?”
I stand up again, forcing Lia to follow me by keeping my hold on her hair. Everest is in the other room with Aurora, and I check that the door between us is closed. I don’t want him to realize just how badly we’re fucked.
“Thereisno plan,” I hiss into the phone, pulling her back to the bed. “So you’d better stay the fuck away, Damien, because I amnottaking you down with me.”
Hescoffs. “Idiot. It’s a good thing nothing gets by me, huh?”
“What do you mean?” I ask wearily.
“You planning on killing Carmelo?”
Lia shifts uncomfortably beside me.
“Probably not,” I admit. “Since I’m kind of hoping not to die.”
“Good boy,” he says in the condescending way I usually don’t mind, but which makes me want to punch him right now. “Listen, I’ve done you a favor, so from now on, you’d better worship the ground I walk on. Got it?”
“Fuckoff, Damien.” Now that my adrenaline has died down, the realization of how screwed we are is starting to weigh heavily on me. And the way Lia is sitting passively beside me, no matter how hard I try to get a reaction out of her, isn’t helping matters.
“Well, jeez,” drawls Damien. “That’s not a nice way of thanking me, is it?”
Fine. I’ll bite.“Thanking you for what?”
“For getting you a nice little place in Wyoming. You’re gonna be a good boy and stay there with Lia, while I deal with Coltello.”
There’s a sharp intake of breath beside me. Lia doesn’t know Damien half as well as I do, though. I smell the bullshit a mile away.
“Sure,” I answer. I know he’s good, but no one’sthatgood. I’m also aware he’s much better at talking than at doing. “So let me get this straight. Your plan is to outsmart the entire mafia? Just you, against the whole family?”
“No,” says Damien unexpectedly. “You have the don’s blessing.”
“Stop fucking with me,” I sigh. “I’m tired, and I’ll be dead tomorrow. So just leave me alone, Damien, okay?”
I feel Lia tense beside me at those words, and maybe I should feel bad for scaring her, but I’m mostly glad to see her react tosomething.
“You reallyarean idiot if you think I’d ever let anything likethat happen to you,” he snaps.
“I know you don’t want me to die, Damien. But you can only do so much.”
“I can do alot,” lashes out Damien, sounding annoyed. “I can remind Moretti that since he’s got his hands full with a mutiny, dealing with a runaway daughter-in-law shouldn’t be his priority right now. I can promise him you’ll have Lia nicely locked up for him until the storm blows over, so Carmelo can give his entire attention to the shitfest going on in the family right now. Oh, and I can also call in that favor he owes me.”
“What favor?”
“None of your fucking business. Just know that I used up the one leverage I have with Moretti to get you out of the shithole you’ve put yourself in. You’re welcome.”
“Fuck off,” I say feebly, still unwilling to believe any of the words that are coming out of his mouth.
“I mean it, Logan.” His voice grows serious. “I don’t have any leverage anymore. So you’d better behave from now on, because if you fuck up again, I won’t be able to do a thing to save you. It’ll be a fucking shipwreck, and you’re crazy if you think I’mnotgoing down with the ship.”
27
Logan
Ihang up the phone and startle to see Lia’s eyes fixed on mine.
“Is it okay?” she whispers.
I hesitate, my chest heavy with all the words I can’t get out.
