I know, of course, he’s not here about any debt. But I’m desperate enough to offer him a way out.
Leave, no one gets hurt. Take your gun, and go. I’ll let you live. You should already be dead for having spoken those words. But I’ll let you live if you leave now.
Lia’s trembling furiously in my arms, but I can’t bring myself to soothe her. I know she had sex with Carmelo. Of course I know that. But hearing it described in such cruel terms—hearing they made a sex tape—it hurts. I’m sure she didn’t want him to show it. Maybe she didn’t even know he’d made it. She’s been victimized and yet, the old wound in my chest has been ripped open again, and it festers in my heart. I can tell she feels it, and her shaking grows more violent.
“No, I don’t think Ihavepaid my debt,” says Coltello, his face twisting into a smile so ugly it looks like a grimace. “See, I brought you the tape.” He takes out a CD and waves it in front of me. “It’s yours. There’s no other copy. No one else ever needs to see your wife naked with a cock inside her.That’sme paying the debt.”
He offers it to me, and I stare at it, then at him. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch at all.” His grin looks positively devilish. “I just want you on my side, Logan. You might not know it, given how you’ve been hiding like—well, no offense, man, but like a coward—for the past two years. But it’s war. Moretti’s dead, his son is a weak son-of-a-bitch, and your best friend has decided he actually stands a chance against us. He’s going around callinghis crewDevil, and he seems pretty certain you’ll join it. It’s an acronym of all your names: isn’t it cute? Damien, Everest, Vale, Igor and you. Well, anyway, I don’t give a fuck about that corny bullshit. I’m pretty sure you’ll joinme.”
“Oh, yeah?” It’s a terrible idea, now that he seems to be offeringmea way out, but loyalty to Damien prevents me from keeping my mouth shut. “Damien can count on me.”
“I’m not so sure about that. See, he’s known about this tape for five years.”
I keep my eyes glued on the tape so Coltello doesn’t see what a punch to the gut that information is. I don’t know why it should be; I don’t know why it stinks of betrayal. WhywouldDamien have told me? Again, it’s not like I don’t know Lia and Carmelo had sex. He just didn’t want to reopen that wound. Why the hellwouldhe have told me?
“I’m with Damien,” I say again. “With—Devil.” I guess nothing has changed. Damien still gives his crew new names on a weekly basis.
“Yeah.” Coltello chuckles yet again, as if he’s got an inside joke with himself. “Pretty sure you’ll change your mind when you see that tape.”
By now, Lia’s shivering so hard that I just have to bring my hand to her back, running my fingers up and down her spine to reassure her, even though the old pain makes me feel pretty damn distant to her.
“I have no intention of seeing the tape,” I force out, my voice thick. “So why don’t you tell me what could possibly make me change my mind?”
“No,” I hear Lia moan against my chest. “No, no, no…”
“Well…” Coltello stands up and smiles down at us. “I forgot to mention one thing. You know, when she was lying on her back and her tits were up?”
I swallow painfully.
“I guess I forgot to say… I saw that her eyes were closed. Guess she was very tired. Or maybe, drugged. Yeah, that’s probably it. You know, I had to pay half a million dollars to five girls, so I know all about his MO. Drug them, start fucking them while there’s a little bit of struggle left in them, and keep going when they’re out cold. He’s a weak son of a bitch. Didn’t I tell you? I guess, when I said sex tape—you could also call it a rape tape. If I were you, I’d hold onto that. Leverage, and all that shit. And don’t forget who gave it to you, man. Damien Wells sat on the knowledge that your girl was raped for five years. Five whole fucking years. Maybe if you’d known, you wouldn’t have let her papa force her into marriage with her rapist. Think about that, man. Think about whether you want to join the crew of the man who ruined your life, and your girl’s—or the man who told you the truth. Yeah? Like I said, I’m not here to kill your girl. I’m here to pay your debt. I’ll be seeing you,fratello.”
He waltzes out of the room as I sit on the bed, my mind reeling from everything he’s just said. Lia’s still on my lap, and her sobs have ceased. She’s not shaking anymore. Or maybe it’s just that my arms have left her. Somehow, I can’t bear to hold the girl who must need me more now than she ever has before. I can’t bear to hold her, or even look at her. I can’t even bear to breathe.
It takes hearing the front door opening for me to startle out of my shock. I shove Lia to the side, grab my gun and run outside.
“Hey, Coltello!”
He’s at the end of the driveway, almost to his car. He turns, still smiling, and his grin only deepens when he sees the gun I’ve pointed at him.
It’s an unsettling reaction, and his ugly grin burns my retinas as I pull the trigger, over and over, until I’ve emptied my gun.
When the dust thins, I see him crumpled on the ground.
“Logan…”
I turn around to face the girl I would break a thousand bones for.
“Youliedto me,” I say harshly.
She sinks to her knees in front of me, then sinks even lower, pressing her face to my shoes.
“What the fuck are you doing, Lia? Get the fuck up.”
I don’t know why I’m so angry. It’s not at her. Never at her. But all the pain, all the anguish… I lash out at the last person I’d ever want to hurt.
“Please, Logan… please… don’t look at me like that…”
