Page 85 of Cruel Love

“Trustworthy people?”

“For the most part.”

Luka raises a brow.

“Yes,” I say. “The agent with them is my little sister, Lilah. You can trust her.”

He pauses. “Lilah…”

“If you’ve studied the master file, you’ve probably heard of her.”

“Oh, I have,” he says, shifting in his chair again. “Her record is… impressive.”

“She’s good at her job.”

“A little too good,” he says. “A record like that means loyalty.”

“If that were still the case, I never would have set foot in Russia,” I say. “My family served Snake Eyes loyally for a long time. When they were exposed, we weren’t given the same courtesy. Myra Black murdered my brother to collect a bounty from Enzo Zappia, so you can imagine our loyalty is a little up-for-grabs at the moment.”

Luka blinks. “Lorenzo Zappia?”

“Yes.”

His chair squeaks softly again. “Why would Enzo have a bounty on your brother?”

“Because I killed his.”

His face shows a hint of surprise. “You killed Martino Zappia?” he asks me.

I nod. “Enzo, too.”

Luka opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. His gaze slides slowly over our shoulders again to look at Sofia. It lingers for so long I finally get the nerve to glance back into her fallen face.

She silently opens the office door and walks outside.

“You’ll have to excuse my wife,” Luka says as she disappears. “She grew up in the Zappia household.”

I stiffen and sit back again. Fox looks just as relaxed as before, but Lilah’s I told you so voice travels through my head. When Sofia spoke earlier, her accent wasn’t Russian. I vaguely recall Antony muttering something about the Zappia girl who was taken by the evil Lutrovas. This must be her.

I may have just made a grave mistake in admitting I murdered her family but it’s a mistake I’ll stand by without regret.

“What remains of the Zappias now?” Luka asks.

I clear my throat. “Antony and his casino,” I answer. “His wife, Beatrix.”

“And Gio? Did you ever encounter him?”

“The middle son?”

“Yes.”

“No, sir,” I say. “Before Enzo died, he warned me that Gio wasn’t happy with me for killing Marty. I don’t take threats to my family lightly. An encounter with Gio has been on my list of things to do.”

He looks at Fox again, this time cracking a smile. “Well, comrade. You weren’t kidding.”

Fox shrugs. “I didn’t come here for the weather.”

Luka laughs and stands, extending a strong hand over his desk. “Mr. Hart, I believe we can do business.”

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