Page 86 of Absolution

I walk toward the dining room, where I last saw Salvatore head. He sits with Ivan, Johnny, and a couple of his muscle that I know the faces of, but not the names.

Ivan turns to me. “Cops called. They got a few possible locations.”

I sit in front of him, next to one of the men I don’t know.

“Adrian, Francesco.” Salvatore gestures to the two men.

I shake their hands in turn, but don’t introduce myself. Everyone knows who I am.

“How many?”

“Five. They’re confident they haven’t left town, though.”

“Any way we can narrow that down?” asks Salvatore. “Do we know anyone in their organization?”

“Not that I know of,” I say, “but they have someone in ours.”

Everybody turns to me. I explain what Kerry told me. There’s no fucking way her little shit of an ex-husband could have known one in our family fathered Cecilia unless someone from our ranks told him. That’s what this is. He’s paying off his debts to Richter. He’s gonna die in pain. I’ll make fucking sure of it. There are ways to make a man suffer for a very long time before he dies, and once Cece is back in her mom’s arms, I’ll let him pay for the pain he’s caused Kerry and Cecilia. And me.

Salvatore’s face is a mask of fury, seemingly calm, but with death lurking in his eyes. He glances at the two men next to me: Adrian and Francesco. They both go pale.

“Boss, we swear!” says Adrian, and the other man nods eagerly holding up his hands, as if in defense.

Salvatore whips up his gun, pointing it at them. “I can only trust my closest men. Go with Ivan and Johnny. Don’t make a fuss.”

“Luci?” Ivan shapes his hand into a gun, hidden from sight from the others. He asks if they’re killing them.

Salvatore shakes his head. “Just lock’em up.”

The four men leave the room, two of them with dread etched on their faces. I regard Salvatore, waiting for him to speak. He waits until the door closes, then he turns to me.

“Ivan and Johnny?” I ask.

“I trust them as my own family. But it’s someone close. I need you to call Matteo. Have him tap into everyone’s account and look at every transaction made for as long back as needed, see where my men are getting their money, and if there are purchases that don’t match their income. Cars. Gambling. Hookers. Houses.”

“Everyone?” I raise my eyebrows. We’re talking about hundreds of people.

“No. I’ll give you a list of names. Give me a moment, call Matteo and keep him on the line. I’ll be right back.”

He disappears, his steps echoing in the vast rooms. I haul up my phone and tap the number to my second youngest brother. As I wait for him to pick up, my chest clenches, thinking about trusting little Cecilia in the clutches of men who don’t care about her well-being, to whom she’s just meat to be used for their own gain.

I’ll kill every-fucking-one of them. That’s a promise.

Kerry

“Sit, honey, I’ll get you something to drink.”

Carmen pushes me down on a couch and disappears with rapid steps, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the hardwood floors. A few moments later she’s back with a glass with a strong-smelling, clear content, putting it in my hand. I try to give it back to her.

“I can’t drink alcohol,” I say numbly, clutching my chest. It feels as if I’ll crack open from the pain. I want to stay alert; I can’t dull my senses.

“It’s Tequila,” she says, as if that makes any difference. “You need it. Do as I say!” Her voice is firm, as if she’s correcting a disobedient child.

I look at the glass, then I drink it in three swallows, coughing as my throat burns and heat rushes to my cheeks. “That was strong,” I gasp, for one moment welcoming the feeling of something else than fear.

“Of course.” Carmen wraps a throw blanket around me and sits next to me. “Tell me what happened.”

“How did you know?” My voice is hoarse, broken. I barely recognize it.

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