Page 17 of Luca

Alberto looks like he’s considering Jace’s offer, but I know it’s all for show. “Yes, she would do nicely, I think. What do you think, Luca?”

I cast a lascivious grin in Charlie’s direction and hate myself for it. “We would make a pretty penny off her, boss.”

The tweaker nods his head, looking between the scared girl and Alberto. “There you go. With a little training and a strong hand, I’m sure she could fall in line. She always did for me.”

The hardest part of this undercover bullshit has been having to stand by and watch shit like this happen. When I was a guard in the house, I didn’t see it as much as being on the street, but the abuse they inflict on people they deem weaker is fucking atrocious, especially with women. I hated the way I saw Carlo and Francesco treat Giada, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen during my time with Alberto. The things I’ve had to participate in. It makes my fucking skin crawl.

I think of Giada then and the last time I saw her outside of her father’s office. The way she looked at me like I was going to be just like every other asshole in her life. I thank God she doesn’t know the half of what really goes on behind closed doors. She may have to deal with her father and brother treating her as though she’s nothing more than property to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in marriage, but at least she’s never been sold for a few hundred dollars for a couple hours on the street, or sold off as someone’s sex slave. The fire in this girl’s eyes reminds me of Giada’s. I hope like hell neither of them ever loses it.

“And what do you expect out of this new deal?” Alberto asks, shaking me out of my thoughts.

“Just a finder’s fee. I understand if she isn’t worth as much as what we originally agreed on, but I think something in the ballpark of ten thousand is fair, don’t you?”

Dumb fuck could have asked for double and Alberto would have paid.

“Fine, fine,” Alberto agrees as though he’s being magnanimous in settling for the girl he planned on buying anyways. “Luca.”

I step forward and hand Jace the cash from the inside pocket of my jacket. I don’t allow myself to look at Charlie, sure that if I do she’ll see the disgust I feel over this entire transaction. Buying humans makes me sick to my fucking stomach, along with the men currently negotiating for the price of her life.

Jace walks over to Charlie and unties her from the chair. They speak a few words to each other, but I can’t hear them over the blood rushing in my ears. Where the fuck is Finn? I can’t go through watching another girl be handed over to the monster who just paid for her, and if I step in, I’ll blow my cover.

Jace roughly grabs the girl by the arm and hauls her toward Alberto. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Before Alberto can make a move toward Jace and Charlie, the door to the warehouse flies open, and three men walk in, opening fire.

Finally. Finn, Cillian and some other man who I don’t know are here. I quickly duck behind one of the stacked pallets and begin returning fire, purposely aiming away from my cousin and the rest of his crew. It’s absolute melee in the warehouse. One of Alberto’s men goes down, and I see the blood pouring from his unmoving chest. One more piece of shit I don’t have to worry about.

“Did you sell us out, you fucking cunt? How the hell did the Irish know you were here?” Alberto yells.

A smile crosses my lips. He thinks Jace called the Irish. Wrong, asshole.

I hear Alberto yell something else at Jace but don’t catch his exact words before another shot rings out. I duck low and see Alberto lying dead on the floor with a bullet between his eyes.

“We’re getting the fuck out of here,” Jace calls just before a metal door at the other end of the warehouse opens and light pours in.

I catch sight of Fausto when he pops around a large cement pillar off to the side of the warehouse he’d thrown himself behind when the shooting started.

“Get the girl!” he yells to me as he returns fire.

“On it,” I call back and head toward the door. When I’m behind Fausto, I lift my gun and put a bullet in the back of his head.

This isn’t the first time I’ve killed a man in my time with the Cataldis, and just like the other three times, satisfaction washes over me. One less piece of shit walks the planet today.

“Clear,” I call to my cousin as I turn to head toward the door Jace hurried Charlie through. Just as my hand reaches the knob, a gunshot rings out on the other side. I open the door, praying I don’t see a dead girl on the other side.

Charlie is bent over Jace, her shoulders shaking as she cries over his prone body. Just then the thunder of several motorcycles reaches my ear, and I quickly shut the door. The Black Roses are here, and I know they’ll take care of her. No one is supposed to know who I am. My cousin trusts the MC, but the fewer people who are aware of my involvement in this, the better. Not to mention that girl still has a gun in her hand, and there’s no doubt if she shot her ex, she’d have no problem turning the gun on me in a heartbeat.

Turning around, I see my cousin walking up to me with his gun raised, still playing the part of my enemy.

“Declan and Sean, go outside and see if Ozzy needs any help. I’ll take care of this piece of shit.”

Both men holster their guns, walking past me.

When they’ve cleared the building, Finn and Cillian lower their weapons.

“That was fucking close,” Cillian says.

“Your cousin is out there with a bullet to his gut,” I tell him.

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