Page 58 of The Wages of Sin

Even though it wasn’t a good idea to let my genuine emotions slip out, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction when the smug expression on Sal’s face faltered for a second.

Of course, I should have known that what would replace it was pure, unfiltered rage.

“Is that what you think, boy?” His shout echoed off the walls, his face turning red. Behind me, Kiera jumped. Her grip on me tightened even more. “You for made an unsanctioned hit on the cousin of a rival boss. Do you really think I’m here to thank you for bringing us to the edge of war with the Costas?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There won’t be a war,” I said with absolute confidence. “The Costas don’t know it was a hit, and they never will. I was careful to make Carlo’s death look like an accident…just like always.”

Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for Sal. His fingers bit into the leather ends of the chair’s armrest in his anger. “Careful? The man drowned in a pool of his own blood.”

“No, he died when his heart muscles seized so hard they froze,” I said to remind Sal he wasn’t dealing with some common street thug. “All the blood and froth were just side effects of the strychnine I injected him with.”

Behind me, Kiera’s hands slipped away from my waist.

“I don’t give a shit how the idiot died,” Sal roared. “The point is if I figured out you were the one behind his murder, then so will the Costas.”

That was unlikely…almost as unlikely as Sal coming to that conclusion on his own. Or caring about the death of a minor player in a rival family in the first place.

Narrowing my eyes, I cocked my head to the side as I studied him with new eyes. Sal wasn’t what anyone would describe as a naturally curious person.

“How did you hear about Carlo’s death?” I asked. “And what made you assume I had anything to do with it?”

Sal’s lips flattened into a thin line. Clearly, that wasn’t a question he wanted to answer. “I have my ways,” was all he said.

Interesting.

Only Gabriel and Matteo were aware of both the details of Kiera’s connection to Carlo Costa and my visit to La Sera, and I knew the twins would sooner die than sell me out.

The only way Sal could have discovered that information was by bugging their phones. It would also explain how he’d been able to track their movements earlier in the week.

But now wasn’t the time to confront him about that, so I quickly changed the subject.

“I assume you’re here to give me a slap on the wrist for acting on my own?”

“Slap your wrist?” Sal fumed. “You’re lucky I didn’t plug you in the head the second you walked through the door, you ungrateful bastard.”

“Bullshit.” Crossing my arms, I glared down at him. “You’re too much of a coward to kill with your own hands. Besides, I’m far too important to the family. Kill me, and who would you get to do your dirty work?”

“Don’t get a big head, boy,” Sal shot back with a sneer. “There are hundreds of street soldiers in this city willing to pull the trigger to prove their loyalty to me.”

“Then send one of them the next time you need someone like Bonetti quietly taken out,” I said, moving over to the bar. I had the feeling I would need something strong to endure the rest of this conversation. “Or that Morelli capo that thought he could get away with siphoning off some of our SoHo gambling territory. Or that corrupt police captain who had the idea to squeeze you for more bribe money. Or?—“

“Enough,” Sal stopped me with a growl before cursing under his breath. “You’ve made your point. You’re no common thug. You’re a damn useful assassin.”

“Useful?” I repeated, grabbing a bottle of twenty-year-old scotch and pouring myself a few fingers. “I think what you meant was ‘the best.’”

“Don’t push it,” Sal said with a snarl. “You may be good, but the only thing I care about right now is loyalty. The last thing I need is some idiot who’d choose a cheap whore over family. So tell me—if it came down to this chick or the family, which would you choose?”

My blood turned to ice. My fingers itched to wrap around Sal’s throat and squeeze the life out of him—but instead, I gripped the glass in my hand so tight I thought it might shatter.

“Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Oh, really?” Sal shot back with a self-satisfied smile. “You choose her over family? I wonder if you’d feel the same way about her if that sweet little face of hers wasn’t so pretty anymore. I’m sure Benny the Knife wouldn’t mind giving her one of his signature facelifts.”

“One more word, and you’ll be the one drowning in your own blood,” I said through gritted teeth.

Sal shot up from the chair. Behind all the pretend outrage and bluster, I could make out the hint of real fear shining in his eyes. “Is that a threat?”

“Consider it fair warning.” But after picking up my glass and downing the contents in one go, I doubled down. “But if you want a threat, I’ll give you one. If you even think about intimidating me or the people I care about ever again, I will give you a private lesson in why every criminal in this city calls me the Angel of Death.”

---