Page 85 of The Wages of Sin

As if reading my mind, Sal shook his head. “Dorian. Calm down and think, boy. You don’t want to do this.”

Unlike the chicken-shit FBI agent, Sal’s voice didn’t shake.

That didn’t surprise me. After all, he’d been the head of the D’Angelo family for nearly a year now. Before that, he was the underboss. He was a man used to being able to threaten and strong-arm his way through any situation.

But not with me.

“You hurt her, Sal.” The words tasted cold and bitter on my tongue. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“He’s the one who hurt her,” Sal countered, pointing at the dead man sprawled on the floor. “All this was his plan. I had nothing to do with this.”

“That’s not true,” Kiera shouted. “They were going to kill me and pin the murder on you.”

“Shut up!” Sal hissed at her before turning back toward me. The moment he spotted the flash of anger in my eyes, though, he changed tactics. “The poor thing is hysterical. She’s out of her mind with fear. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

“Yes, I do,” Kiera said. “He told me everything—including that he was the one that killed your adoptive father.”

“Bullshit!” For the first time, a crack of panic cut through Sal’s controlled mask.

Though I didn’t think it was possible, somehow, my rage deepened.

It was one thing to suspect Sal, to question if he had somehow played a small part in the tragedy that had ripped through our family, but it was another to hear it stated as fact.

My lip curled up in pure hatred and disgust as I started toward Sal, ready to end this farce.

“The bitch is lying,” he cried, quickly retreating. “Can’t you see she’d trying to control you? She’s playing you like a puppet. Earlier, she admitted that she only wants you for your money and power. She told me she only pretends to care about you.”

“He’s the one that’s lying,” Kiera protested.

Sal’s eyes grew even wider at the sound of footsteps at the door behind me. Though his look of worry quickly turned to relief.

“Gabriel! Thank god,” Sal said with a sigh. “Dorian’s gone crazy and is trying to kill me. Stop him.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see my brother leaning against the door jamb, slightly out of breath. He must have followed me through the park after I took off running and had only now caught up. His gaze flashed from the dead man on the floor to Kiera, then to Sal, before finally settling on me.

“What’s going on?” he asked with a calm only someone who was raised in the criminal underworld could have in a situation like this.

“Sal killed papà.” My voice cracked with emotion.

Gabriel stiffened. The muscles along his jaw tensing and twitching as he raised his chin.

“Don’t believe it, nephew,” Sal said with a defiant shake of his head. “This bitch wants me dead, so she’s lying. She knows Dorian will do anything for her. Who are you going to believe, Dorian’s whore or your own flesh and blood?”

Gabriel and I shared a long, hard look, and for the first time, I honestly didn’t know who my brother would side with.

Eventually, though, he turned to Kiera and asked, “Do you have any proof?”

She hesitated for just a second before her eyes widened slightly in realization.

“Actually, yes,” she said. “Sal told Hollis he bugged the apartment the last time he was here. It was how he knew Dorian had left this morning. He’s been recording everything since yesterday. So if he hasn’t stopped, his confession will be on the tape.”

The corner of Sal’s eyes unconsciously twitched. That was all the confirmation I needed to know the bug was still live.

“What are you doing?” Sal demanded as I went over to the chair I’d found him in yesterday.

“Looking for bugs,” I said, running my hand along the wood frame beneath the seat.

Sure enough, seconds later, my fingers brushed against a small metal protrusion. I plucked it free and held the button-like listening device up for Gabriel and Kiera to see.

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