Page 97 of Cruel Devil

Sergio glances over at him. “They’re still missing?”

“They didn’t go missing,” I growl. “They were kidnapped by Sullivan O’Brien.” It’s all going to come out eventually, why the fuck not now?

My uncle finishes his bagel, wipes his fingertips on a serviette, and has a few sips of coffee before speaking again. I try not to grab the closest butter knife and drive it through his eye.

Nyx would be eternally grateful, as would most of the fucking world. But I can’t think of any reason good enough that would allow me to kill Sergio without incurring the wrath of my father and every other high-ranking member of the cartel.

“You know this for a fact?” Sergio asks.

“O’Brien confirmed it when we were negotiating their release.”

Sergio crosses his arms over his chest. “What does he want? Money? Arms? Drugs?”

“You, Uncle.”

Sergio raises his hand. “No, no. You obviously misunderstood him.”

“That was the deal. Your life for theirs.”

There’s a beat of silence before Sergio bursts out laughing.

He even slaps the fucking table.

Is he fucking high or something?

“This isn’t a joke,” I say.

Sergio sobers up with difficulty. “Okay.” He takes a deep breath, hand raised, elbow on the table. “What did O’Brien say? His exact words.”

This time it’s Vito who clears his throat. Sergio looks over at him, then crosses his arms over his chest again, leaning back in his chair to study first his son, then me.

“You weren’t there, were you?”

I consider explaining what happened, but it doesn’t matter. “No. I wasn’t.”

Sergio looks at his son. “You?”

Vito shakes his head.

“¡Coño!” Sergio squeezes the bridge of his nose, eyes closing like he’s praying for God to give him strength. “You let her go alone.”

Silence filters down, interrupted by the faint sound of a door slamming somewhere in the villa.

I hope to God Nyx hasn’t somehow managed to escape. I never thought to ask if she’s any good at picking locks.

Sergio huffs out a breath, empties his cup of coffee and smooths his hands down his thighs. “You might want to speak to her,” he says calmly as he gets to his feet. “Make sure she didn’t misunderstand O’Brien.”

I frown at him. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Use your head, son. Targeting me is a declaration of war. Why would it come from that pendejo O’Brien, and not Mulligan?” Sergio frowns as if he’s genuinely annoyed by the thought.

Vito clears his throat. “Maybe we should speak to Nyx again, cousin.”

I turn to frown at him. He never calls me cousin. It’s always ‘bro’ or ‘Savage’. What the hell is he up to?

“I mean, she’s been under a lot of pressure. Maybe she did misunderstand.”

Sergio rests his hands on the table, twisting his ruby ring around his finger. “Where is your newly wed bride? I thought she’d be joining us for breakfast. Or are you planning to confine her to your room indefinitely?”

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