Page 28 of Torn In Two

“Our restaurant,” Luca corrected. “You have a partial ownership, don’t forget, and your name is on the window. Have you paid any attention to your Instagram account lately? It’s not so little anymore. People are getting excited for your food…and for…uh…dessert.” His gaze slid to me. “Do tell War and fam that I’m sorry for the sex club competition, but I’m sure he’ll take it as a compliment. Maybe we can cross promote sometime?”

“Maybe you could walk barefoot across hot coals all the way to Hell?” I suggested instead.

Luca laughed like we were old friends reconnecting, which couldn’t be further from the truth. “You’re a funny man, Hawk. Is that what Chaos likes about you? Or do you have…other assets he likes more?”

Heat rose up the back of my neck again. Fucking Guerra. He knew everything, though the showdown that Chaos and I’d had on his restaurant security cameras had probably clued him in on where to poke.

He pushed off the wall, his gaze on Hayden. “I’m going to let this all slide, as long as you show up and do the job you’re contracted to do. You don’t have to like me. Nobody does, but I’m a good business partner. You live in a shithole. We both know this isn’t where you want your woman and that girl of hers growing up. We all know your dream is Sinners and what we’re doing there.”

“Dreams can change,” Hayden said bitterly.

Luca patted his cheek condescendingly. “Fine. Come to work and hate every minute if you prefer. I really don’t fucking care.” His voice lowered an octave. “But you’re in this, Hayden. There’s no backing out now. You think it would matter if Hawk had put a bullet in my back just now like the cowardly bastard he is?”

“I could try again if you like?” I growled.

Luca ignored me, his stare solely for Chaos. “If I go down, there’s a second in line. And a third. And a fourth. Nothing changes.” His gaze switched to Kara before coming back to his chef. “You’re in and you know it. Especially since you’ve got something to lose now, don’t you?”

Rage ripped through me. I raised the gun again, everything inside me desperate to pull the trigger, even though I knew I couldn’t.

Luca put his hand up, palm facing me without even looking in my direction. “Hold your fire, Quick Draw McGraw. I’m going.” He strolled down the hallway toward my gun like he didn’t have a care in the world. He dropped his voice to a whisper as he strolled past. “Keep your boy in my good books, Hawk. Neither of you will like what happens if he doesn’t show up for work this week. I want him. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I generally get what I want. One way or another.”

A possessive surge of jealousy coursed through me, hot and hard. In an instant, I grabbed Luca’s arm, hauling him in close, talking in his ear while staring straight at Hayden, even though my voice was low enough he couldn’t hear me from the other end of the corridor. “I’ll be sure to remember that the next time he asks me if I want him on his knees or on his back.”

Luca stiffened beneath my touch.

A sly smile spread across my face because he’d just confirmed his weak spot.

He liked Hayden.

Too fucking bad. This guy was a woman-trafficking piece of shit, who Chaos might have been dumb enough to get into bed with in a business sense, but fucked if I was letting someone close to Kara do anything more than that.

“See,” I whispered to Luca while staring down at Kara and Hayden watching us silently. “I get what I want, too.”

And apparently what I wanted was them.

Both of them.

10

HAYDEN

Hawk whispered something in Luca’s ear, Hawk’s smile turning smug at the way Luca wrenched his arm out of his grip and stormed off down the hall.

Hawk waved his fingers daintily at Luca’s back and called out, “Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out! Wouldn’t want to get any Saint View filth on that expensive jacket!”

The exit door slammed, and Hawk’s smile fell, his gaze landing on my arm.

Blood dripped through my fingers and down my forearm. It wasn’t a huge gush, but enough it fell onto the already stained carpet of the hallway.

“You happy now?” I growled at Hawk. “I shot you. You shot me. We even?”

Hawk sighed, putting his gun into the back of his jeans and strolling down the hallway like all hell hadn’t broken loose in the ten minutes before. “I didn’t do it on purpose, you know.”

The throbbing in my arm made me grouchy. “No? You’re seriously just that bad a shot? I find that hard to believe.”

Hawk eyed me. “Believe it, okay? I’m great point-blank. Don’t often need to shoot anyone from a distance. You want me to look at it?”

“No,” I said quickly.