Page 101 of Wicked Truths

At the restaurant eating dinner. I’ll see you after the game.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. My fingers hover over the buttons, butI don’t reply.

Is she trying to work another job with her uncle and cousin?

Should I tell Arturo where she is?

Maybe this is what she needs to calm down and regroup before coming home tonight. I’ll have a nice dessert waiting for her and her favorite bottle of chilled wine.

I greet the security guards at the front door before heading back up to the suite. I stop at the food and beverage table and grab some finger foods before sitting down on the couch next to Arturo.

I should be down in the locker room, but fuck it. Chessie is more important to me, and I’ll quit the team if they make me choose.

I watch the game and eat. We’re playing like shit. We’re playing like we have the past two years, and that’s not going to cut it. If we have another losing season, then the league may interfere with our operations.

It won’t be good for the team, and it sure as fuck won’t be good for Arturo.

A phone rings and Arturo pulls it out of his pocket to look at the caller ID. He doesn’t stand and walk away like he normally does. Instead, he turns it toward me to show me the screen.

“Lorenzo’s calling.” He says before answering the call.

Shit. This isn’t good. There’s no reason for Lorenzo to be calling. He knows the ins and outs of the security system at Arturo’s house.

He knows what to do in practically every situation. There’s never been a time that he’s had to call Arturo.

Is it Francesca? Did something happen to her?

Arturo jumps up and ends the call. “Fucking Hell. She’s going to be the death of me.”

“What happened? What’s going on? Is Francesca okay?” I stand and try to shake the effects of the pain pill away.

“Francesca’s fine. She broke Jax out and they are on their way to the Rossi family home.”

“What the fuck is she doing?”

Fuck. Why would she do this? What is she hoping to accomplish by freeing the man that was trying to kidnap her?

Neither Arturo nor I speak as we head to his office and load up. We each grab our pistols, extra magazines, and an extra pistol, just in case.

I grab my normal two knives and strap one to my ankle and clip one to my belt.

“Are we really going in there, just the two of us?”

He grabs a can of gas and several other items from a drawer before throwing everything into a black duffle bag.

“I’ll have the others meet us there. No survivors. It all ends tonight.”

I follow him down the stairs and out to my truck. I’m much slower than I would prefer, but I’m not going to let my knee slow me down.

I speed toward the Rossi estate, eager to get to Chessie.

If something happens to her, everyone will pay. No, Ican’t think like that. Chessie is strong and fierce. She knows how to take care of herself. Besides, she has her uncle and cousin with her.

I push the pedal down and ram through their gate. Several of the shipyard guys follow me down the driveway. I stop and park before we get to the house.

Arturo glances at every man. “In and out as quickly as we can. No survivors.”

I pull my gun out from the waistband of my pants as gunshots echo through the quiet night.

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