Page 7 of The One

“Yes. Why don’t you let Sergio and me handle him?” Matteo offers.

“Where is the girl?” I ask.

“Becky?”

I grunt a response. What other fucking girl is there? This is all taking too long. I think Becky could be worse than Angel’s twin, Brent. They’re both fucking psychos. An evil Barbie and Ken duo, the two of them. The shit I found on them made my skin crawl. They are a different kind of sick in the head.

“We have them.”

Then where the hell are they? I spotted Matteo’s vehicle when I came down. It was the only one to come through my gate, and no alert went off to let me know anyone had been inside the confession box.

“They’re not here.” I state the fucking obvious. I was sure they’d be brought here at some point.

“It’s not so easy with those two.”

“Nikolai wants them.” They had been fucking with his girl, Riley. The only reason I discovered the atrocities that Becky and Brent had done was because I was deeply infatuated with Angel.

My fascination with her quickly became an obsession, and I needed to know everything about her. That meant the people around her. How could an Angel be surrounded by so many fucked-up souls? She must be a lure for them because she pulled me right in the second I laid eyes on her. There is something about her. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s there. It’s her.

“It’s more political than that. The new police chief complicates matters.”

I can see that a web of politics is about to unfold. I don’t play in those games. It’s not my specialty. “Then, why are you here?” If there are no bodies present, there is no necessity for my presence.

“I want you to tell me you won’t come after them.”

“I don’t know where they are.” I couldn’t care less about the brother or the girlfriend now that I have Angel in my possession. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t mind killing either one of them if the opportunity presented itself.

“Right now.” I’m going to take that as a compliment. I could dig up information, sure, but if Matteo hid them away, that wouldn't be so easy. No, they bring my work to my doorstep.

Wait. It hits me.

“You’re letting them loose.”

“I am.”

“You know what they are capable of.”

“Zero informed me.” Of course he did. I’d asked the smart little fucker to dig more into them.

"You are going to let those two run the streets. People will die.” Young girls. That's their type.

“When has death ever bothered you, Church?” Death hasn't bothered me, not in a very long time. But it was close to Angel. That’s when it began to affect me.

“What about Nikolai?” He’ll want blood. I’m sure he believes the two of them are strapped down in the basement now, waiting for him to come here later. He’s just too focused on his own woman to worry about it yet, but he’ll come up for air at some point. When he does, he’ll want those two vile humans to pay for what they did to his girl. I’m not sure how the hell Matteo is going to rectify that if he lets them go.

“I’ll handle Nikolai.”

“I’ll leave it be,” I agree. “For now.”

“Good.” Matteo smirks. “I’m sure you’ll get your confessions from them soon enough.” I grunt a response. “Don’t be sad.” Sad? The fuck is he talking about? “Sal will be here shortly with some work.” Ah, no, I’m not itching to work. I have an angel toreturn to. “Find out his sins, and we’ll be even for the senator's daughter.”

“Fine.” I would have done it either way. It’s what I do, after all.

“This one might not be as straightforward as you think.” That has my hackles rising. “Keep him alive and without a visible mark in case I need to come back for him.”

With that, Matteo is gone. Sal pulls up a few moments later. I walk over to the van, opening the back doors to see whose lucky night it is.

“Fuck me.”

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