Page 146 of Square Deal

I caught Steve and Chase sharing a look. Pointing to the ceiling, I said, “I’m next door.”

I tripped on my way to the fridge. Luca caught me on the arm and shoved me down into a chair. My reflexes weren’t fast enough. The Gatorade he threw hit me square in the chest. I coughed and sputtered, trying to catch my breath.

“Wanna tell me why you’re abducting and assaulting me? How the hell did you get in the club anyway?”

Steve pulled his badge out of his pocket. Chase did the same. “Bouncers don’t look too closely at the jurisdiction. They see a badge and don’t ask questions.”

I’d have to have a word with Tony about the security at his club.

Luca stood in the kitchen, fuming. “Why don’t you start by explaining to me why the hell I had to leave my wife and fly all the way up here to bail your ass out? Huh? Or maybe you’d like to start with why the fuck you gutted Hannah Jane.”

Steve paced the length of the living room. He stood quietly for a moment before tapping on one of the windows. “Do these open?”

Luca shrugged. “Dunno. Never tried.”

I scoffed. “I broke up with your friend, so now you’re gonna throw me out the window?”

Steve shrugged, unbothered. “Fatherhood has made me soft. Murder isn’t really my style these days, but I’m not opposed to hanging you out the window by your ankles until you come to your senses.”

“Still a crime,” Chase chimed in. “I think.”

I cracked open the Gatorade and took a sip.

Luca sat down on the couch. Steve stood guard by the fireplace. Chase eyed the room suspiciously. “Where’s safe to sit?”

Luca raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“You know, like… where can I sit where you and Mad haven’t, you know...?”

He snickered under his breath. “You might want to stand, then.”

Chase went to jump up and sit on the kitchen island, but Luca shook his head.

“You and Mad are freaks,” Chase said with a pointed finger. “That’s where you eat.”

Luca grinned from ear to ear. “You’re damn right that’s where I eat.”

My stomach lurched again. I blamed it on too much information.

Chase fake dry heaved. “Maybe we should go up to Lawson’s place.”

Luca looked at me and then back at Chase. “Probably not any better knowing him.”

Steve checked his phone. “Are we gonna get this show on the road, or are we just gonna sit around and braid each other’s hair like we’re at a fuckin’ slumber party?” he growled.

Reluctantly, Chase sat down on the couch beside Luca and faced me. “What the fuck did you do to Hannah? She’s a fucking mess.”

I sighed and scrubbed my palms down my face. “It’s over. I let her go. She’ll be better off with someone who can give her what she wants.”

Steve rolled his eyes and muttered, “Cliché bullshit. At least come up with something original.”

“I told you from the get-go that HJ isn’t the kind of girl you fuck around with,” Luca snarled. “I fucking told you!”

“I wasn’t fucking around with her,” I shouted, rising out of the chair. Adrenaline pulsed hot through my veins. “I love her.”

Steve shoved me back down. “Love her or lovedher?” he barked.

I tossed my hands up. “Does it matter?”

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