Page 19 of Petrichor

“Coretti offered me Core as a dowry,” Seb adds.

“The shipping company? Shit! He must be damn serious about his retirement.” Since that’s his base for laundering money and moving illegal merchandise. We would profit grandly from it. “Fuck! Enzino putting his paws on it? That can’t happen.”

He doesn’t want to become Boss of all Bosses. He wants to be the only Boss and crush everyone else. He’s a power-hungry, egomaniac. He’ll have triple our manpower, money, and consequentially more weight on the authorities. We won’t be able to fight back.

“It won’t happen.” Seb keeps a deadpan expression as he pours more wine in our glasses.

“You going to get fucking hitched?” Luca puts the joint out in the ashtray as he slowly lets out the last drag.

Like Seb getting married would ever happen.

“Overconfident people get sloppy. Enzino will soon make a wrong move,” Seb calmly declares before abruptly changing the subject. “Fly.” He looks expectantly at me.Again?

“Joel Locke.” I use his full name. “Or at least that’s what his ID said. It will speed up the background digging.” I grab my phone and send him the picture I took of it.

He looks at it. “Cute. From Boston. Keep Mr. Locke near until I know more,” he orders me. “His sudden appearance is iffy with what’s going on with Coretti.”

He wants to be sure Fly doesn’t work for anybody. I grind my teeth, pushing away the memories that are trying to find a place inside my head again. Is Seb testing me? To see if I’m going to make the same mistake I made with Delia? Improbable. Delia was my lover and Seb knows I don’t play for the other team—unless I’m drunk and horny.

“Iffy, but interesting.” Luca downs the second glass of wine as I sigh.

“How so?”

“The way he interacts with Marco,” Luca lets Seb know, before turning his smirk my way. “There’s some intimacy there.”

“I see,” Seb simply states.

“There’s nothing to fucking see, Seb,” I clarify, but nobody seems to listen. I’ll show them then. Fly left me his phone number. I’ll contact him about the money he owes. And if he’s working for Coretti or someone else I’ll clip him.

Seb starts sipping his wine. “In the meantime, see if you can get more information about the deal between Enzino and Coretti. Discreetly. I don’t want them to find out we’re putting our noses into their business.”

Chapter Three

Two days later.

Marco

Me

Where’s my money?

Fly

Who’s this?

Me

Suit. Shirts. Money.

A few seconds pass before he texts again.

Fly

Sorry, I just memorized you as Mr.Suit *wink emoji*

Fly

I can bring the money tomorrow morning

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