Page 33 of Brutal King

“Funny. It sounds like a curse to me.”

“Mmm. That too, I suppose.” I stab a few peas and bring them to my mouth. Her eyes follow the movement, he pupils dilating slightly. When she catches me watching, she looks away. I chuckle. “One question, one bite.”

“I already?—”

“If you want more clarity, be more specific.”

“Ugh. Fine. But you should also tell your chef I despise peas.” She pushes them away from her steak before having another bite.

“Salty carnivore. Got it.”

“You’re horrid.” She swallows her food and takes a sip of wine. “Okay, what exactly did Luca do that got him on your target list?”

“He isn’t a target, Sofia. Not in the way you think.”

She frowns. Through another bite of food, she asks, “How then?”

“The men involved in my father’s death are on my target list. Your father wasn’t a part of it. Nico had some dealings with Gregorio Di Persia. I believe he knew some of what was happening, but he wasn’t involved in his murder. And I don’t kill people for shits and giggles. I didn’t kill Tony. I haven’t killed Luca. Yet.”

“What does Tony have to do with it?”

“He was the one that put two and two together. Good man, Tony. Tried to save the others even though it had nothing to do with him. But Luca is the one that just won’t let it go.” I tilt my head. “Were you aware that he’s setting up an alliance comprised of those thatareon my target list?”

“Luca tells me little.”

“But you’re a smart girl, Sofia. You can guess enough from what youareprivy to.”

She nods. “I might have heard something after Alma’s funeral,” she says. “But I was only there for a few hours.”

“Who did you see there?”

“You weren’t spying?”

“The Sinacore family plot is deep in St. Josephs Cemetery. Security was too heavy to infiltrate.” Though I tried.

Sofia huffs. “There were many whispered conversations, but I heard some of it. You were responsible for her death.”

“In a way. But it was not an outcome I planned for. It was simply a matter of her being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So you admit it, you killed her.”

“One of my men,” I say, refusing to place blame.

Alma was Carina’s twin sister. The day I made the deal to trade Carina for her father at Flag’s Point Marina, Alma came along. She had no business being in the middle of that battle, yet there she was. Scarlet’s blade was meant for Gregorio, but Alma threw herself in front of it and it ended up imbedded in her chest.

It’s an accident that has stayed with Scarlet. She doesn’t speak of it, but I know her. I see the haunted look in her eyes when the battle is discussed. Scarlet must have a justified reason to kill someone, and Alma was an innocent soul.

“It was an accident,” I continue. “Collateral damage of the worst kind.”

“Is that what I am too? An accident? Collateral damage?”

“No. You are something completely different. You’re…” I trail off as I study her beautiful face, searching for the right word for what she is. It’s impossible to define, so, I say what will make sense to her. “You’re a bargaining chip.”

“You want to trade me for Luca.”

“What I want is for you to keep me entertained. Give me a reason to stay away from your brother.”

“More games.” She glances away, her jaw tight.

---