Page 135 of Brutal Legacy

I closed my eyes, filled with pain and regret like I’d never known before. It was just such a fucking waste. Fourteen years I’d hated her, blamed her for all of it, and all the while, she’d been out there, doing the same.

If I hadn’t been a heartless bastard who was more intent on ensuring his own peace of mind, I’d have looked her up years ago when I’d gotten out of the military and demanded to know why she’d married Conti. I’d have seen the truth with my own eyes.

She wouldn’t have been able to do the same… I was a ghost. She didn’t have the resources to counter my sister’s efforts to hide my existence from prying eyes.

No, the fault was mine, and I was going to fix it. I was going to take out every motherfucker who had dared to threaten Georgia, and then, when it was done, I was going to give my wife the life she deserved…

No one was going to get in my way.

I’d changed out of my suit and into clothes I could move easily in. Pockets for weapons, and black to blend in. I stood in front of the mirror in the safe house and slowly shed my pretense of being a civilian, becoming the mercenary that my wife called me. I slipped knives into sheaths on my arms and thighs. Extra clips went in there, too, as well as my guns. I pulled a long case from the safe in the corner of the room and carried it to the dining room table to set up. I put an earpiece on and fiddled with it.

“Comms check, over.”

“I hear you. How was the flight? Catch any good movies?”

I ignored my sister’s glib remarks. “Is she at Casa Nera?”

“Should be any second now.”

I’d left for the private jet before my security team had left for Casa Nera. The security escort for Georgia had waited a good ten hours, until the dead of night and Giada was sure that no one was around.

“Keep an eye on it,” I told Giada.

“Yes, boss. Now, would you like to know where Sergio Ravelli has been staying lately? You’ll never guess…”

“The Bellisario villa, right?” I didn’t even have to think about it.

“How did you guess? Were you and Sergio much closer than you pretended you were in prison? You can tell me. I won’t judge, but if this is a scorned former lover, I can understand the situation better.”

I blew out a sigh. “Very funny. What happened to that property? How come the Ravellis can just move in?”

“Looks like old Alfredo had a lot of gambling debt lately. He was deep in the shit with the Ravellis. Probably why they were so certain he was going to squeal on them and needed to try and get to Georgia so urgently. As you know, Zio Sal doesn’t stay at the De Sanctis estate out there anymore, so the town has been up for grabs, and it seems like the Ravellis went for it. Did you bring the flash drive?”

“Yes.” I patted my pocket that held the tampered-with evidence.

Giada had removed everything related to the De Sanctis family. I’d hand it over as evidence… if any of the motherfuckers made it through the night.

“Okay, so we know where we’re going… I’m getting my darlings in the air.”

Before changing, I’d taken Giada’s drones to the rooftop and set them up, so she could remotely control them by satellite.

Keys were clacking away in my ear as my sister did her thing.

“And they’re up,” she said with satisfaction. “I can see your safe house… Wait, what’s that?” she muttered.

I checked my weapons once more. A glint of something metal shone from the table, beside my phone. I’d emptied my suit pockets earlier and found it.

Georgia’s locket.

I picked it up and opened it. It swung open to reveal a tiny dried flower pressed against a creamy background, preserved behind glass.

A heliotrope.

Myheliotrope. She’d kept it.

I lifted the chain over my head. It was long; she used to keep the necklace hidden, and now it hit me at my collarbones. I pressed it against my skin for a second and then fastened my bulletproof vest on top of it.

I didn’t need dog tags with my name on them anymore.

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