Page 60 of Weaponized

“What things?” My voice is deadly low. Anthony now stands.

“I heard her talking with her brother about working to take us down. She said she could infiltrate the Family, turn us against the Russians.”

I say nothing. There are no words.

“Whatexactlydid she say? Because this doesn’t sound like Ireland,” Anthony fills the dead air. His skepticism is obvious.

“Yeah, I couldn’t get it all, but I was able to get close enough to record one of her calls.” He pulls up his phone again, and starts typing, scrolling. I feel sick. Shaky. Then I hear my angel’s voice through his speaker.

“Hello, Da.”

Pause.

“Luca is the heir. It makes sense for me to be with him.”

Another pause.

“Yes. Victor met with Nikolai. They talked mostly about travel. It was meant to be a peacemaking dinner.Nikolai tried to talk about the docks, but Victor didn’t want to have that discussion. The Russians left mad.”

Pause. “Why?”

A quick reply from her comes, “No. No, of course not. Luca will propose; that’s not an issue. I just didn’t know how soon you needed it to happen, Da. That’s all.”

She is quiet and then, “Yes, Da. I understand. I can deliver.”

I am honestly having trouble sucking in air. I can’t process this. The walls are closing in. I can’t—

“So, I searched her place today—”

“You didwhat?” Anthony asks because I can’t form words.

“Well, when I heard that she was telling her dad about the Russians, I wanted to see if I could find anything. I know you think my family is a bunch of traitors, but I think she set us up. Ihadto check it out.”

Holy fuck. Just holy fuck. No. No. No.

“I found this.” He goes to hand me a file, but I can’t move my limbs. I don’t make any attempt to take it from him. Anthony does instead.

“It’s a file of…guys,” Anthony says, flipping through the pages. “There’s information about you, Matteo, Theo, and Liam McGuiness in here. Photos. Facts. What kind of girls you each like.”

She played me. She fucking played me. This whole time, I thought she loved me, and it was a game to her. I fell for every minute of it. I believed that she was mine. How dumb that I thought someone like her would ever really want someone like me. I even told her shit. I was so worried about protecting that little liar that I threw my own family to the wolves. Fuck. I told her all about the Russians.The Greeks. I gave her ammunition that she could use. I—

“Hey guys, what’s going on? Baby, what’s wrong?” The traitor herself stands in the doorway with concern etched across her pretty face. Just looking at her beautiful eyes faking any type of care for me at all is what causes me to lose it. I launch myself until I’m right up next to her, inches away from her face.

“Was it fucking fun for you?” I snarl, chest heaving.

She gasps. Her voice is shaky as she recoils. “I—I don’t understand.”

“Youdon’t fucking understand? You know whatIdon’t understand? I don’t understand why you’ve been playing mefor months. I don’t understand why I ever fucking trusted you!” My voice is so loud, she flinches.

“What happened?” she whispers. Her teary eyes dart around me to look at Anthony and Gianni as if they’ll tell her the answer. She’s gone white as a sheet.

“What happened? That file that Anthony’s holding look familiar, Gráinne? You want to explain why my photo is inyourfile with a bunch of other fucking guys? Or how about the phone call with your father telling him about our business dinner with the Russians? Want to tell me about that? Or how about why you arefuckingTheo fucking Nicopolis!” I can feel the spittle at the corners of my mouth as I shout the last sentence into her face.

“No—wait—I’m not—”

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” I’m screaming. I can feel the veins bulging in my neck. The pain is unbearable in my chest. I can’t take it. It’s too much. I want to hit something. I turn behind me and grab the big-screen TV.Hoisting it off the wall, I throw it with such force across the room that it smashes loudly into pieces.

“Luca, what the fuck, brother?” Matteo is here. He’s standing in front of Gráinne. Shielding her. Tears are streaming down her face.

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