Page 63 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

“Who said Dominic is walking out of here?” Kingston returns.

My eyes widen in surprise. “You want to put him in the ground too?”

“The sooner our enemies learn the consequences of messing with the Romanos, the sooner they’ll figure out it’s a terrible idea, and I’ll be able to focus on more important shit.”

I don’t miss the way he says our enemies as he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to someone.

Shifting my weight between my feet, I offer, “I should probably tell you that Dominic Castello is the one who gave Burlone Regina’s picture.”

“I know,” he admits, glancing up at me from his phone before putting it back into his pocket.

“What?”

“It’s another reason why he won’t be walking out of here tonight.”

I’m so damn sick of all these secrets that I want to rip my hair out. “Were you planning on gutting him before he approached me? And will there be any major consequences of his death?”

With a dark laugh, he explains, “My enemies need to understand that I’m not soft. And I won’t let them get away with the shit my dad did. As far as consequences for Dominic’s death”––he grins, showcasing that he really is batshit crazy––“let’s go find out.”

A soft knock on the door grabs our attention a few seconds later.

“Got your text,” Stefan tells Kingston as he enters the room. “You sure that it’s a good idea to do this with guests in the house?”

“I don’t see a better time in the foreseeable future, so we’ll deal with the hand we’ve been dealt. Let’s try to keep this discreet, though. Once we get him to the shed, we’ll get him to sing like a songbird. But for now, we need to keep him quiet until we have some privacy. Dex, do you think you can convince him to follow you outside?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good. We’ll meet you around back.” Kingston stops near the door before turning back to me and stating, “And if it wasn’t clear, this is me trusting you. Don’t screw it up.”

Then he leaves.

Chapter Forty

Dex

I step out of the room a few minutes later, nearly toppling over Regina as she passes by.

“Shit! You okay?” I ask, gripping her shoulders to keep her steady.

She nods before glancing left and right to confirm we’re relatively alone. When she finds the hall empty, she whispers sharply, “Where have you been? I’ve been freaking out! You went missing, then my brother disappeared, and I thought—”

“Shh…,” I croon, rubbing my hands up and down her bare skin. “It’s fine. Ace didn’t say anything.” Yet. “But I have somewhere I need to be. I’ll come find you later, okay?”

Breathing a sigh of relief, she nods. “Okay. I’ll uh, I’ll see you later. Be careful.”

I grin. “Always, Little Bird.”

Then I step around her and saunter toward the balcony, praying Dominic’s still out there. His silhouette is still where I left him. As I open the door, I approach with a casual swagger to put his rigid posture at ease. “I have the information you’re looking for.”

“Already?”

“You’d be surprised what a guy like me can turn up when I’m given the right motivation.”

His eyes light up, and his triumph tugs at his lips. “Great! Where is it?”

“Follow me.” Tilting my head toward the exit, I wait for him to push off from the railing and accompany me to the shed.

Spine straightening, he questions, “Why can’t you give the information to me right now?”

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