Page 124 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

I sit with my head in my hands, trying to figure out when I lost control. I don’t want to accept what I believe has happened. Not my Franky.

“Hey, everything all right?”

I look up at Peter and my rage rises. Why couldn’t it have been him? He’s been working right under Dante’s nose this entire time.

“No, I’m not all right. Your cousin should have checked in by now. I haven’t heard from him in over a week.”

“You want me to bring Izzy in?”

“Did you not hear what I just said? What do I care about thatmulignon?”

“Well, since she’s the other one’s sister. I thought you could use her for leverage to find out what happened to Franky.”

“To use something for leverage, it has to matter,” I snarl at this nitwit.

He snorts. “Oh, she matters and for several reasons. Gio cares about her. At first, I thought he had something going with her. You know, from the gifts and things. However, since the sister started working there, I know it’s her. She’s the one he’s fucking.”

He continues to drone on. “I’m just saying. Izzy has tons of death threats and obsessed followers. I could dox her and they’d handle her for us, or we could grab her and make them give us answers.”

“What are you rambling about? The only one who matters to thatfinookis that long-haired weirdo he’s fucking. Thatmulignonis just like her mother, nothing more than some guard dog.”

“I don’t know about all that.”

I stand and ball my hands at my sides. “Your brother left with your cousin. So they’re both missing. Why don’t you focus on that?”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to dox her?”

“Get the fuck out, Peter.”

How fucking slow can that kid be? Useless, fucking useless.

* * *

Peter

I know Riccardo thinks I’m some type of idiot. I’m right though, Izzy is the way to get answers. I’ll just dox her on my own. That will piss Gio Di Lorenzo off.

I’ll figure the rest out from there. I’ll get answers. That old man never listens when we give him information he can use.

I’ve got this one. I can do this.

Chapter 51

In and Out

Ava

The closer my plane got to America, the more alive I felt. Don’t ever mess with a woman’s child. The Kumars have had this visit coming for a long time.

I don’t want to step on Gio’s toes, but there are some things I need to do. This is one of them. This woman should have known better, she had a child of her own. How dare she and her husband target my sweet boy.

“Look at you,” I sing as I step off the plane and into Nyla’s embrace. “You look well.”

It’s good to see her. I’m trying my best to let go, but she hasn’t been sharing about the boys during our talks. I don’t know where things stand, that’s why I requested she come stay with me. I wanted to see Gio’s reaction.

I should have known he wouldn’t have one. He’s just like my father. Giuseppe will look you in the face with no expression, as if you’re not stabbing him at the same time. It took years for me to learn how to read him.

“So do you. How do you want to do this?”

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