Page 46 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

Enzo thrashed in the chair. “Maybe, but I don’t fucking touch that shit. I don’t know shit about it.”

“Why would your brother want to get back into Sofia’s good graces after her family showed him the door?” I asked, catching the train of thought I’d abandoned when Sofia texted me her gorgeous tears.

“The port,” Enzo spat. “All the companies Tony’s got wrapped up over there are in Lizzie’s name. The Irish fuckers got 25% for taking Ginevra off of Tony’s hands. He transferred half of what remains to his granddaughter, and the dumb bitch doesn’t even know it.”

I kneeled in front of him, running the knife down his face again, catching the point on the inside of his nose. “Draw me a picture, Enzo.”

“He’ll get his revenge on Tony and the Irish at the same fucking time, you dumb piece of shit,” Enzo said, his eyes bright with admiration for his brother. “And you’re not going to be able to do a goddamned thing about it.”

I stepped away and sliced through Enzo’s bonds.

“Am I free to go?” he asked, suspicion in his voice

“You tell your brother I’m taking his girlfriend to collect on his debt to me.”

“Sofia? You think that slut’s worth anything without a goddamned ring on her finger?” Enzo raised an eyebrow.

I smiled. “Make sure he gets the message.” I turned to José. “Take out the fucking trash.”

When I was once again alone in the room, I thumbed open my phone to find a short video of Sofia’s face, her makeup smudged and still running down her cheeks, her forehead glistening with sweat, her mouth contorted as she—

Fuuuuuuuuuck.

She sent me a clip of her mouthing my name as she climaxed. I leaned forward against the wall, delighted with her audacity. She’d sent the message ten minutes before, and another message had followed.

Sofia

I want a bank account in *my* name.

I expected a much more mundane request and narrowed my eyes. Why couldn’t Sofia fucking Russo open up a bank account by herself? And what trouble was I inviting down on my head by helping her obtain one?

Dante

Send me a picture of your passport.

19

LORENZO

Luca sworeas he paced back and forth in his father’s study. “What the fuck is Sofia doing with Dante fucking Oscuro?”

I shook my head as he swiped his thumb over his phone, then put it on speaker as he dialed. Tony Russo set Sofia in Dante’s path so he could do business, and not a single Russo should’ve been surprised when she’d charmed him precisely as they’d asked. Tony’d been using her to close deals since she was sixteen, and Sofia wielded her power with surgical precision.

“Sofia, what the hell are you thinking?” he exploded when she came on the line.

“You’ll have to be more specific, big brother,” she answered drily.

“You had dinner with Dante Oscuro, and apparently, there was no question in the mind of anyone who saw about the sexual nature of your relationship.”

Our phones had blown up with reports of the meal they’d shared hours before. Should I tell Luca my suspicion that Sofia was working with Dante to protect her daughter? That she’d made some sort of arrangement involving her providing the same services to Dante as she did for her father? That last night’s arsons were about her and not the million euro? No, she deserved to make her own decisions. A tiny crack formed in my heart as I kept her secret from Luca.

“Make up your mind, Luca. I either charm Dante so Papà can do business with him, or I don’t.” The steel in Sofia’s voice surprised me—Luca too, by how fast his eyebrows lifted to his hairline.

“You can charm him without eye fucking him in public the day after someone declared war on him. Jesus, Sofia, what are you thinking? You’re as good as declaring the Russos his fucking ally,” Luca snapped back, then froze as he realized he’d crossed a real line with his sister.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Luca. Will you threaten to cut his balls off like you did Mike Zhang last year?”

Luca hadwhat?Jesus. No wonder Adam Zhang had cooled toward the Russos, and no wonder Sofia had stopped studying Chinese with Mike. I’d chalked up the end of their friendship to a natural growing apart when Sofia didn’t return her classmate’s obvious crush—but threatening the poor kid? Luca was a goddamned moron.

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