Page 58 of The Air You Breathe

“I’m just glad you’re ok.” She gave me that shy smile that made me melt before she left.

I closed my eyes as I laid back against the pillows Darcy had propped me up against. I needed to figure out what the hell triggered Geraldo and if it was him being a dick or was it something Lucio had ordered him to do. There was a fed snooping around the club two nights ago, making Lucio even more manic.

We brought this mess upon ourselves, but I couldn't help but wonder if this was a good thing. I was guilty by association, but this life was getting exhausting. The more I was around Darcy, the more I began to crave a life where I could came home to a family. I could go to soccer games, birthday parties or camp out.

This life I was leading was wearing me thin, and I needed to get out now or else I might be stuck doing this for the rest of my life. I don’t know how Giovanni did this every single day. I really needed to find my phone, because I needed to call him and see what the hell was going on.

“You know, if you guys just kept me in the loop, I would be better prepared to help you,” Dev said, making me open my eyes to look over at him. He had an arm covering his eyes.

“You know half the shit we do is illegal, why would we do that to you?”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” he grumbled.

“I didn’t say you were, but the less you know the better. If we ever get caught, you need to be as clueless as possible because if both of us are sent to jail, we need you to watch our families,” I said leaning up more. “Giovanni doesn’t want you in this life any more than you have to because it's a shit life, and if we can keep you out of it as much as possible, then that is what we are going to do.”

“I hate standing on the sidelines.” He rubbed his eyes.

“I know, but it’s the safest option for you and our families.”

“What the hell happened last night?” he asked, sounding frustrated.

I told Dev everything that happened from the phone call to getting my ass kicked. It was embarrassing but Geraldo was a beast, and I was surprised I was able to hit him a few times.

Dev nodded his head as he listened, taking the story in.

“That doesn’t explain why he did it.” He looked at me, confused.

“Does Geraldo ever need an excuse to do something?” I asked, because we both knew the guy was deranged. It was the only reason Lucio kept him around. He got shit done, even when it was something no one else wanted to do.

“No, not really but I feel like there is more at play here, and you're keeping me in the dark,” he said, looking at me with his vivid eyes. Dev’s instincts were always spot on. He always knew more than he let on, but Giovanni was adamant about keeping him in the dark.

“There's always things at play that you don’t know about,” I said, fishing my phone out of my pocket, grateful that it didn’t break in the fight, but it was dead.

“I know, but shit like yesterday shouldn’t have happened,” he growled. “Geraldo is a loose cannon, and someone needs to leash him. You also don’t know if it was Lucio who sent him.”

“Look, I know that, it’s sitting in the back of my mind that he was sent rather than him just being a dick.” I ran my hand through my hair, thinking that if Lucio wanted me dead, it was only a matter of time before he finished me off.

“If he’s trying—”

“I need to call your brother before I assume Lucio is trying to kill me,” I interrupted him. “Can you check the living room for a charger, so I can get started making calls and figure out what the hell my next move is.”

Dev stared at me for a moment before he nodded and left the room.

I took a deep breath, wincing at the pain as I exhaled. If Lucio wanted me dead, I had a plan in place to get my sister and mom out of here and far away from him. It involved me telling them the truth, but I would survive their wrath for the sake of keeping them alive. I think my sister would be the most upset because she was almost done with school, and I don’t know how much this would set her back.

“I think this one should work,” Dev came back in, plugging in the cord by my side of the bed and handing me the other end. “I called Giovanni last night, but he didn’t answer. I hope it was because he was busy with the girls instead of whatever shit might be happening.”

Dread coursed through my veins because if Lucio wanted me dead then it was because he found out we fucked with his deal. I hoped he only thought it was me.

“Since I didn’t show up at the club last night, he was probably covering for me,” I said, trying not to panic.

“Probably, I hope it's just Geraldo being an asshole.”

“Me too,” I said, seeing my phone power back on.

“There wasn’t any milk in the fridge, so you get black coffee with a little sugar in it,” Darcy said, walking into the room and leaving the coffee on the nightstand.

“Thanks, Darcy.” I tried to smile, hoping neither one of them noticed anything was off as my phone started beeping over and over again. I picked it up, seeing texts coming through, each sound making me more nervous.

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