Page 54 of Unbroken (Russo Mafia)

“Lucca, I think I fucked up.” Her voice was quiet and tense.

I laid a hand on her trembling shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“When Colin visited my office last time, he gave me an envelope to give to you.” A tremor shook her body. “I placed it in my desk and forgot about it. He said it was a message for you,” she said, blinking back tears.

A sense of dread rolled through the pit of my stomach. This whole time, she had a message for me from this prick. I stare at her, watching her entire body tremble. It wasn’t until the tears fell; I knew she didn’t mean anything by holding onto it. I pull her body to mine, feeling her sag in relief.

“It’s okay, everything will be okay.”

Now I have my fucking answers to this asshole.

“Seriously, you need to relax some. You’re going to have an aneurism at twenty-six and that ain’t fucking healthy Chuck.” Oscar sets his coffee cup down while glancing at me.

“I can’t help it. This is all my fault. If I didn’t forget about that goddamn note, none of this would’ve happened. I would be sitting comfortably in my office meeting with my clients, visiting with my dad. Maybe enjoying life some more.”

“Wow, hey.” He moves around the table to sit next to me. “No one is blaming you. Get that shit out of your head.” He gives me a side hug, resting his head on my shoulder. “If anyone is to blame you, it would be me. I travel more, and holy shit, is the traffic horrible out there.”

That made me laugh. “Thanks, Oscar. It still doesn’t help, though. I have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind something is coming.”

The doorbell goes off just as I say that. We both stare at each other. Cause that wasn’t ominous at all. We study the entry way waiting for Anna to great our guest. When I catch a glimpse of Scarlett, I relax. Fucking hoe bag.

“Who’s that?” Oscar hasn’t moved his gaze from her since he hounded in on her.

“That’s Scar my best friend. Watch out, she’ll eat you alive.”

“God, I hope so,” he mumbles.

“Hey lady.” She pauses when she notices Oscar. “And gentleman.”

Oscar stands sticking his hand out. “I’m Oscar Mills, Chucks PA. One hundred percent straight.”

“Scar, stroke that ego of his. He loves it,” I whisper to her.

She shakes his hand. “All right, big fella. Nice to see someone in this house has manners.” Sitting across from me, she digs in her briefcase. “I have some good and bad news. Which do you want first?”

I look to Oscar who only shrugs. “Um, bad let’s get it over with.”

She winces. “The papers have come back with a counter sue to your defamation. They say that everything is checking out correct and we have nothing to go on that what they published is false. We need to find the source that published this bullshit. Do you have anything else to give me?”

I drop my head into my hands. Oscar rubs my back from where he’s standing.

“We have nothing. This came out of left field. We can’t even get a hold of Vincent to talk to him,” Oscar tells her.

“Same, I’ve talked to Lucca, and he hasn’t heard from him either. I don’t want to ask my brother, but I can if need be.”

“Who’s your brother?” Oscar asked.

“You don’t know who I am?”

“Um, should I? This isn’t like a cult thing you brought me into is it, Chuck?”

“He’s funny, Charlie. No… Um, my brother is Antonio.”

His hand freezes on my back. I look up at him to see his eyebrows drawn together. He’s slowly piecing the puzzle together.

Then the bomb drops. “He’s part of the mafia too?”

Fuck.She still has no idea. I look at him discreetly trying to tell him to shut up by running my hand along my neck.

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