Page 5 of The Boss's Revenge

When I went to argue with that circular logic, Omer kicked the back of my leg out, and I landed on my knees, my breath blowing out. Fuck, I was going to gut this man and enjoy every second. Kira hesitated beside me like she wanted to help me up, but in the end, she remained motionless.

Vincenzo was deathly silent for a moment, assessing the situation. I met his eyes and tried to tell him not to spill blood, not yet. Kira was standing too close to us, and despite her tricks, I didn’t want to see her brains splattered across the ground.

“So, tell me what this is all about, and then we’ll talk about the disrespect you’ve shown the Luciano family, and how you will recompense for it,” Vincenzo called arrogantly.

Omer chuckled. “It is your brother who has disrespected my family name, and not the other way around. He’s gotten my daughter pregnant and made no move to marry her. She was untouched before he got to her, I know it for a fact.”

Omer’s confident tone made my stomach turn. I tried to look at Kira, but the gun to my temple made it impossible.

“How could you possibly know that? She was engaged to Konstantin.”

“Because I have her examined on a regular basis. I know for a fact that she was pure, before your brother.”

Disgust crawled through me at Omer’s words. I couldn’t imagine what kind of old-fashioned examination Kira had endured countless times so her father could leverage her into the best-arranged marriage he could find.

My eyes met Vincenzo’s and I knew he was seriously considering killing Omer where he stood. I shook my head subtly. I wanted to hear the rest of it out, and besides, too many would get caught in the crossfire.

“Still, there’s no evidence that my brother was involved with her, or that she is pregnant,” Vincenzo said flatly. “Let’s hear from her.”

Silence fell as the attention shifted to Kira.

“It started the night I cut his cheek,” Kira said quietly. Despite the softness, the words seemed to carry. “I went to his club to see him and make sure he was alright. He told me it was ok, and it was better to die than do nothing,” she continued. I saw Vincenzo jerk, surprised that she’d come up with my catchphrase. A pinch appeared between his eyes. “He asked me to come to the club every night, and I did, his men can confirm it. After, he took me to his apartment on Mulberry Street andshowed me the Fiesole. We soon… were together.” Shocked echoed through me that she knew of my prized and private bust by the great sculptor.

I twisted to see her, as the sound of a zip opening hit my ears. I turned, staring in disbelief, as she pulled a slim white object from her bag. Holding it with trembling fingers, she held it up toward my brother. “It’s still very early, but as you can see, the pregnancy is confirmed.”

“What the hell?” I exploded, as Omer chuckled smugly.

Vincenzo’s expression was hard. I rocked back on my heels, seeing something in the depths of my brother’s eyes. He wasn’t sure who was lying. The Fiesole was private information. Sure, there were ways she could have found out, but it lent evidence to her claim. The fact of that was a blow to the chest, but hardly one I couldn’t have predicted. I was the youngest, the fuck-up, the playboy. Now, that reputation was working against me.

“It’s not mine,” I told my older brother.

He blew out a long breath. “How do I know that test is even Kira’s, never mind if my brother is the father? There are too many unknowns. Let’s just forget this madness.” he said stiffly, but it was too late. I could see the seed of belief planted in his mind.

“If you walk away now, I’ll let everyone in the city know that the Luciano’s honor isn’t worth shit.”

“I could have you killed right now,” Vincenzo reminded him.

Omer shrugged. “Not without involving Konstantin, and besides, if it turns out to be true… I thought the Lucianos worked hard for their reputation?”

It was a good threat because reputation in our world was everything. It got you leeway in deals, it got you more time to make good on debts, and more lucrative opportunities. If word got out that Vincenzo Luciano had relaxed his standards, itwould impact the business and the bottom line of every single Luciano made-man who depended on him.

“I’m not just letting you strong-arm your way into marrying a Luciano without any real evidence. We wait until the pregnancy is certain, and paternity can be verified. If my brother is the father, then they will get married.”

The words knocked my breath from my lungs. I was off the hook, because, clearly, I wasn’t the father.

But Omer wasn’t done being a weasel yet. “You offend my honor and that of my daughter with your doubts, but I’ll agree to your terms. We give it a few weeks to verify – 9 weeks should suffice to establish paternity,” he said.

Vincenzo’s lip curled. “I see you’re familiar with paternity testing timelines. Fine, but that only applies, of course, if she’s really pregnant. We don’t have to wait nine weeks to find that out. We test this week, and go from there. I agree to those terms.”

Omer smirked, clearly confident that he was well on the way to a great payday. “I have your word? On the remaining honor of the great Luciano family?” he pushed, sending only more anger flooding through me. “In the meantime, Kira stays with Rocco. He should take responsibility for her. I won’t negotiate on that.”

Vincenzo was silent for a long moment, staring at me. I could feel his apology in his look, lined by that tiny slither of doubt that he had in my innocence. “Ok, we have an agreement. Now release my brother, and get the fuck out of here, before I change my mind.”

CHAPTER 4

Kira

Rocco was silent as we left the meeting place, exchanging a dark look with his brother, before dismissing my father with a sneer. He gripped my arm and turned me toward a waiting car.

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