Wrong (A Bad Boy Romance)(62)
Blinking back tears of fear, rage, and sorrow, I start the car and hightail it away as fast as I can.
#
Nick’s in the living room when I get back, focused on his laptop. As hard as I tried to compose myself on the drive back, I must still be a mess, because he comes to his feet the second he sees me.
“Sarah, what’s wrong?” He closes the distance to me and puts his arms around me.
The touch breaks the dam I built around my emotions, and I fall apart, weeping all over him.
“Shhh, shhh,” he says, patting my back. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
I try to tell him, but I can’t make words through the sobs and hiccups. He finally steers me over to the couch and sits me down, sits next to me, and holds me for a few minutes while I cry it out.
When I’ve finally got a little control, I manage to choke out a vague description of what happened. I feel Nick’s body tensing against me.
“He said… He said he was going to kill me,” I finally finish.
“Well,” says Nick, and his voice is as frightening as anything I’ve ever heard. “I’d like to see him try after I’m through with him.”
I draw back. “Nick. Don’t. He’s not worth it.”
He strokes my hair, his body relaxing just enough to be gentle with me. “No. He’s not. But you are. And if I don’t do something about this, he’ll keep coming after you.”
“Nick…” I can’t finish the question. I don’t know if I want to know the answer anyway.
“It’s okay, Sarah. This is just business. And Sal De Luca’s a dead man. Count on it.”
Chapter Twelve
Nick
I don’t think I’ve ever been so furious in my life. That Sal would dare to threaten Sarah to her face, especially after I was officially voted in as boss… The audacity of the man. The sheer insanity. He’s overstepped, and I know the rest of the organization won’t stand for it.
I make several phone calls, arranging a meeting for the next morning. Maybe Spada never had the balls to stomp out the bonfires in the organization, but I do. I’m going to take care of this once and for all, before Sal tears the organization apart. More importantly, before he comes after Sarah again.
The thought of him hurting Sarah—of anybody hurting Sarah—sends me into a place like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s primal, and so full of rage I’m not sure I can control it. It’s more than protecting my own. It’s more than asserting my power in my new position. It’s like it’s coming out of the deepest, most primitive parts of my brain, taking over everything in me that’s even remotely civilized. I don’t just want to stop Sal. I want to destroy him. Tear him into tiny, bloody pieces with my bare hands.
Still, in the midst of it, I’m able to hold Sarah, comfort her when the tears come back at night when we’re settling in for bed. As her tears dampen my chest, I swear silently to myself that I’ll make sure I never have to see her cry like this again.
#
I meet my team at Milo’s in the morning and give them explicit instructions—find Sal, find his team. Make a plan for an ambush. I want Sal dead before the end of the day.
There’s an exchange of glances. Chris says, “Boss…are you sure? If Spada comes back and—”
“When Spada comes back—if Spada comes back—having De Luca gone will be the best thing we could have done while he was gone. He’s a cancer in this organization, and Spada won’t do shit to get rid of him.”
One of the other guys starts to protest, too, but I cut him off. “Who’s the boss now?”
“You are, sir.”
“That’s right. Now go do what I told you.”
My men are dispersing when my phone rings. “Angelino,” I answer.
“They set bail for Spada.” It’s Leo. “You need to go bail him out.”
“How much?”
Leo names the sum, and I give a low whistle. The feds aren’t fucking around. We can get the money, though. All it’ll take is a few pulled strings. “All right. Tell me what I need to do.”
#
I meet up with Leo, and we get the bail money. The whole process is a pain in the ass, but that’s not unexpected. Leo comes with me to the police station—he’s my right-hand man now, I realize, and will be until Spada reclaims his place—and we head inside.
While we’re waiting, I wonder what will happen when Spada’s out on bail. Is he going to take over again or leave me in charge while all the legalities fall out? I’m not sure how I feel about either option. I’d just as soon have a little more time to adjust before I completely take over, but, on the other hand, if he goes ahead and returns to business as usual, I’m going to lose face, and that could affect my ability to reinstate myself as the heir apparent.