Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
CIDNEY
The last thing that Goffredo, Jeffrey Hagerty, is… is a good boy. He’s the exact fucking opposite. I know that without a doubt because I saw it in his eyes when he tried to kill me. When he actually shot Lightning.
I knew at that moment that I was looking into the face of pure evil.
My heart squeezes at the memory.
I’ve never wished death on anyone before, not even my parents, who weren’t the best, not even when a friend burned me, or when a guy hurt my feelings. I never wished harm on any other person until him.
Honestly, I don’t want to ever see him again, breathing or not. I don’t want to think about him either, except he keeps getting brought up. I don’t want him to exist, but I also realize that I don’t get a choice in the matter.
“I’m sure he is,” I say, breaking my thoughts, bringing myself back to the conversation, although reluctantly. I can’t bring myself to say the words good boy, so I just let them hang in the air.
It’s the very last thing I would ever actually think about the asshole. He’s not good, nothing about him is good, but I’m not going to tell his father that, at least not yet. I might one day. Sooner rather than later, because it’s hanging on the tip of my tongue, what I actually think about him.
“But that doesn’t explain why,” I point out.
I’m going to need some answers, because otherwise, it would just be some complete random situation, and I know it’s not. There is more to what happened and why my apartment is now under surveillance, why he tried to kill me, and why he targeted me.
Lorenzo reaches for another piece of bread, soaking it in the olive oil and vinegar before plopping it in his mouth.
I watch as he chews the bread, no doubt delaying the inevitable.
He’s going to have to tell me. I can’t imagine he can skirt around this, not any longer. Not with Bullet sitting beside me.
“He played me, and I think I deserve to know why,” I state.
I don’t know if he’ll tell me the real reason why, but I do deserve to know why Jeffrey treated me like a fool and then tried to kill me. I should know how and why Lightning had to take a bullet for me and why a good boy like Jeffrey would try that.
Because he tried to kill me. Good boy or not.
He. Tried. To. Kill. Me.
“He hears things, my boy. His mother was always a bit too vocal, in my opinion. God rest her soul.”
I want to roll my eyes so damn hard at this whole conversation, but I can tell that Lorenzo wants to be the one in charge here.
He’s used to being the big bad boss. I let him have that, but I’m not sure how long Bullet and Goose are going to allow it.
I can feel the masculine energy rising higher and higher by the second.
They are getting fed up and losing patience.
“Goffredo hears his mother one night. She’d had too much to drink. She accused me of still being in love with my ex, and your mother’s name was mentioned. Maybe he thinks by doing this, he will make her feel better.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” I whisper.
Lorenzo lifts his hand, waving it around. “Emotions hardly ever do.”
He’s so flippant about it. I think there is more to the story, and thankfully, so do Bullet and Goose, because Bullet is the one who speaks next, and when he does, I watch as Lorenzo’s spine straightens. And if I ever thought he was just a mild-mannered older man, that thought vanishes instantly.
“Business and manipulating someone, then trying to kill them—you need to give us more. Because where I am sitting, in order to make this right, you would need to hand over Goffredo to us.”
“I will not,” Lorenzo snaps.
“Then you need to get talking and make shit make some fucking sense,” Bullet growls right back at him.
Lorenzo flicks his gaze to meet mine, then shifts it back to Bullet’s. “Not with a woman present.”
I open my mouth to protest, because screw that.
But when Bullet dips his chin and tells me to leave, that Piggy is waiting outside for me, I decide not to fight the situation.
I know that if I fight it right here in front of Lorenzo, Bullet will look weak.
I don’t want that. I want this shit done, and I want to be the one to hear it all, but I don’t argue.
Dipping my chin, I push my chair back and stand.
Giving Lorenzo a half smile, I turn and walk out of the restaurant.
Everything inside me screams to stay inside and find out what the hell is going on, but I don’t do that.
I follow the rules and step outside, and there is Piggy, just as Bullet said he would be.
“You want to hang out here or in the car?” he asks.
Shifting my gaze forward, I notice that there is a black SUV parked and running right in front of me. I should probably go sit in the back of the car, but I shake my head once before I speak.
“I’ll stay out here.”
GOOSE
Once Cidney is out of earshot, Lorenzo clears his throat.
His gaze finds Bullet’s, and he holds it for a moment.
Both of them stare at one another, neither of them backing down.
It’s comical because I think Lorenzo is used to men backing down.
I don’t know what he fucking expected. Not one single Vicious Reaper would back down from him, especially not our president.
But what the fuck ever. I want this shit done.
“My son thought, in his infinite wisdom, at least, he was doing what I wanted.”
“By trying to kill Cidney?” I growl.
Lorenzo rolls his eyes, then shakes his head once. “Not that,” he says with a grunt. “He thought it would be wise to merge our two organizations. When he discovered that Cidney wasn’t part of the Vicious Reapers as he originally thought, he panicked.”
“And in that panic, he was going to kill her?” Bullet asks.
Lorenzo shrugs a shoulder. “She knew too much. He was trying to bring her into his world in an effort to merge with yours. He knew that I had been in love with Cidney’s mother, and he thought that if we could merge and eventually take over the Reapers’ operation from the inside, it would somehow vindicate her leaving me for one of yours. ”
“And he just came up with this all on his own?” Bullet asks.
Lorenzo doesn’t deny or confirm the question, which tells me everything I need to know. He indeed was part of this, but we will never be able to prove it. And in the end, it doesn’t matter too much.
“Well, we had no idea we were protecting your shit. I don’t know if that makes you feel any type of way. But our operation and agreement were always and will always be with Robin. It has and will never have to do directly with you,” I explain.
Lorenzo dips his chin. “So we just call this a mistake and walk away, pretend it never happened?”
I like that Lorenzo is so optimistic. That he lives in an alternate universe where blood is shed, and nobody has to atone for it. Unfortunately, that is not this universe, and this motherfucker needs to pay for what he’s done.
“I don’t think that’s a viable option, Lorenzo,” Bullet murmurs.
“Goffredo did a lot of planning and manipulating. He targeted one of the women of our club, tried to use her. Then, when he fucked up, he tried to kill her and spilled the blood of one of our members. There is a lot to unpack with what he’s done, and you know as well as I do that we have a code. ”
Lorenzo doesn’t respond immediately. I can tell he’s thinking about what he’s going to say next instead of just popping off with some shit that would piss us off and start a war. That little weasel of his started all this shit because he wanted to be a big man.
If Lorenzo wanted to teach him a lesson, he’d let him fight his own fucking battles, but I can tell that Goffredo has never had to own up to his own shit a day in his life. This is the sole reason he felt as comfortable as he did behaving the way he did.
“Paul,” Lorenzo calls out without breaking eye contact with Bullet. “Bring out Goffredo.”
It’s as if a hush falls over the entire restaurant, or maybe the sound of my blood rushing through my ears is the reason for the sudden silence. I’m not sure, and I don’t ask any questions, either. I’m too focused on the kitchen door opening and that little prick walking through.
To his credit, he doesn’t carry himself like the puffed-up peacock I expected. He knows he fucked up, but as small as he attempts to carry himself, he also doesn’t look remorseful. He’s sorry he got caught and nothing more.
“Apologize to the Reapers for what you’ve done,” Lorenzo announces.
I almost laugh in their faces, because an apology ain’t shit when blood has been spilled.
Take the whole Cidney part out of the equation.
He shot and almost killed one of our men.
You don’t just get to walk away from that, and the fact that his father is the head of the Front Mob Family is the only reason he’s not already dead.
“I’m sorry,” he says. To his credit, he appears sorry, but not for what he’s done.
“This doesn’t fix anything,” Bullet states.
Lorenzo dips his chin in what I assume is understanding. My patience is thinning by the second. Lorenzo waves his son closer. He takes two steps until he’s standing directly at his father’s side.
“What would fix this? I can promise you that Goffredo will never attempt to do anything like this again. He’s been stripped of his title and his crew. He’s going to have to work his way back up the ranks.”
That makes my lips twitch into a smirk. It’s still not enough, but I love the fact that he’s been knocked all the way fucking down.
As a matter of fact, it fills me with fucking joy.
Leaning back in my chair, I watch as Goffredo’s gaze flicks from his feet to meet mine.
He narrows his eyes before he shifts them back down to his feet.
“I’m not sure I can let this go that easily,” Bullet says.
I know if it were me, I would be shouting bullshits and fuck yous all over the room. However, I know that Bullet has to tread lightly. This is Lorenzo’s son, not just one of his soldiers. I bite the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth before I release the flesh.
“You will have to trust that I have taken care of this,” Lorenza says.
I trust absolutely nothing about this man, and I especially do not trust his son.
Not a single word is said for what feels like an hour, but is probably only thirty seconds.
I wait for Bullet to say something completely fucking crazy so we can end this shit, but he shocks the fuck out of me when he dips his chin in a single nod.
The words that come out of his mouth next… I must be fucking mistaken.
“We’ll let you deal with your own. But, Lorenzo?” Bullet calls out. Lorenzo jerks his chin slightly, not speaking but keeping his focus on Bullet. “One toe out of line, and we deal with him while you watch.”
Goffredo’s head pops up, his eyes widen, and he opens his mouth at the same time Lorenzo speaks. “Absolutely. I will not say or do a single thing if he steps out of line. It will be your right but also your duty to deal with him.”
“And we’re good, the Reapers and the Front?” Bullet asks. This is for clarification purposes and to hear the words come out of his mouth.
“We’re good.”