Page 39 of Corso DeLuca

Corso tightens his grip. “Stay behind me.”

“It had to be done,” Josie defends. “He had our assets frozen in one of our cryptocurrency operations. And he’d figured out Milana’s identity. Where is that bougie bitch, anyway?”

“Yeah, where is my little sis?” Mattia waits a beat, then yells. “Milana, get out here!”

Corso smiles. It’s cruel, bordering on sadistic. “Preoccupied with friends.”

“Why come now, Josie?” Corso uses his body to block my movements. He’s putting distance between us and Mattia.

“Fuck, you ask a lot of questions. Can’t you be happy to see your family?”

“I am.” That’s a fucking lie.

Josie groans, like I’m irritating her, which is crazy. How can she expect me to be happy about any of this? How can I ignore that she let me believe a lie for a large chunk of my life?

“We need someone on the money that I trust. That’s you, sister.”

“From the FBI to the mafia,” I say in exasperation. “Are you insane?”

“Who the fuck you talking to, Jessie? Lots changed since southeast. People who cross me end up dead.”

“She’s squandering her talent for peanuts. Jessie should be working her family for real money, like our mom would’ve wanted.”

Corso laughs. “Bull shit. I know the FBI frozen the cryptocurrency assets. You fucked up Esposito money. Now, you’re trying to fix your mess before you end up with a bullet to the back of your skull, Josie. You killed my brother so you could suck your sister into some twisted fantasy of you two skipping happily ever after into the Esposito cesspool?”

A thought occurred to Jessie.

“Did you kill Teal?”

“He murdered our mother. He’s the one who arranged for that little souvenir in your arm. That fucker deserved to die screaming.” The woman who I used to call sister, grins. “I had his body dumped outside Mom’s door in the old neighborhood. A tribute.”

“Do you hear yourself? Families live there. Children walk those streets. What if they—”

“Fuck those kids and their families.” She glares at me. “I did that shit for us. You and me. Damn. Learn to say thank you.”

“Truth is, you’re a shit sister, Josie.” Corso chimes in. “Jessie’s a good person.” He signals for me to circle around the column. I do as directed, moving out of target range.

“Hmm, you seem quite concerned with my baby sister’s fate, DeLuca. What about your own?”

He steps away from me, putting himself in the direct line of fire. “Jessie comes first.”

“Fuck this!” Mattia yells. “Kill Corso. Secure the building. Take the bitch with you. She’d better be able to fix your mess, Jacobella.”

“Sure thing, baby. I’ll make sure she has no one to run too this time.”

It all happens in a blink. Josie aims her gun at Corso and pulls the trigger.

“No,” I bellow, running in Corso’s direction.

His leg buckles, but he doesn’t fall.

“No, princess!” he yells, but it’s too late. Mattia’s shadow looms over me. He grips my wrist.

Suddenly, I’m wrenched from the strangling grip. My skin burns for the hold, but I know it’s Corso who has me. Then he speaks. “House. Defend all DeLucas.”

The grind of metal shutters clicking open sounds. A tiny red pinpoint appears on Mattia’s forehead. He screams in agony. Blood flows from a boring hole in his skull.

Red laser beams fire from every angle, cutting Esposito soldiers down at the knee, literally.