Page 32 of Chasing Kit

Sergei’s face flushed with irritation, but he nodded and left with the other bozo. I resisted the temptation to flip them off.

“Sky.” Kit’s tone softened as he took Sky’s hands in both of his, thumbs pressing into the backs of them like he could push the words through his skin. “You deserve better than to be someone’s secret, even if he loves you.”

“He’ll never leave her,” I stated. “That marriage is an alliance. It’s business. Riccardo Sabbatini won’t let Scalia dissolve a treaty with the Covolos for a side piece. It’s not going to happen.”

Sky was silent for a long moment before sighing. “I want to be with him,” he said to Kit, not me. I was invisible. “Rigo promised me he’d take care of me. I’m not stupid. This isn’t my first married mobster in St. Loren. I was with an Armetta when I first moved here. He was Rigo’s friend. I dumped him for Rigo.”

I choked. Was he fucking kidding me?

“Wha—” Kit glitched. He stared before he shook his head, deciding to ignore the last words. “Who are they? The Sabbatinis?” he glanced between me and Sky. “You said they were a mob and run this part of the country. So, they’re dangerous?”

“Yes,” Sky confirmed.

“Your father’s alliance with them is fragile. You messing with this marriage could break it.” I met Sky’s defiant gaze. “I’ve met Francesca Covolo. She’s not a woman you cross. She suffers no fools. If she finds out, she won’t just get mad. She’ll get even. And people like her don’t care whether she kills the person who pissed her off or their loved ones.”

“You don’t know me,” Sky snarked.

“He’s right, though.” Kit jumped to his feet, releasing Sky’s hands. “You need to leave. Right now. You’re in over your head. Dad could help. He’s . . . . Do you know what Dad is?”

“Of course.” Sky stood, looking down at Kit. “I’m the one who sent you the texts.”

The words hung in the air. I saw the understanding dawn on Kit’s face, followed by a wave of pure hurt. Before he could even speak, my own anger surged. I rounded the couch, getting in Sky’s face. “You did this? You blew up his entire world. For what? Did you send the men in Pleasant Beach, too?”

“What?” Sky tilted his chin to stare at me. “What are you talking about? I only sent him the text messages. That’s it. What men?”

“You blew up his life and sent him running blind into danger. Why should I believe you’d draw the line at sending someone to grab him?”

“I love my brother,” Sky yelled. “I needed him away from Dad. I wasn’t going to leave him there. Pleasant Beach was meant to be safe. I’d sent a man to take him from the airport to the motel. They left clothes. Another one of my guys was coming today to give him instructions to wait a few more days. I was coming!”

“Stop it!” Kit shoved between us, placing his palms on our chests and shoving us apart. “Just stop! I need a minute to understand.”

I let him push me a few steps back and watched him carefully. I’d seen this before—not panic exactly, but the body turning against itself, burning through oxygen it couldn’t replace fast enough. His chest was working too hard for too little, the way a man's did when he was convinced he was about to die and his lungs had started to believe it. His legs had gone unreliable. I gripped his elbow, ready to take his weight if it came to that.

“You’re confusing me.” Kit’s voice wobbled. “How did you know about Dad?”

Sky softened his posture to something more brotherly, laying a hand on Kit’s shoulder. “Through Rigo. When we first met, when I was still dating David Armetta, he wanted to know if I was Derek Uhlig’s Sky. I asked him how he knew my father. He let it slip. He didn’t know that you and I were kept in the dark. I confronted Dad about the truth, and we argued. A lot. He told me if I told you, I’d regret it. He threatened to cut me off completely—not just the money. I didn’t care about any of that. I cared about you. He swore he’d make me disappear from your life, erase me so completely you’d think I’d just vanished. He’s capable of it.”

“He’s committed,” I said, feeling the need to defend Derek. He wasn’t a perfect person, but he’d saved me when I’d needed it most. He’d found a broken man and given him a chance at salvation. I owed him my life. “He was keeping you both safe, as any father should.”

“He doesn’t get to hide his criminal activities from us,” Sky retorted angrily. “He babies us. He has spies everywhere in New Gothenburg. Leland is a spy and Kit thought he was his friend.” His attention slid to Kit. “He made sure you never dated. He had Leland scare away anyone who noticed you.”

“He wanted to do background checks before approving someone. He runs a dangerous business. He needed to make sure their interest was genuine.” For someone so angry with his father, it was ironic that he was now dating a married mobster. I kept that part to myself.

Kit’s face was emotionless, a look that didn’t fit him at all. He was usually so expressive and open. This new impassivity made him look more like his father.

“Why are you defending him?” Kit’s question landed somewhere I couldn’t quite locate. “I’ve been lonely for so long, and now I find out it was because of Dad. That isn’t fair.”

I faltered. Fuck. Of course, I knew the truth would hurt Kit, but I couldn’t let Sky insult Derek without an explanation. Neither of them understood the dangerous world Derek navigated or the kind of people who would come for his sons.

“Maybe I didn’t even like you. Maybe I just thought I did because you were all I had.” The words struck home, a direct hit on a fear I already carried. He was lashing out, but it didn’t make his words hurt any less.

I shoved the feeling down. Pain was a luxury we couldn’t afford. I turned back to Sky. “Someone tried to kill Kit in Pleasant Beach. If it wasn’t you, then who knew you were sending him those texts? Who did you tell?”

Sky gaped. “No one.” He paused. “Well, Arrigo knew. He didn’t like it, but he accepted it. And Sergei. He’s my main bodyguard. But no one else, I swear.”

“And Francesca Covolo?” The name dropped into the room like a stone. “What if she knows about you? A woman like that would want revenge. And the best way to hurt you would be to go after family. To go after the brother you were supposedly trying to help.”

Sky froze, panic flashing across his sharp face. His eyes clouded. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.