Page 75 of Broken Rules
The V brothers are my closest business partners. We’ve worked together for five years, and they’re a pleasure to deal with. Always well prepared, organized, and informed. They’re eloquent and well-put-together, but only while we talk business. Once we start drinking, their facade brakes—they’re out of control, hitting on everything that moves.
Spades glances over my head when soft footsteps reach my ears. Layla joins us with a bag full of books on her shoulder, a printed and bound copy of her dissertation in hand.
“I guess I’m driving myself today?” She takes the cup, sending Spades a grateful smile.
“I can call Rookie—”
“I’m already late. I can manage on my own.” She pecks my lips, waves at Spades, and leaves the house within thirty seconds of arriving downstairs, her steps still a little off as she saunters away on weak legs.
“What do they want?” I ask Sapdes once the door closes behind Layla.
“Caro says they know about Nikolaj. I guess they want to talk plans for the future.”
“I want everyone at the club by half seven. Order the girls from Tony. Eight should do it. You got anything on Luca?”
“Nope. He’s as clean as they get, Dante. Nothing out of the ordinary. He’s been keeping his head low like you ordered. I really don’t think he’s the snitch.”
Neither do I, but his conflicting behavior toward Layla has me thinking. “Then I should call him.”
“You want him there tonight?”
“No. I want him here.”
He barks out a short laugh. “Luca’s supposed to look after your star? I assume it’s because of the talks that Frank’s looking for a hitman?”
“Better safe than sorry.”
“I get that. It’s not like I doubt Luca’s competence. He won’t let anything happen to her. Just tell me one thing.” He stretches his hands over the back of the couch. “How will you keep her safe from him?”
I finish my coffee, placing the cup back on the table. “He’s the one who’ll need protection. Layla mops the floors with him. Luca knows if he lets a hair fall off her head, a chalk outline of his body will be all that’s left of him.”
Thirty minutes later, Luca takes Spades’ place on the sofa. We’ve worked together for almost six years now. He was never the most obedient person, but he never cowered until now.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“I have a job for you. The V brothers are flying in tonight. I need to leave, but I’m not leaving Layla alone. You’ll be watching over her until further notice.”
I accommodated his wishes for years. I turned a blind eye to his short temper because of his past, but the special treatment has expired. It’s time to teach him a lesson. He has to take responsibility for his actions just like the rest of my men; otherwise, he’ll never learn.
“Aren’t you overacting? No one will touch her down South because she’s with you and up North because she’s Frankie’s daughter. Why does she need security?”
“Frankie’s looking for a hit man.” I light a cigarette, and Luca follows my lead. “I’m not risking some nutcase hurting her to get to me. I won’t need you often for now. Layla will be with me most of the time, but I expect you here tonight at seven. If I’m not with her, you need to be. Understood?”
“Why me? Spades, Rookie, Nate. They like her. They won’t strangle her by accident when she starts bitching.”
Watching over Layla is a far worse punishment than if I’d tell him to cover the cost of plan B. This time we closed the bill at one million. He’d be paying it back for a year, but he’d take the deal with open arms over babysitting my star.
“Don’t get on her nerves, and you’ll be fine. You killed a man for her, Luca. I trust you with her.”
Putting my most skilled fighter on the sidelines to become a nanny is a low blow, but I have two reasons for doing so. It’s not just about trusting his viciousness. There’s also the laying-low business. He needs to stay out of the spotlight until the press forgets about the mayhem in Delta.
“Where is she now?” he asks. “I guess she’s not pleased with this either.”
“She’s in college. Don’t get in her way, and I’ll make sure she won’t give you a reason to strangle her.”
He leaves a few minutes later, performing a burnout on the white gravel to let off some steam.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
