Read Online [smg id=31099 type=normal align=center width=150] by Kirsty-Anne Still - Free Book Online

has completely annihilated my entire mood with one swift sentence. “It should be a quick job without any hiccups, but Carmello always had a thing about you, so you’ll be a good buffer for him to lose those diamonds for a small sum of money.”
    I furrow my brow quickly. “If he’s getting money, why will he care if I’m there or not to buffer this,” I question, not sure I’m grasping the loophole.
    “Because he’s been undervalued for them,” my father remarks and the wickedness that overcomes his entire demeanor tells me that he has conned one of his own. “We agreed on the same dealer to value them, but I paid him handsomely to drop it a few grand. To make up for it, I promised you’d be along for the pickup.”
    “And the need for Carlo?” I ask blankly.
    “He’s not as threatening as Enzo or Giovanni,” my father quips, cracking a smile at his own ounce of humor. “Now, Zane, I know it’s only been a day since you entered the family, but I don’t like to drag these sort of things out. If this goes well, you could well be on your way to full initiation.”
    “I still think this is a farce,” Giovanni grunts, slamming a fist onto the table. “He walks in here after one pathetic kill and suddenly you trust a cop. We saw what he did to Amelia. Drew her in, gained her trust, and tossed her aside. What’s to say he’s not lying to us all? At least Lorenzo is part of the Dio Lavoro.”
    “Billy has very much said Zane’s resignation is old news now,” my father responds, sitting up a little straighter, annoyance exuding from him. “He dropped out of the job and hasn’t applied elsewhere. The case file on us disappeared, and he made sure the blame wasn’t pointing at him. The internal investigation doesn’t even suspect him.”
    “But they will when they find out he’s hanging around with us,” Giovanni states. I can see he will try just about anything to get Zane out of the house again even if our father doesn’t want that. “It’ll look bad for us to have a cop on our side.”
    “Will it?” my father asks, cocking a brow. Billy hangs around with many of the crime families in Manhattan; he’s the perfect inside man. “And since when did we have a less than quiet appearance around town?” my father asks, his tone darkening toward to Giovanni. “We don’t welcome attention unless entirely warranted, Gio. No one will know he’s one of us unless one of us snitches.” I didn’t think it possible, but my father’s glare upon Giovanni intensifies. I’ve never seen him look so livid toward Giovanni in all my life. “And we know what happens with a snitch.”
    “What does happen to a snitch?” Zane stupidly asks, his voice weakening with worry.
    “Why, are you one?” Giovanni snarls across at him. “The last guy got torn apart by dogs after coughing up the names of the guys who got you shot, Maverick. There was a guy set on fire, too.”
    I see Zane begin to visibly pale, and I decide to interject. “Let’s not discuss death and gore over breakfast. We all know how no one likes a snitch, but the details can be saved for after we’ve eaten.”
    “No, I’m good,” Zane chokes, reaching for a glass of water. “I think I get it.”
    “He can’t even deal with a bit of gore,” Giovanni begins to chortle. “What sort of pansies are you letting into the family?”
    “Giovanni!” my father bellows, slamming both fists down onto the table and standing up. “You have written Zane Maverick off from the first day your sister brought him into the family, but he is here to serve a purpose now. Just because you don’t mind killing or mocking people doesn’t mean we all do. Your baby brother does just fine without killing.”
    “That’s because he’s the gay boy of the family,” Giovanni mocks, shaming Manuel.
    “Get out of my sight or so help me, Giovanni,” my father grinds out, his jaw clenching so harshly the veins in his neck are standing out. “Everyone deserves a