Ruthless Spring

I lick my lips, taking a step back. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

He waves a hand, pulling the toothpick out of his mouth. “Don’t worry, I won’t be here longer than a minute.”

My hackles rise and I press my lips together, taking another step back.

His eyes light up with mirth and he shakes his head slightly. “Oh Winter, you have no need to fear me, but you’ll learn that in due time.” His lips purse and he squints. “In the meantime, I’ll offer you a piece of information to prove you can trust me.”

“I don’t trust anyone,” I tell him.

“You will eventually,” he offers. He twirls the toothpick between his fingers. “I found out a little piece of important information that I’m sure your…” his nose scrunches, “boyfriend, will want to know.”

I know he’s referring to Giovanni. “What?” I ask.

“The Drake has the contract on your head.”

My brows pull together, “The who?”

“The Drake,” he says simply. “Your boyfriend will know who he is.” He pops the toothpick in his mouth and gives me a mock salute before turning around, heading out the same way he came.

“Wait,” I call after him. “Who is The Drake?”

He chuckles but doesn’t turn around. “The point of hitmen going by code names is to keep their identity secret, Doll. Nobody knows who The Drake is, just that other than Giovanni’s little cousin, he’s the most dangerous hit man in town.” He glances over his shoulder this time, his eyes meeting mine. “I’ve never heard of them letting one of their targets live after they’ve accepted the contract.”

And with that, he leaves quickly, just as he promised.

***

“What is a drake?” I ask Enzo, interrupting the silence in the car. Diamond’s words are bouncing around in my head and I can't help but wonder why he decided to share the information with me. From what I know, not only does he hate me, but he hates the Costa Family.

So why would he help us?

I mentally cringe, reminding myself there’s no us, just me and them.

Plus, Diamond insisted that he wasn’t my enemy, claimed I would trust him one day.

“What?” Enzo asks and I can hear the slight waver in his voice. I redirect my attention to him.

“A drake.” I scrunch my nose. “No, not a drake, the drake,” I correct myself.

A yelp leaves my lips as the car jerks slightly and Enzo lets out a curse. I stare with wide eyes as he straightens the wheel. His fingers are locked around the dark leather in a death grip.

“How do you know about The Drake?” he asks and although he’s trying to remain calm, there’s still that slight waiver.

Which is unusual for the stone-cold soldier.

The only time I ever see him crack is around Maximo. And well, I think Maximo would crack the devil.

I rub my jaw, debating on telling him about my meeting with Diamond. The man could have been lying after all… but what reason would he have?

“Winter,” Enzo says, his tone harsh.

“Diamond said that’s who has the hit on my head-” the last word is abruptly cut off as Enzo slams on the brakes. He pushes the gear into park. Right in the middle of the fucking road.

His eyes narrow as he looks at me. “When in the hell did Diamond tell you that?”

I peer out the windows, looking around. Fortunately, the streets aren’t quite busy tonight, but there’s enough traffic for this impromptu stop to be dangerous. A car pulls up behind us, blowing their horn. Enzo doesn’t budge.

The person angrily speeds around us, blowing their horn once again. “Are we going to just sit here?” I ask Enzo.