Dark Heart (Dark Heart 1)

When I blink, I see Alesso holding his eye. “Shit!”

“Oh, fuck. Are you okay?”

His hand cups his eye. “Fuck.” His face twists as he notices my sling. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, at the same moment as he asks, “What happened to your arm?”

I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m too fucking tired for this shit.

“Why are you here, Alessandro?”

“Dude…” He shakes his head. “You gotta come with me.”Chapter Twenty-TwoLucaI lean over in the front seat of Zio Luigi’s Cutlass, feeling like I might pass out.

“I’m sorry, man,” Alesso says. “I’ve been looking for you for forever. I didn’t know it was your graduation day.”

I hold my throbbing head. “Say that again,” I growl. “Tell me that fucking shit again.”

Leo, sitting in the back, puts his hand on my shoulder. “Your dad’s a rat. He’s been squealing to the FBI.”

I squeeze my eyes shut until I see stars. “He’s a fucking drunk.” I grit my teeth so hard my head throbs. “He’s not working with the FBI!”

“Your dad’s not a drunk,” Alesso says darkly. “He’s a liar.”

“He might be a liar but he’s not a rat.”

“Tony has recordings.”

“Of what? He’s not in the fucking mob! What could he even be saying?”

“It’s logistics shit,” Alesso says as he reaches around me, buckling my seatbelt. “Like where they are and what they’re doing. He listens for the FBI on some kind of device.”

“That doesn’t—”

“Tony said your dad was in deep with Roberto when we were kids. He was helping launder money through the store.”

That makes me snicker even as my shoulder throbs. “Now I know that’s a fucking lie.”

My friends don’t say anything.

So I ask, “Why would he even do that? What reason would he have to talk to the FBI?”

“Immunity,” Alesso says, pulling away from the curb. “Tony said they promised him he’d get a new life.”

“What kind of fucking life could he have? He’s a fucking addict.”

“Tony said he was promised help moving your family.”

My throat tightens. “This is bullshit. Tony’s a goddamn liar. I’m going to Columbia, so where are we moving?”

Leo whistles. “Damn, dude.”

“I knew you were Einstein 2.0 or some shit, but fuck.” Alesso gives a shake of his head. The car jolts, squeaking on its old shocks as he gasses it through a yellow light.

My stomach pitches. “My dad’s not a narc, A.”

“Listen, man, I know it’s hard to buy. But I heard the recordings, man. He’s a narc. He’s a narc and someone from way up told Tony to fix it.”

“Fix it?” My vision blurs a little. “What do you mean fix it?”

The car bumps over a pothole, sending a bolt of pain up my neck and down my left arm. Alesso’s eyes slide to mine. “Luca.” His voice cracks on my name.

Leo mutters, “Jesus, Aless.”

“Fuck you,” he shouts toward the back of the car. “What should I have said?”

“Look at him, he’s fucked up!”

I turn around so I can glare at Leo. “No I’m not.”

Then I glare at Alesso. “You better get your fucking stupid brother in line.”

He laughs—but it’s a helpless, strained sound. “How? Don’t lie to yourself. I can’t do shit, and you can’t either. It’s a done deal.”

“Oh is that what goddamn stupid Tony said? That it’s a done deal? It’s a done deal, I know something else that’s a done fucking deal.”

Leo and Alesso both talk at once. Leo’s hand grips my right shoulder, and I reach around to throw it off.

I hold my throbbing head and breathe till I don’t feel like I’m going to hurl. Then I look at Alesso. “Where is Tony? What’s going on right now?”

“Nobody knows.” Alesso clenches his jaw. “Tony is out looking for him.”

“So he’s planning do it?” I laugh, and the sound is deranged. “This is crazy shit.” I turn around toward Leo again. “You two aren’t shitting me?”

“Your dad is a narc, dude,” Alesso assures me.

“That’s my fucking dad, motherfucker! Your brother kills him, you won’t like what’s coming.”

“Luca.”

“You two shut the fuck up!” Leo slams his fist on the console between our front seats. “Both of you! Shut the fuck up.”

“You shut up,” Alesso snarls. “It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“He better fucking not do it,” I yell. “You hear me, Alesso? You hear what I’m saying?”

“What choice does he have?”

“What choice does he have? Are you fucking serious? Stop the fucking car, Alesso.”

“I came to get you so we can try to help! Tony won’t kill me. Or you. Or Leo. Maybe we can help or something, I don’t know!”

“I wanted to kill him,” I murmur, picturing the way my shoulder slammed into the brick wall in the shoe store as my fucked-up father body-slammed me. My throat aches as I look at Alesso. “Go and tell your brother that.”

“I’m really sorry, Luca. If Tony finds him, I don’t think it’s gonna come out good.” Alesso’s jaw works, and for a second, I feel sorry for him. Half a second.