Devil You Hate (The Diavolo Crime Family 1)

I sit back in my chair and breathe to keep from crushing Soo’s phone. As cathartic as it might be for me, he’d get pissy about it. “First, you don’t make demands of me. Ever. You’re the one so far in debt to me that when I finish taking it out of your ass, there won’t even be a piece of you left for police to identify you.”

His panicked inhale cuts through the line. Good. Maybe he’ll show a little more respect. “It’s about the girl.”

The girl whose pussy I can still smell all over me. Instead of mentioning that, I decide to play dumb and ask, “What girl?”

“Diavolo, don’t blame dumb. You know what girl I’m talking about. My fucking fiancée,” he whispers harshly.

I can’t help but smile. Yes, I’m fucked up, but knowing how up in arms he is over his fiancée, one would think if he really cared about her, he wouldn’t have gambled with her life the way he did.

“You mean the girl that barely even makes a dent in the balance you owe? That girl?” I pause and wait for him to say something, but he must have at least one working brain cell because he doesn’t respond. “What, did you think one little woman would wipe away years of bad choices?”

“No, but I didn’t consider how much of a fuss her family would make with her gone. Nor did I know the extent of how much money I had to lose when we didn’t actually get married.”

The loose grip I hold on my anger slackens. He wants to meet to discuss the girl, then we will meet. Not saying he’ll leave the same way he came, but that’s not my problem.

“Fine, you want to meet, let’s meet. Parking garage on Seventh. Bring some money, so it’s not a wasted trip on my part, or say no now, and I’ll send Soo out instead to have a little chat.”

Panicked, he responds, “Yes, of course. I’ll be there.”

I hang up and hand the phone back to Soo, who is hovering near the edge of my desk. “Let’s go talk to this fucker.”

As I stand, I roll the sleeves down on my dress shirt and button the cuffs. I leave my jacket as there’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be beating the shit out of this idiot before the meeting ends.

When I pass the door leading to Celia’s room, I pause. I turn, grab the doorknob, and check that it’s locked before continuing down to the car.

Soo must have texted one of the guys, because the black SUV we usually drive sits idling in front of the house. I skirt to the passenger side while Soo climbs behind the wheel.

His fingers loosen and tighten on the steering wheel as he pulls out onto the main drive, then to the street. I’ve known Soo for the better part of my life. He was there for me when I had nothing. He’s not just my second in command, he’s like a brother to me. Knowing him as long as I have means I know when something is bothering him. However, he’s a grown man, and if he doesn’t want to tell me what is worrying him, I won’t bother pushing.

It isn’t until we get closer to the meeting point that he finally opens his mouth. “I don’t like this.”

“I assumed, considering how you’re wearing the leather out on the wheel there.”

He grunts and settles into his seat. Relaxing is not his strong suit, and he only ever does it around me. “I don’t trust that kid one inch. What kind of man sells his fiancée?” He doesn’t have to explain further. Soo is a vicious man but prides himself on having an ample amount of honor. He would die a million deaths before dishonoring his loyalty.

He would never betray his people. Lucky for me, at the moment, I’m the only family he has.

I reach into the glove box and remove my Desert Eagle. As expected, it’s clean and loaded. “Are we playing the morality police now? Especially when that fiancée is about to make us a lot of money?”

Another grunt, and I can’t tell if it’s because he doesn’t agree with me or if he wants to keep from arguing about it further. There’s no way he’s growing soft. The mere thought makes me want to laugh. We’ve both done far worse than sell women at private auctions.

“I’ve got some of our guys on standby. If he makes a move, I’ll put a bullet in his brain.”

We arrive at almost the same time. Gardello slides his shiny sports car in between two slots like the complete douche he is. Soo doesn’t bother turning ours off. I scan Marco from head to toe as he approaches. Slicked back hair, perfectly tailored suit. There are no visible weapons on him. He carries a bag which he tosses at Soo’s feet once he’s closer.