Page 52 of Retribution
Finn’s nod is curt.
“Why?”
“He needs someone to hate. He cares about you. We’ll be united in our vengeance.” He smirks at me.
My first instinct is to deny Lorcan cares about me. I’ve only been working here a couple months, but when Lorcan hired me, he warned me we’d have to pretend to be something more at some point. I guess we’re there already. I press my lips together to keep a denial from sneaking out.
Telling him might bring Finn and Lorcan closer. It might also start a mob war. “How powerful are the Zhangs?”
“We’ll crush them, Kimmy.” His light-blue eyes sparkle at the crack in my armor.
A child-and-sex-trafficking monster being crushed seems pretty good. But Malik’s undercover there. How do I greenlight that knowing he might get caught in the crossfire? Admitting I don’t want Shen to be put down is suspicious. He almost killed me today. “I’ll think about telling Lorcan.”
“He’ll find out one way or another.” Finn’s shoulder brushes mine. In my ear, he whispers, “Antonio couldn’t stop talking about how badass you were. I think you have a new fan.”
Heat starts in my chest and spreads along my neck, up into my face. It’s not embarrassment. It’s the soothing sensation of my pride being stroked. Finn and I are mere inches apart. My focus flicks from his eyes to his lips and back again. “Who would that be?”
One side of Finn’s lips quirk up. “Antonio.” Our gazes connect. “But you’re growing on me.”
He taps the contract on my hip as he passes me, whistling the tune I still can’t place.
Shaking my head, I start toward Lorcan’s office door again. I’m almost there when the doorbell peals through the house.
Carys.
Turning, I jog to the front entrance, hoping I’ll make it there before Finn. After what Carys told me, I’m surprised she can even look at him. Her voice echoes through the front entranceway followed by Antonio’s. I’m not sure that’s any better.
His voice is jovial as he says, “She rolled down the window real casual and took ’em both out like it was no big deal.”
I wince and close my eyes. Taking the corner at a run, I skid into the hallway. “Carys!”
When she sees me, her face is pinched with annoyance. “I leave you with them, and you’re already under literal gunfire. Are you ready to quit yet?”
Antonio chuckles behind her. “She’s too badass to quit over that.”
“If you can’t take the heat.” I wink at her and grin. It’s good to see her. I’ve forgotten how nice it is to be in the company of another woman.
She shakes her head. “Get out of the arms race.”
Or the FBI.
My grin widens. She circles her arm around my waist and draws me close to her side, her bag clutched in her other hand. “Somewhere we can chat?”
“I’ll take you to my wing of the house.”
“Ooh.” Carys laughs. “Your very own wing. You’re the gangster princess, are you?”
“Mafia,” I correct her, raising a finger. “We’re so much better than a simple gang.”
Her laughter rings through the high-ceilinged entrance, and when I look away, Finn is at the crossroads to the two sides of the house, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “You off for a gossip?”
Carys cocks her head. “Catching up on how Kim was almost killed today.”
“An exaggeration, I’m sure.”
“Oh.” She fakes puzzlement. “You were there, were you?”
His lips twist into a partial smile. “Not quite. Antonio is prone to exaggeration.”