Page 78 of Queen of Misfortune (Shadows of Redemption)

"Dead?"

"Very." The image of Lucy deliberately, confidently pulling the trigger plays in my mind.

He nods. “Got something on Giovanni.” He hands me a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

I unfold the note, my heart rate ticking up a notch. There, in neat print, an address stares back at me. “He’s here?”

"Solid intel from the Bratva. They say Giovanni's been using it as a safehouse." Liam goes to Niko’s bar and pours a drink.

“Is it his?” I was sure we’d scouted all of Giovanni’s properties.

“That’s unclear at this time.”

"Are we sure he’s there?” I ask.

"Enough to bet on it."

I pull out my phone and call Niko. It rings once before the line clicks.

"Talk to me," Niko's voice cuts through.

"Got a lead on Giovanni. Sending you coordinates now." I text him the address knowing it will be encrypted.

“From whom?”

“Liam. Says it’s a Bratva tip.”

“I’ll let the guys know to bring his wife to him there.”

"That’s what I thought too."

“I’ll be back shortly. See if Liam can’t hang around until I get there. We need to figure out how to end this now.”

“Will do.”

The line goes dead, and I pocket the phone. Liam leans against the desk, his expression carved from stone, as usual. I wonder if the guy ever cracks a smile.

“Niko wants you to stay. He’ll be back shortly.”

He nods and sips his drink.

“What about Elena’s friend?” Lou asks.

It takes me a minute to figure out who he’s talking about.

Liam’s eyes narrow. “What do you know about it?”

Lou looks at me, surprise in his expression at Liam’s dark tone. Lou shrugs. “Just that the Boss was hoping Elena could have her friend back.”

“Since when are you so invested in the woman?” I ask. Lou is always about the job. He once told me women were for fucking, not making a life with. They’re too demanding and distracting.

He shrugs. “I just know it was something the Boss wanted.”

Liam’s jaw tightens. Before he responds, a sudden sound shatters the silence—a woman's voice echoing through the hall.

We all hurry to exit the office, hands instinctively moving to the guns holstered on our sides.

We immediately drop our hands as Aria Leone, Niko’s little sister and only surviving family member, turns to us.