“They won’t agree?”
“I have no fucking clue because they won’t talk to me. Won’t meet unless I bring a face they recognise, someone they trust.”
Cold dread closed icy fingers around Dante’s heart. “So take Martell. Show them he’s alive and well, let them hear it from him, then cut a deal for another crew to take your place.”
Asa shook his head. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Martell’s gone straight. Got himself a nice bloke and terraced house in the suburbs.”
“What’s your point? You’ve got no love for him unless I misread your affection all those years and it was actually him you were in love with, not my brother.”
“You didn’t misread me,” Asa said. “I don’t give two shits about Martell and his hot piece of northern arse, but he did something for me a while back that made me give him my word I’d set him free, and I’m not like you. I don’t fuck people over for fun.”
“This is fun for you?” Dante felt dizzy with the abrupt turn his day had taken. “Man, you’re a sick cunt.”
“Am I?” Asa leaned closer, invading Dante’s personal space, daring him to step back or push him away. “Or am I just like the rest of you? Maybe I’ve had enough and I need a way out. Even if you’ve never loved anyone except yourself, you should understand that. You’veseenit in your brother.”
“Don’t bring him into this.”
“Why not? He’s my next stop if you mug me off. He stood up for Martell. Maybe he’ll stand for me too.”
Dante was out of the loop. The last he knew, Martell was gone, and Luis was living his best life with Paolo in London. The two scenarios weren’t connected and Asa’s words made no sense. “Luis doesn’t give a fuck about Martell.”
“Doesn’t he? I heard they’re pretty tight these days, having chats by a lake that looks a lot like this one.”
“You’ve been watching him?”
“I’ve been watching Martell, hoping he’d slip up so I could rain on him like I’m doing to you now. No offence, but he was a better soldier than you.”
“Was he? He wasn’t king for very long.”
“He’s not better than me.”
Dante didn’t agree. If Benito Martell, of all people, had gone straight enough thatLuisconsidered him a friend, he was a better man than all of them.Asa, though... he was a snake. Always had been. Loyal to the core until he wasn’t. And then he was your worst enemy, waiting to strike.Remember.“You won’t go to Luis,” Dante said.
Asa’s jaw ticked. “Says who?”
“Says everything you’ve ever done. You won’t hurt him because you loved him once. That’s the other reason you let Martell fuck me—to save Luis from me.” Dante spoke to himself as much as Asa, tracking the dusty puzzle pieces as they slipped into place. “You might be a cold bastard, Gerrard, but you’re soft too.”
“So are you. If you’re right about Luis and my reasons why, then what’s to stop me coming for that boy of yours?”
“What boy?”
“The hot blond with the beard and the limp.”
Sid. Dante’s heart squeezed so tight he almost choked on it, but he kept his expression neutral. “Touch him and I’ll rat on you in a heartbeat. I don’t give a fuck.”
“You wouldn’t rat. Every dude on the road would come for your head.”
“And the old bill would know it was by your hand, and you’d have a murder charge to fight on top of whatever you’d done to my boss, and you still wouldn’t have what you needed from the Albanians. Come on, Asa. Even you’re not that stupid.”
“Try me.”
“No.” Dante’s control finally slipped. He moved fast, catching Asa off guard as he propelled him towards the hidden clearing where Sid often liked to bring lunch when the weather was just right for him. He slammed Asa into a tree, trying not to think about how much it would piss Sid off. “You tryme. Your threats make no sense for a man who wants to be free, unless you’re planning on taking the same route me and Luis did and serving a stretch first.”
Asa let out a low growl, and his face pinched to show as much frustration as he ever would unless Dante broke him. “You’re still that prick who talks in circles, aren’t you?”