Crooked Heart (A Death So Sweet Book 2)

by Candace Wondrak

  He had light brown hair, a set of tawny amber eyes—much warmer of a brown color than I was used to here. Everyone who had dark eyes seemed cold, almost, like their eyes were the gateway to their souls, and if you peeked inside, you saw nothing pretty. Carl DeLuca, on the other hand, was almost disarming.

  Shit. Had to be extra careful, because it was the ones that made you feel at ease that could destroy you the most.

  “Hello,” I said, sounding quite awkward. I almost winced as I spoke, but then I decided to own it. Yeah, being dragged up here to meet the head of the DeLuca family was something I did every day. Totally. I was fine with this.

  Carl’s lips tightened into a smile, and for the life of me, I couldn’t read him. I had no idea what he was thinking or why I was up here, why he’d want to see me alone. Unless… unless he wanted something from me, like my body. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. It might make distracting him and poisoning him easier, but… but I didn’t want to use my body like that. Not tonight. It just felt wrong.

  We must’ve stared at each other for a while, a long while, because eventually Newton returned with two glasses, along with a decanter full of some amber liquid. He set everything down on the desk, popping off the crystal lid of the decanter and pouring some of that stuff into each glass.

  “Is there anything else I can get for you?” Newton questioned, ignoring me as he stared at Carl.

  The older man shook his head, and Newton took his leave, once again shutting me in a room alone with the head of the rival family. I didn’t know who was in more danger right now: me or him? A man like that, I bet he’d seen a lot, done a lot. But then again, I was the fucking Night Slayer, a serial killer, so I could hold my own if it came down to it.

  Maybe death would come for me tonight.

  Carl moved toward the desk, reaching for both glasses. He picked them each up, slowly moving to stand before me, offering me the one in his left hand. I took it, my gloved fingers brushing against his. Standing so close to him now, I could see the weariness on his face, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. Living the life he surely had, I was certain it had aged him prematurely.

  “To the angels of the night,” Carl spoke, lifting his glass in a toast.

  My gut hardened at his choice of words, but I forced myself to raise my own glass and clink it with his, echoing, “To the angels of the night.” Such a terrible toast, he really had no idea. The fool stood two feet away from a goddamned serial killer, and he was too ignorant to know it.

  A serial killer who used to have a death wish, a serial killer who used to fantasize about the electric chair and being put to death in infamy. Those days were gone, thanks to the fucking Lucianos, which was why I didn’t try to outright attack him.

  Patience. I’d wait to see if I had an opening, and if not, no harm, no foul. It wasn’t like killing him was my mission tonight. I was literally only here to sing and spy and integrate myself with these people, see if I could learn anything that would be of use to the Lucianos. Killing Carl DeLuca would just be a bonus, but I wouldn’t do it if it meant I would die here tonight.

  No, I wanted to go home to them. If Tony got upset with me for not trying harder, well, that would be his problem, not mine.

  “And where did Newton find you?” Carl spoke, his fingers still wrapped around his glass. If he put it down, if he turned his back to it, then I’d have my chance. Of course, I still ran the risk of him turning and seeing me pour the poison into his drink, but that might just have to be a risk I had to take.

  “Everyone is so curious where Newton found me,” I spoke, setting my glass on the desk, hoping to give him the idea of doing the same. “Does it really matter?”

  Carl gave me a slight, strained smile. “Once you’ve lived as many years as me, you’ll realize that even the most seemingly unimportant things can actually be very important. I would never claim to know everyone in this city—there are too many people for that. However, I would say I know everyone of importance. With the way you struck the audience, you’re more than a singer.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at, so I kept quiet, hoping I looked the part of a confused but curious girl who might’ve gotten in over her head by accepting a gig at this club.

  “Let me fill you in on this city,” he spoke, stepping towards me. His eyes never once dropped to my tits, so I had to hand it to him. This was a professional meeting, though I still wasn’t sure what the whole point of it was. “It is unlike any other city I’ve been to. It is not run by the politicians or the mayor. It’s run by my family.”

  Or the Lucianos, but go on, I thought.

  “Anyone who’s important is in our pocket,” Carl stated, so matter-of-factly. “Whether or not you prove to be important to this club is yet to be seen, but if you do, know that you will become important to Newton, and therefore important to me. We protect our own, but, that said, there are still those who seek to destroy us.”

  Finally, I spoke, “What are you talking about?” The way he talked, it was like we were caught in a movie, stuck in Gotham or something.

  He said nothing, slow to set down his glass on the desk near mine. All the while he stared at me, as if he could peel back my flesh and gaze into my heart and soul, read my mind. He couldn’t, but the intensity of his stare did make me feel uncomfortable.

  These people. This fucking club. I was going to go nuts here—and I was already nuts, so that was saying something.

  Carl was even more measured in moving to stand near the glass wall that overlooked the club below, his hands held behind his back. I almost couldn’t believe it. Was this… was this really my chance? I hesitated, inching closer to his drink on the desk.

  “In plainer words,” Carl spoke, gazing down at the club, “you might find yourself a target here. The more you work here, the more well-known you’ll become in this city, I don’t doubt. My enemies… they are unscrupulous, willing to do anything to try to get at me and my family—”

  He didn’t seem to be turning around anytime soon; he reminded me of one of those cheesy villains in the movies. The ones that didn’t know when to shut up and stop talking. The monologues. Had to have a monologue if you were a powerful bad guy. It was in the rulebook.

  Staring at the back of his head, I reached in between my tits and pulled it out, quickly unscrewing the cap and pouring the ounce of liquid into his drink. I had no idea if it would make it taste different or not, if he would keel over right away or if it would take a few minutes. Either way, once he sipped that drink, I had to get out of here as quickly as possible.

  “You might think yourself a lowly singer, an entertainer, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to use you,” Carl was busy saying as I tucked the bottle back between my tits. As far as I could tell, the addition of the poison into his glass hadn’t changed the color of his drink, though I had no idea if it gave off an odor or something.

  Guess I’d find out.

  “And if, say,” Carl paused, turning around to stare at me. By then, I had my own drink back in my hands, acting as if I’d just taken another sip. “They try to turn you…” He let his voice trail off, stepping closer to me, stopping only when he stood less than six inches from me, standing at least half a foot taller than me. Not too impressive in the physical aspect, but he radiated power nonetheless.

  My spine automatically straightened at his nearness, and I fought the urge I had to slink away.

  Carl reached for his glass. We stood just beside the desk, so he was able to grab it without breaking eye contact with me, without giving me room to breathe. “I will make sure that pretty face of yours makes every passerby scream in terror.”

  So if the Lucianos turn me against the DeLucas, Carl will make me regret it. Too bad I was already working for them, so his threat kind of slid right off me. Plus, this pretty ole face of mine wasn’t exactly something I was proud of, so that wasn’t the kind of threat that would keep me up at night, worried.

 
Actually, I didn’t think there was anything he could’ve said that would affect me like that. I wasn’t afraid of death, nor was I afraid of pain. Whatever he had, bring it on, motherfucker. He ain’t never seen the likes of me before.

  I said nothing, watching as he downed the rest of his drink. Once he was done, once his posturing and threatening was over, I stepped back and took a tiny sip of my own drink, cocking my head as I gave him a million-dollar smile. “Do you threaten everyone you meet, or am I the only lucky one?”

  Carl smirked, moving to sit behind the desk, which I was fairly certain was technically Newton’s spot, but he wasn’t here, so I guess the high-backed leather chair was up for grabs. He leaned back in it, his wizened eyes staring at me, hardly blinking. “To not be cautious would be to welcome disaster. With a face like yours, Dolly, you’re a weapon. Don’t pretend you aren’t aware of it.” He reached for the decanter, pouring himself more.

  I needed to get out of here, in case that stuff started to kick in. And, anyway, Carl DeLuca talking about my pretty face so much was making me itch. Also giving me the nearly uncontrollable urge to scratch out my own eyes but hey, that might just be my psychosis peeking through.

  I moved to stand before him across the desk, setting down my glass for the final time. “If there’s nothing else, I would like to return to Aaron.”

  “As long as my message is clear, you may go.” He waved a hand at me, as if shooing me. Hah. What a guy. I kind of wanted to lunge across the desk and slam his head into the crystal decanter, but I managed to resist.

  I walked out of there holding onto my sanity by my teeth, which was to say, just barely. My heeled feet took the stairs down as quickly as they could, and I came out into the club, feeling like I could finally breathe easy again. Technically I shouldn’t feel at ease until I was back at the Luciano house, but as long as I wasn’t with Carl, I’d consider that a win.

  The sound of smooth jazz played on the speakers above, and I made my way to Carter, itching to get the fuck out of here. Putting this place in the rearview mirror, at least for tonight, was numero uno on my list of things to do.

  Whatever was in that vial wasn’t instant, and it must not have been detectable, for Carl didn’t act like his drink had tasted funny. I didn’t want to push my luck, though. Time to get the hell out of dodge.

  Carter was no longer caught in conversation with the pair of men, and when he saw me, he let out a sigh. I moved to stand beside him just as he muttered under his breath, “Where did you go?”

  I gestured to the door. “I think we should get out of here.” I wasn’t about to tell him that I’d met the big bad Carl DeLuca—although, I supposed the man never did introduce himself, so technically he could be anyone.

  He wasn’t, though. I knew that man was Carl DeLuca. I knew it in my heart. Newton might not have said his first name, but I knew.

  Carter went to find Newton, telling him some poor excuse that I was tired and needed to rest. Newton would have our check for tonight during our next act—my next act. Which would be the official opening night of this club. I could not stress how I could not wait for that night to come.

  Sarcasm, because I totally could wait. In fact, I could never step foot in the Gilded Rose again and be a happy human. Well, as happy as a gal like me could be, which wasn’t much I guess. Eh, whatever.

  All I knew was that Carter and I were out of that club soon enough, and I was finally able to relax during the drive to the Luciano house. Carter took a roundabout way, the long way, doing a few circles around city blocks just to make sure no one was following us. Couldn’t be too careful.

  “So?” Carter spoke, his voice low. Nothing but the dim light from the dashboard of the car lit the dark space between us, and I stared out of the window, watching the scenery go by. When I said nothing, when I didn’t even look at him, he said, “Where the fuck were you?”

  “Meeting some of the Gilded Rose’s patrons,” I spoke, not sure if I should tell him about Carl DeLuca or not. If he was there, wouldn’t he have seen him? Oh, God. What if I poisoned the wrong man? “Newton introduced me.” At the thought of killing the wrong guy, I finally turned my head and stared at Carter.

  He had his eyes on the road, his jaw tense. Carter hated being out with me, pretending to be my manager, I knew. Trust me, the feeling was mutual. More than mutual. I already had enough dicks. I did not need another big one to add to the mix.

  “Did you see Carl DeLuca?”

  At that, he glanced at me, dark brows furrowing. “No, I didn’t. Why? Did you?”

  I blinked. “Well, considering I’ve never seen or met the man in my life before, hmm. Let me think on it.”

  “Your sarcasm is not very good.”

  “No, I guess it’s not. I’m nowhere near as good at sarcasm as I am at killing.”

  Carter managed to chuckle at that, but his earlier reply left me to wonder if that man upstairs had indeed been Carl DeLuca, or if it’d simply been another DeLuca relaying a message for him. Then again, with how Newton had acted around him, reverent and respectful, who the fuck else could that older man have been?

  Ugh. Why didn’t this position come with a picture book with labels? There were too many players on the board, too many faces and names, some of which I still didn’t know. I mean, that girl with the fur scarf was one of them, for starters. The way she carried herself, like old money… was she a DeLuca, too?

  “I don’t know how close Newton is to the DeLucas, but I doubt Old Luke came out just to see you sing,” Carter eventually remarked. “I didn’t see him. And, even if I did, it isn’t like we could’ve done something.”

  Old Luke. That must be Carl’s nickname. What a weird one, but whatever. Who was I to judge? My nickname was the Night Slayer, so I guess I didn’t have much room to judge Old Luke.

  “Why not? After that letter he sent to the house, I figured we’d get him back,” I said. “And with Danny turning—” Not to mention the fact Danny had said there were others—there was a whole lot we had to get back at the DeLucas for.

  Not that it was my fight. It wasn’t. But since I was the Lucianos’ bitch, it kind of was by association.

  “Any move that’s made against the DeLucas has to be smart,” Carter growled out. “Trust me, I don’t like sitting back and letting them turn our people and take our territory, but right now, until Richie says otherwise, we sit back and wait.”

  Sit back and wait. Oh, yeah. That should be fun.

  Except, uh, I didn’t exactly do that, did I?

  Chapter Five – Lola

  One evening I sat in one of the lounges in the house, watching the latest Bachelorette news. A guilty pleasure if I ever had one. Of course, being in my current position, watching it, it did make me wonder why she couldn’t keep all of her favorites. Why not? I mean, as long as everyone was okay with it, why the fuck not?

  Granted, many of the guys probably wouldn’t be okay with that, but come on. Love was love, right?

  Viper stood near the door, keeping at least fifteen feet between us. The poor idiot had hardly spoken to me since Maddox had made me go down on him, and I didn’t know why. The fool wouldn’t even let himself be seduced when he and I were alone at night. It was like, somehow, we took ten steps back thanks to Maddox.

  I wasn’t saying I wanted a relationship with the tatted-up man, but I didn’t like the way he treated me right now. Like I was nothing more than a job. And, yeah, I was, but that didn’t mean I had to like it, you know? It was nice to be looked at like I was special, like he enjoyed watching over me.

  Not that he wanted to use me. Not that he hated me, even if he did, deep down.

  “Do you believe in love at first sight, Viper?” I spoke. His hazel eyes moved toward me, but he made no moves to speak, of course. I lay on the couch, my legs bare beneath my pajama shorts. “I don’t. I don’t know if I even believe in love. I mean, I get the physical aspect of it, of course, but the complete devotion? I just don’t… I don’t know.”


  My fingers toyed with the remote in my hands, and I sighed as I got up, turning the television off. It was early yet, but suddenly I felt like going to bed.

  I got up, silently moving past Viper as I headed to my room. Viper stalked me, like he always did, my silent watchman at nighttime and the evening hours. His sleeping schedule must be fucked, but that wasn’t something I should worry about.

  I didn’t shed my pajamas as I crawled into bed, needing to feel the extra bit of fabric on my body. The room was dark, and I had my back turned to the door, where Viper stood after shutting it behind him. Ever watchful. Ever stoic. Ever fucking annoying.

  At least, he was, until I heard him say under his breath, “I do.”

  Eyebrows creasing, I rolled over and stared at the vague outline that was his shadow. “What?”

  It took him a moment to say, “You asked me if I believed in love at first sight. I do.”

  I tucked my hands beneath my pillow, biting my bottom lip as I let his answer sink in. Not at all what I thought he’d say. Viper believed in love at first sight. It was almost funny, but not. Love… I might laugh at it, I might hate it. I might feel like I was too broken to ever feel anything remotely close to it, but sometimes I was envious.

  Those people who had normal lives, the ones who weren’t broken and destroyed in their childhoods, how nice it must be, to be able to give yourself to another person without worrying how they’d hurt you. And then, when the relationship failed, to do it over and over again until you died.

  Humans. We were such hopeless romantics, in the end.

  “Why don’t you believe in love?” Viper questioned, his voice sounding far too soft and tender in the darkness, almost like he was at my bedside and not at the door, like he was near, his voice caressing my ear.

  A gal could wish.

  The answer to his question was complicated, but at the same time, far too simple. I believed there was obsession, possession, all the stuff that made life interesting, and yet that wasn’t love. Did I believe in feelings that could swallow you whole and refuse to spit you out? Did I believe in that silly little word that meant so much more than anyone could ever explain?