Chapter 28: ocean

LUCA

“I have some news,” is how Cain greets Adiv and I when we step into his office.

I can read him well enough that I know it isn’t the good kind.

“Kash is responsible for the attempted hit on the house.”

And we’re right to it.

Jesus, that seems like it was eons ago. Hell, it was a few months ago, but it seems like it happened over last year.

I should’ve seen this coming, in all honesty. The second I met the man and Shaye and they whispered like two high school girls discussing their crush, I knew I couldn’t trust the motherfuckers.

After Kash was fired for touching Raven, Shaye disappeared not long after. I’d bet that he’s working with Kash and they’re either forming their own branch of mafia, or they’re working for an enemy.

“Kash?” Adiv seems bewildered at the admission, but I’m not.

Maybe it’s because Adiv still has some goodness left in him. Something that hasn’t deteriorated within him that still encourages him to see some good in everyone. Even in Kermit, of all people.

“Mm,” Cain hums in confirmation. “He was relaying information about my business to Marchetti. Kash told him when we’d be home so Marchetti could attempt to kill me in retaliation for Dario.”

It makes sense. Kash is a piece of shit, why wouldn’t he be working with the enemy? I reckon Kash is very much like Marco—he doesn’t hold any loyalty to anyone but himself.

“So we can expect Marchetti and Kash to try something else again soon,” I comment. It’s been quite a while since the attempted hit and thus far, they haven’t tried anything. It’s possible they’ve done something we don’t know about yet, but I doubt it, which means they could attempt something any day now.

Cain nods, “I think so. Enzo doesn’t know we know, so that gives us a bit of an upper hand.” The way he says it, it makes me believe Cain likely is already formulating some sort of plan. “But I need the two of you to break into Kash’s tonight and see if you can find anything out.”

“What exactly are we looking for, Don Cain?” Adiv questions as I try to hide my scowl at the sound of this job.

I need more of Kash’s bullshit like I need a bullet in my head.

The idea that I had Kash in my hold and could’ve ended his reign of terror then is going to haunt me. If I’d have known that he was responsible for the hit on the house back when I’d had him in the basement, I’m not sure that I would’ve allowed him to walk away only missing fingers.

Memories can be the worst form of torture.

Especially when the memories are both traumatic and are a reminder of how badly you fucked up.

He’s part of the reason why Raven was held at knifepoint. He can fucking choke for putting her in the path of danger. The men he sent into her bedroom could’ve easily killed her then and there. I could’ve stumbled into her room to find that her throat had been slit.

So fuck Kash.

I once told him that this shit ends in blood and he seems determined to make that come true.

“Anything,” he answers. “I have it on good authority that he isn’t home tonight, so there shouldn’t be any issue. But make sure to wear gloves and if he has any security cameras, take the hard drive.”

He doesn’t need to say anything, I know what I’m doing.

“Now go,” he dismisses. “Here’s the address. You don’t have a ton of time.” He slides a piece of paper across his desk and I study it before Adiv and I get on the road.

Adiv and I are still in a bit of a weird place. I can admit that I’ve been giving him the cold shoulder since I learned about him and Dove’s affair. If you could call it an affair.

However, ice melts and the anger and annoyance I once felt has begun to fade. I miss my best friend. He’s like a brother to me and life’s been that tiny bit harder with less of him in it.

I can’t deny that there isn’t some tension in the car as I drive us to Kash’s. It’s not intense, but there is that bit that lingers in the air between us, completely unspoken.

I don’t think we’ve talked about him and Dove since I caught them. I reckon he’s worried or scared to discuss it with me because he doesn’t know how I’ll react.

He definitely wasn’t anticipating my reaction when I found them fucking in his car.

I’m sensing that he’s uncomfortable—he’s avoiding looking in my direction and fidgeting with his hands like he does when he’s nervous. I don’t like that things are this way between us, they shouldn’t be. We’d always promised one another that we’d never let anything work-related get between us.

He’s building up the nerve to say something, I know him well enough to notice.

It still confuses me that I know him so well that I can pinpoint even the smallest things with him, but somehow I had no idea he’s been in love with our boss’ daughter this entire time. Has he gotten better at lying and keeping things from me? Or was I simply distracted and lost focus?

“About Dove and I—” he starts speaking, but pauses, like he’s unsure of what to say or where to begin. After a minute or two, his voice is low as he says, “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you a long time ago. I didn’t mean to keep anything from you. I was trying to protect her.”

The apology surprises me. Adiv has always been that type of guy that I can count on. If I asked him tomorrow to borrow ten grand, he’d do it without blinking an eye. He’d give me the shirt off his back, even if it was his last one and it was raining. He’s that kind of guy.

It’s not the act of the apology that shocks me, it’s the time at which it’s happening. We’re about to break into Kash’s place and I didn’t think we’d be having this conversation now. I figured this would be over a glass of beer at one of our homes.