Page 45 of Cuckoo
Aw. “Me too!”
I separated from Lucky Lou, dashing the tears from under my eyes. “How come you didn’t find me?”
Sadness descended on his features. “I thought you were gone. The coroner’s report said you perished with your parents.” He stared at me intently. “But I’d know you anywhere. You’re a Rossi. I can see it. Same eyes as your mother, but you’ve got the Rossi good looks.” He managed to wink. “If I wasn’t all gray, you’d notice.”
I didn’t care about that and told him so. “I have family.”
“Your uncle Lou is gonna look after you now.”
Cuckoo joined us. “She’s your niece?” He seemed as surprised as I felt.
“My blood. That’s all that matters. The last Rossi.” He straightened in his seat. “She’s got family now, son. I’ll make sure she’s looked after.”
Cuckoo nodded. “She’s got me, Lou.”
“Both of us. But the Rossi name carries weight. We’ve been senators, lawyers, and successful businessmen. A few were outlaws.” He winked at us. “But we’ve got a hell of an empire built that still brings in revenue.”
He held out his hand, and I accepted it. Lowering his voice, he glanced around, and I noticed everyone had dispersed to give the three of us some privacy.
“I’ve never heard of the Rossi empire,” I admitted.
“You should, but that’s alright. What’s important is that you know you’re still listed as heir.”
Heir? I blinked.
“Over thirty million.”
“You’re sitting on thirty mil?” Cuckoo asked, nearly choking on the words.
“Not me, our sweet Katrina.”
I felt my knees buckle, but I never hit the ground. Cuckoo scooped me up and brought me to his chest. I felt dizzy and needed a few minutes to process all this.
“Come on, Lou. Let’s take this somewhere private.”
Lou pointed his cane at one of the family rooms we built last year when Crow decided the club’s children needed a safe space to play, away from the bar where chaos often ruled.
We entered the room, and Cuckoo sat me on a nearby sofa. “Want any water?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“I’ll go grab a few. Lou, could I talk to you for a minute?”
“I’ll follow you out.”
They left me in the room alone as I relaxed against the cushions. My eyes closed, and I thought about what Lou revealed. Who were my parents? What happened?
Since I was only five when they died, I didn’t remember much. Were my parents politicians? Is that why they were murdered? Cuckoo said the case was cold, meaning they never found the killer. With high-level security on the case files, it made sense that millionaires and famous politicians would be considered a security risk.
I heard a noise and opened my eyes, noticing the figure that stood in the corner. I gasped as he stepped forward, dark shadows hovering around his shoulders. One crow perched on the left side and cawed. It wasn’t a loud sound, more diluted like he didn’t exist outside of a dream.
“I won’t harm you. I’m Carrion.”
“Oh. Hi.”
“Cuckoo can’t know that I came in. That’s why I traveled by shadows and the crows.”
Um. Okay?
