Chapter 65

“Gerroff!”

“He’s not worth you getting stabbed, Luc.”

“And he hasn’t done owt but get gobby. He’s not got the balls to use that knife, I know he hasn’t,” Luca said fervently, squirming out from under Paolo’s heavy arm. “I’m not sending him down for something he didn’t do.”

Paolo sighed heavily. “Tell the cops what you just told me.”

“They won’t listen. They’re cops, they don’t care.”

“If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t be in our living room.”

Luca scowled, picking at the duvet cover.

“Don’t let your pride get you hurt, Luc, yeah?”

“It’s not about pride.” Not anymore. Not since Jack had first dropped that bomb about something happening.

“I’ll keep quiet,” Paolo said, “for the cops. I’m telling Mamma and Dad what you just told me. An’ if there’s one more incident—any incident—I’m telling the police, too. Okay?”

“No.”

“Tough,” Paolo said, and sounded so much like Mamma for a moment that Luca shoved him off the bed. “Oi! Twat.”