Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Because the truth is, I can never let her go.
Not when I know she’s out there and needs my help.
“We know where she is.” He pulls me into his arms. I cry against him, feeling small, but the shelter of his arms is like two solid walls holding the rest of the world at bay. “I got a tip, and based on what she just said, I think that tip was right. We can get her out.”
“Don’t give me false hope.” I stare at him, tears streaming down my face.
“I wouldn’t.” He wipes my cheeks. “Just keep holding on, okay? I’m doing what I can to help her.”
“Angelo.” I lean into him and cry, and I ask myself for the thousandth time what would have happened to me and Serena if he hadn’t come into my life.
For so long, nobody had cared about my sister, nobody but me and Tommy, and he only wanted to use her for sex and status. She’s beautiful, and that makes him look better.
But now Angelo cares. He gives a damn, even though he doesn’t really have to, and that’s like a cold breeze lifting me up into the air. I can breathe, at least a little bit, and even if there’s still a cracked and battered lump of dead stone pumping blood in my chest, at least I’m starting to feel something when he’s with me. And that’s a miracle I never dreamed was possible.
Chapter 38
Angelo
The butcher’s shop is on the bottom floor of an old building in a decent neighborhood. It looks like the place was open recently, but the door’s locked tight and the windows are all covered by cardboard.
I stare through the scope of the high-powered rifle, watching the doorway, watching the street. From what I can tell, there’s nothing special about it, and no sign of anyone remotely connected to Tommy. “Anyone coming and going?” I ask when I lower the gun.
“Some guys,” Emilio says. He’s squatting to my right. Davide’s standing back near the stairwell entrance, arms crossed over his massive chest. “I don’t recognize any of them, but I got some pictures I can show you. Right now, we’re just monitoring.”
“Any sign of Serena or Tommy?”
“None, and we’ve been watching twenty-four-seven. If they’re inside, they haven’t come out.”
I grunt and pace away. I feel my brother’s eyes on me but I ignore him. I’m aware that I might be too emotionally involved in what’s happening right now, but everything important in my life is converging on that boring-looking shop.
“Could there be other entrances?” I ask.
“Unless they dug tunnels, which is unlikely.” Emilio looks through the scope. “There’s a back door, but we’re on that one too.”
“It’s taking up Famiglia resources,” Davide says, giving me a cold frown. “It’s not cheap or easy, surveilling a building all day and all night.”
“We can fucking afford it.” I glare at him, trying to keep my temper under control, but it’s not easy. I’m frayed and on edge.
“That’s not what I mean.” Davide’s head tilts. If he cares that I snapped at him, he’s not showing it. My older brother always was good at swallowing his feelings. “We can take the place without much trouble. Even if he has men inside, we’ll swarm it and lock it down.”
“Can’t take that risk.” I lean against an air conditioning unit. Something mechanical hums deep inside, like a mirror to my own churning guts.
“If we know Tommy’s inside—” Davide presses, but I’m shaking my head before he even finishes.
“Claudia’s sister is with him and she’s worried. I can’t risk her getting hurt in the crossfire.”
“If she’s worried, she might get hurt anyway.”
“Maybe, but maybe not. Tommy’s not stupid enough to use her up, not if he doesn’t have to.” I don’t add that I think Serena might be his insurance policy. He knows that I’m involved with Claudia, and he probably thinks he can use Serena against us at some point. I’m betting he’s right about that.
“Then what do you suggest?” Davide keeps on staring at me.
“Stay right where you are.” I turn to address Emilio. “Make sure we have eyes on everyone coming and going from that place. Hold tight for now.”
Emilio glances at Davide for confirmation, which pisses me off, but at least my brother nods.
I brush past him and into the stairwell. My footsteps echo down concrete. Bottlecaps litter the stairs. An ancient empty beer bottle gathers dust in the corner. I head down, thinking about Serena sitting on a dirty mattress while a bunch of Serbian thugs make violent plans nearby. She’s got to be terrified—the poor fucking girl. I hate her for what she did to Claudia, but I know drugs can make people do fucked-up and stupid things, especially when they know better. She’s got my sympathy, but if I had my way, I’d raid the place and let the girl die.