Page 12 of Killing Emma

He cleans up the rest of my other foot and then stands to his feet, towering over me. He’s intimidating, but there’s something in his demeanor that strikes me as being uncertain—like he’s not sure what he’s doing. I latch onto that as I watch him walk away. He might be able to exert my weaknesses, but I’ll figure out how to do the same to him.

Chapter Six

Luca

“So, what was the point of playing doctor?” Manny asks as I reappear from the stairwell, locking the door behind me. “Seems a little…ironic.” He bites down into an apple as he says the words, leaning against my kitchen counter. His hair is blacker than mine, but his eyes are much lighter, taking on a shade of blue, while mine are dark with streaks of gold.

I pull my mask back over my head and drop it onto the counter. I don’t have a good answer for him, so I don’t bother saying anything. I shouldn’t give a shit if her feet get infected from the fact that she ran into the mess she made on the sidewalk—and I don’t care, but I still cleaned her up and left her feet unbound. For whatever reason.

The same reason she’s in my basement right now.

“You sweet on her after getting your fingers wet?” Manny bursts into laughter, tossing his apple into the trash can, half eaten. “If you are, I can fix that. Give me thirty minutes with her, and you won’t be able to touch her without getting my cum on you. Maybe it won’t feel like such a love affair then.”

Inwardly, I recoil at the thought of him touching her, but outwardly, I remain unbothered. “Go for it.”

“Maybe later. I have shit to do today.” He runs his fingers along his light wash jeans. Manny is as big as me with similar Italian roots, and if we had to go head-to-head it would be a close match—though I’d like to think I’d win. His ego catches him more often than not. “Have you talked to Henry?”

Shit.

“No, I haven’t,” I answer him, my eyes drifting back to the basement door. “Are they back in California now? Or did they settle in Oregon?”

“Jude said they’re staying in California for a while. You know Henry’s gone soft, right? That bitch did it to him.”

“Henry’s always been too soft,” I chuckle. My best friend—or whatever you want to call him—is wicked and sick in his own way, but then he met Lydia…and that was it. Now they’re playing house with her funny looking dog.

I glance over at my own canine, Major, sleeping like a fucking rock on his dog bed in the corner. The black Malinois was a gift from my father six and a half years ago, and though I hadn’t been thrilled with him at the time. He’s like the kid I never wanted, and now I’m glad to have.

“You’re off your game, Luca.” Manny’s words draw me out of my thoughts. “Ever since you got back from Georgia with the tramp. What’s going on with you? The fact you finger blasted her or—?”

Once again, I internally bristle. “I’ll work it out.” He shouldn’t be annoying me to this extent. I shouldn’t be so…bothered. I’ve taken a hostage before—when it was asked of me. I’ve never taken one on my own accord, however. It’s not my style.

“Maybe you should start by getting laid? And maybe use someone other than the ginger in the basement? I think she’s getting under the devil’s skin.”

I blink twice, trying to pull myself from my thoughts. “Maybe. You gonna stay here and babysit?”

“Call Jude.”

“No way,” I tell him, shaking my head. “The last thing I need is to hear Jude’s good guy talks about how you shouldn’t kidnap and torture someone you’re supposed to kill. He’s not into cruelty.”

“Yet his business partner stalks and slits throats.”

“To each their own,” I breathe out, lingering there in the kitchen. Really, I want to go back down to the basement and pick at Emma a little more. I want to know why she suddenly talks so damn much—and why someone wants her dead. She’s seemingly harmless, but again, I shouldn’t care.

“We can’t take another job until you’re done with her,” Manny comments, grabbing his phone from the gray granite countertop and sliding it into his pocket. “So, this is like a vacation for me. Take your time. We have a month. You know I’ve always wanted to spread this shit out. It gives me a break instead of spending twenty-four-seven digging for intel.”

“You’re going to have to keep an eye on all of this.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Someone will notice she’s gone—not to mention the man behind the computer is going to notice we haven’t finished.”

“The big man, shot-caller,” Manny jokes, rolling his eyes. “Too fucking scared of his contractors to show his face, but ballsy enough to let them try to kill each other.”

“Yeah, well you can’t live our life and not eventually have a target on your back. It’s just part of the job.”

“Especially for you.”

“Because I know the man behind the computer—whoever the fuck he is—hates me,” I grunt. “That’s why we have to make sure we don’t cut this too close to the deadline. It could end with trouble, and as much as I like trouble, I don’t feel like playing Kill Bill with the Big Man right now.”

Manny chuckles. “Yeah, I gotta agree with you there. Nothing like wannabe Craigslist-ninjas coming through your window in the middle of the night, but lucky for us we don’t have to worry about that here.”

I nod, slipping past him to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. As I pull it out, my stomach flips. I should take Emma water. She probably needs food, too. I glance over my shoulder at Manny, not really wanting to play hospitable kidnapper in front of him. I’m on edge, and maybe the answer is to just take care of her.

---