Page 60 of Mercy in Betrayal

The irony.

Sinking down on the steps of the building that housed my class, I pull out the phone, intent on checking the tracker and figuring out where Enzo is.

“Rowan!”

I jump at the sound of my name, my head jerking up to see Vivi walking quickly to me across the courtyard. I groan to myself. As much as I love her, the timing couldn’t be worse.

Tucking the phone in my lap, I fake a smile as Vivi hands me a paper cup of coffee—more than likely purchased from the cart I had to quit when I married Enzo. “What are you doing here?”

“I was so bored this morning. I knew you would be finished with classes and thought I’d come by and see what you were up to.”

“Oh…I…”

Vivi tilts her head. “Did you have plans already?”

I roll my lips inward. I’m probably crazy. This is probably the absolute wrong thing to do. But… “I was actually going to spy on my husband.”

“What?” Her jaw gapes slightly.

“Want to come with me?”

“Do I want to…hell yes, I want to come with you! Why are we spying?”

I show her the phone and the tracking app. It places Enzo in a completely different area of Manhattan from where we currently are. “He’s been staying out all night. And all day. He just stuck me in that house and left me there…”

“Oh, Ro…”

“I want to know what he’s doing. Where he’s going.”

“You might not like what you find. Our men don’t lead the…nicest…of lives. And it probably doesn’t have anything to do with what you’re imagining—another woman, that is.” Vivi’s expression is solemn.

I rise and hook my arm through hers. “I need to know.” We start walking through the courtyard toward the exit that will take us to the subway. “Have you ever taken the subway?”

“Ew, no.”

“Well, you’re taking it today.”

“Oh, boy. You sure you don’t want me to call for the car?”

“No. We need anonymity.”

Vivi inhales deeply. “Angel would kill me if he knew what I was doing.”

The idea almost gives me pause, but I hold on to Vivi’s arm more firmly as we approach the subway steps and begin making our descent.

This is an adventure.

I’m a New Yorker now.

That’s what I tell myself as we perch on the edges of cracked plastic seats and stare with wide eyes at the rush of humanity pouring into our tin can berth. It’s smelly and loud and thick with a strange kind of avoidant camaraderie. The doors open with a swish, and a pregnant woman struggles with getting a stroller over the lip of the car. Wordlessly, a young man reaches down and tugs the stroller over the edge, then returns to his silent stance. The mother enters with a weary ‘thank you’ and takes the last empty seat.

Looking away from the people in the car, I keep my gaze focused on the tracking app. It’s not moving, which is good. Hopefully, that means we won’t have to chase Enzo all over the city.

Vivi’s fingers tighten on my arm, and she squeaks, drawing my attention to the floor. A rat scurries beneath the seats on the opposite side, eliciting gasps and curses.

“Shit.” The curse escapes my own lips, startling Vivi and me both. I don’t often curse. I have a feeling, though, that it might have been a mistake to bring Angel Valachi’s kid sister on the New York subway.

Chapter 21

---