Page 65 of Warped

Chapter Twenty-six

V

We had guns and we had each other. For the moment, that would have to be enough. I felt bad that I was emotionally strong-arming X into helping me. He’d made how he felt about my sister perfectly clear, and I didn’t blame him. If he’d wanted to help a family member who’d only ever betrayed him, I’d probably feel the same way. But I couldn’t shut my feelings for Nicole off like a tap. She was the last link I had to my mother, and—considering I refused to think of my father as family—the only family I had. I’d been raised within such an enclosed world of the mafia, with everything being about blood and trust, that to find myself utterly alone in this world made me feel unhinged and adrift.

I knew X would argue that I wasn’t alone, that I had him now, but it wasn’t the same when you weren’t connected by your genes.

We made sure both guns from X’s case were fully loaded, so we’d be prepared for whatever might happen next. I clutched the handgun on my lap, taking some comfort in the cool, solid metal.

X started the car and pulled out of the rest area where we’d taken some time to rest and gather our thoughts. He knew where Tony’s house was now, so I didn’t need to give him directions. A tense silence lay between us as X navigated the vehicle back toward the city, but it wasn’t because we were uneasy with each other. Instead, we both knew this drive might be the last we took together. One or both of us could easily end up dead.

As we approached the area where Tony lived, I forced myself to take slow, steady breaths. I remembered how it felt to wake with Tony’s fingers around my throat, the cold blankness in his eyes. I couldn’t have this man watching over my sister, even if he did promise to protect her from our father. It wasn’t a protection that came from the goodness of his heart—if he even had one. He only ever protected his assets, and if Nickie remained with him, that’s exactly what she would become.

X pulled over a couple of blocks from the property. He glanced over at me. “Are you ready?”

I nodded.

“Sure you want to go through with this?” he tried again.

“I have to.” I wasn’t going to turn back now. X and Harvey had both managed to get inside the house unseen—even if it hadn’t ended so well for Harvey—and I knew my way around its numerous hallways far better than either of them had. That was my advantage. I knew this place, I knew Tony. And there was no way Tony would be expecting me to just walk back in there.

“We’ll do a drive-by first,” said X. “Just to get a scope of the place.”

I nodded again, and he pulled the car back out onto the road. At this time in the evening, most people were already home curled up together in front of the television or reading in bed, so the streets were relatively quiet. We hadn’t done anything to draw any unwanted attention to ourselves, and there was no reason for anyone on watch at Tony’s house to think we were anything other than a couple out for a drive, or headed to a party.

As we turned into Tony’s street, my stomach twisted into a knot and my hand tightened on the butt of my weapon. X drove one-handed, his other hand also around his gun. If anyone started shooting at us, we’d be ready to shoot back. We approached the property and I sat back in my seat, trying to appear inconspicuous while craning my neck to get a view of the house. It came into sight and we drove past slowly.

I frowned. “Something’s wrong.”

X glanced at me. “What do you mean?”

I nodded toward the front of the property that led out onto the street. “Those gates were always shut, and now they’re wide open.” They were, too, revealing the driveway and large frontage of the house. The massive window of Tony’s office, which had been shattered during the attack, was now boarded up, and the glass hadn’t been replaced.

“Maybe that’s just a leftover from the shooting,” he suggested.

I shook my head. “No, something’s not right. Where is everyone? If Tony doesn’t have the security of those gates, he would at least have eyes on the road, but there’s no one around.”

“Do you think he’s left? Maybe he didn’t feel secure if the gates are out of action.”

“He’d have just brought someone in to fix them. Or he’d have bought himself a new set. It’s not as though he’s short of cash. I can’t imagine a couple of broken gates would be enough to chase him out of his home.”

“So do you think he isn’t even in there?” said X. “Even though there are lights on inside.” From between the wooden boards covering the office window, shafts of light slatted out onto the driveway.

I nodded. “Okay, we need to check it out.”

I was worried for Nicole’s safety. What had happened at the house? This didn’t feel like the same highly guarded, almost military run place I’d vanished from only a few days earlier.

We left Tony’s road and drove back around the block, so we were at the rear of the property. X pulled over and we both climbed out, keeping our weapons close to our bodies so they wouldn’t be spotted by any passersby.

Stooping down, X placed the keys on the wheel arch of the car on the driver’s side. “You never want to lose your keys when you’re trying to make an escape,” he explained.

I tried to smile, but my mouth was dry, my lips sticking to my teeth. I remembered he’d done the same thing when he’d come to my house where I’d been living during my time in the Witness Protection Program. That felt like a lifetime ago, rather than a matter of weeks.

He pulled me in and squeezed me tight. “It’ll be all right.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to answer.

We cut across another property, keeping our bodies as low to the ground as possible while still being able to maintain a run. Darkness was on our side, and no security lights came on as we moved. We reached the back of the tall wall which surrounded Tony’s place. Unsurprisingly, the rope which X and Harvey had used to climb had been removed. It occurred to me that we could have just slipped in the front gates, but if someone was still inside, I didn’t want us to be seen. Tony’s security cameras were most likely still running, and he could easily have spotted us.

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