Page 89 of His Passerotta

“Of course.”

His lips dip into a frown, and he just stares, waiting.

I glance down at my phone again. “How did you find out?” I ask, ignoring Glitch as he packs his things up.

“Once you identified the culprits to all this shit, it didn’t take much digging to see how she’s connected. Her appearance at La Divina wasn’t a coincidence.”

“She wasn’t there to spy,” I snap, unjustifiably insulted. Because I know what he’s thinking. I know what it looks like.

It looks like she used me. That it worked. That I’m a fucking sucker who couldn’t see what was happening. I’m hoping only part of that is true.

Lorenzo says nothing for several long seconds. “Do you love her?”

My lips part, but I’m slow to speak. I know the answer with absolute certainty. I’m just not sure how smart it is to admit.

But this is Lorenzo. If he thought Bailey should be dead, he wouldn’t be keeping who she is a secret from the others.

“Yes,” I say at last.

He nods knowingly, like he somehow knew it even before I did. “Then I guess it doesn’t matter what she was there to do.”

“What the fuck are you two doing?” Settimo’s voice booms from the exit. Lorenzo and I turn that way. “Let’s go.” He waves his arms outside in a hurry up gesture.

I exchange a quick, grateful look with Lorenzo before following him to the exit. Before we leave, I glance down at my phone again, hoping for a response I know isn’t there.

Squaring my shoulders, I put my phone in my pocket and stride toward one of our two SUVs. The Irish and Russians each have their men as well, adding up to at least thirty of us in total.

Part of me hopes Bailey didn’t leave the city, that instead she’s hiding out somewhere, ready to pop back up at my apartment as soon as this blows over.

But I have to believe that she’s gone. It’s safest that way, for her brother at least. If he isn’t far, far away by now there’s nothing I can do for him.

Nikita’s vicious face is illuminated by the early signs of sunrise as he opens the door to his car. Once we hit the safe house, there will be no stopping him.

23

BAILEY

I show up to the safe house minutes behind Corey.

At first, I followed close, but when whoever was driving sped off, turning sharp corners in a zigzag fashion, I got the hint that they wanted to lose me.

So I slowed down, following far enough behind that all I had were their taillights in the distance to guide me. At one point, I got scared I was letting the wrong car lead me out into the desert, but as I park Rose behind the beat-up Jeep abandoned at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, I let out a sigh of relief that I made it to the right place.

I hop out of Rose and stride to the front door, not bothering to knock before I walk in. Corey and a guy with bleached hair mess with machine guns on a wooden table while the two other guys rustle around the room, cigarettes hanging from one’s mouth clogging the dusty house with smoke.

This is it? Four people against an army of mobsters?

This is insane.

Corey must not have heard me come in over the metal music playing, but when he sees me, he pales.

“B.” He rushes to me, looking around like he’s panicking. Good. He should be. There’s no telling when the mobs will arrive.

“You can’t be here.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to convince himself I’m a figment of his imagination or something.

“What? Too dangerous?” I sarcastically ask. “No shit, Corey. You can’t be here either, so let’s go.”

His eyes widen like they’re making room for the anger filling his irises. “They killed Josh. I’m not going anywhere.”

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