Page 83 of Caged Bliss

“What did you say to him?” she asks after a while.

“I told him not to bother you. He agreed.”

She takes my hand in hers and looks at my swollen knuckles. I wait for her to comment, but she doesn’t. Instead, she laces her fingers through mine and leans back in her seat, closing her eyes.

“It feels strange,” she admits. “Knowing Rodney’s out of my life. For a long time I was terrified of hearing his knock on my door, you know? He was always asking for money because he thought I owed him. And since I’m such a pushover and an idiot, I’d give him what he asked for, even though he just drank it all.”

“You’re not an idiot. It’s hard to say no to family, even when they’re pieces of trash.”

“I should’ve killed him.” She looks at me and she’s utterly sincere. “Honestly, I should’ve stabbed him in the eye.”

“Probably,” I agree. “But now you don’t have to anymore. You have me to do all your stabbing.”

“What a lovely thought.” She leans across and kisses my cheek. “I’m weirdly relieved, you know? Are you sure he won’t ever bother us?”

“Believe me, he won’t.”

“Thank you.” She laughs lightly and tears roll down her face. “God, I hate this. Why am I crying right now?”

“Because a part of your life just ended.” I wipe them away and I want to keep talking. I know what she’s feeling right now. I’ve been going through something similar.

My crusade has been about more than honor and loyalty. It’s been a way to purge away my old life to make room for something new. I don’t think I’d ever be able to be a better person and a different man knowing that Tommy and Roc and Vito and Paulie were still out there living normal lives despite what they did. Killing them is like banishing their ghosts from my mind—it’s like exorcising a haunting.

Rodney’s been haunting Claudia for years. He’s her boogeyman. And now I just make sure he’d never bother her again, and it’s like a weight’s been lifted from her shoulders. Just like a weight lifts from mine with each new dead traitor.

“You’re right. I used to feel like I owed him so much, you know? But looking back, all he ever did was treat us like shit. And the things he did to Serena—” She stops and I can tell she’s fighting more tears.

I hold her for a while until she’s calmed down. “Don’t worry. You’re mine now. That means nobody will ever hurt you again. And if you really want, I know a few people that can shank him and make sure he never sees the light of day again.”

Her eyes go wide. “Seriously?”

“Honestly, it’d be easy.”

She considers it for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No, I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but please don’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Angelo. I’m sure. Just let him be, okay?”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

I start the engine and pull away from the county jail.

Chapter 42

Angelo

Idrop Claudia off back home and text my mother to come check on her in a little while. She’s emotionally raw, and my mother’s usually pretty good about handling that sort of thing. Mom messages back promising to drop over shortly as I head back out into the city.

Davide and Emilio are waiting for me. They’re sitting in Davide’s truck outside of an old apartment complex in the north part of the city. It doesn’t look all that different from the jail I just left, minus the barbed wire and fencing. The exterior’s water-stained and crumbling, and the door’s covered with graffiti and painted-over graffiti. Whoever’s been trying to clean the place must’ve given up a while ago.

“You sure this is right?” I ask once we’re standing together in the parking lot, shielded by a group of overgrown bushes and our trucks.

“It’s definitely the place. I had my guys double check.” Davide cocks his head toward the complex. “You still sure about this?”

I mull it over. Allegedly, one of the Serbian guys Ivona mentioned lives here. It feels wrong—the place is a fucking dump—but there’s no reason she was lying.

“It’s our best lead. We take this guy and we smoke Tommy out before he can make his move. That’s the plan.” I nod toward the building. “You know a way in?”

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