Page 62 of Puck Blocked
“Again, gross,” Dante grumbles while digging through her bag. A couple of seconds later, he grunts. “What the fuck is this, Lil?”
We both turn around to look at him, and then at the pink handgun he’s pinching between his fingers like the girliness might be contagious. It’s… bedazzled with jewels.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Liliana smiles. “Travis got it for me in Vegas.”
“He couldn’t have gotten you a Rolex or something? You don’t need a gun, Liliana.” Dante scowls at her.
“Actually, I do. Everyone else in the family has one, and it’s not like I don’t know how to use it.” She snatches the weapon out of his hands and drops it back into her bag.
“I’m telling Zio Theo,” he says.
“Go ahead. My dad won’t care,” Liliana counters. Even I can tell she doesn’t believe her own words and I haven’t known her that long.
I return my focus to the ice. I don’t need to be involved in whatever family drama these two have. I also feel like the less I know about Liliana’s family, the better.
“How are you feeling? Really?” she asks me.
“I’m okay,” I tell her. “It’s better every day.” I downplay how much pain I’m in. Again. Something I’m well versed in doing.
“How’s the doc been treating you?”
“Like I’m royalty.” I laugh. The Valentino family doctor makes daily house calls. I’m not sure why, but he treats me as if his life depends on me keeping mine.
“Good. I’m glad I could do something to help. You know, if you need anything else, all you have to do is ask.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. I really do,” I tell her. And then a thought comes to mind. “Actually, now that you mention it… Say I were looking for someone who’s been gone a really long time, how would one go about finding them?”
“We have people for that. Trackers,” Dante chimes in, clearly listening in on our conversation.
“And where would someone find these trackers?” I ask him, looking back over my shoulder. “If someone needed to hire them, I mean…”
“Someone doesn’t. Someone gives me a name and I pass it on to them,” he says.
“Just like that? Just a name?”
“Yep, just like that. Who are you looking for?”
“That obvious, huh?” I chew on my bottom lip, and Dante lifts a brow as if to say: really? “My mother, but I’m not even sure where to start looking,” I admit. Then go on to explain how she left when I was young and that I believe my brother might have found her before he died.
“What’s her name?” Dante asks.
“Kristy Baker,” I tell him, then quickly add, “But I don’t want you to call your tracker. It’s okay.”
“I’ll let you know when they’ve found something,” he says, ignoring my attempt to backpedal. I shouldn’t be asking for his help.
Wait… Did I ask for his help? I don’t think I actually did.
I pull out my journal as I wait for Luke to come out of the locker room. I’m as alone as I can be in this hallway with two burly men in black-on-black suits posted at each end. They’ve been following me around everywhere. Honestly, I appreciate that they are.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little freaked out after being shot. Someone actually tried to kill me. Andrew tried to kill me. There’s that little voice in the back of my head telling me that it wasn’t him; although I know it was. I mean, it looked like him in that video footage.
There’s probably a messed-up part of my brain that wants to believe that he wouldn’t have ever gone that far. I know it’s stupid, and I’m sure it’s part of the reason I stayed with him for as long as I did. I always wanted to believe that he would get better. I can’t say that I loved him exactly. I did care for him, though. At least at the start.
But love? I could never love anyone because my heart has always belonged to Luke Jameson.
Dear Sean,
I’m scared. I have no idea if I really did see you or not, but I’m glad I saw whatever it was that I saw. I needed it. I needed you.
