Page 64 of Cruel Devil

I haven’t told the guards to keep her on the grounds. I don’t think anyone will miss her if she’s gone. Savage might have wanted to talk to her, but he seems more interested in Nyx right now.

Christ, I need a cigarette. I head outside where hopefully no one will stop me lighting up.

Andy’s standing on the perimeter of the circular drive, staring at Savage’s Expedition like she’s wondering if he left his keys inside.

I take a greedy tug at the cigarette, puffing out a thick cloud of smoke as she turns. She starts, like she wasn’t expecting to see someone standing there. I expect her to leave, but instead she squints up at the midnight sky, face scrunched.

It’s one in the fucking morning.

Time to turn in, or head out.

“Hey…uh…wanna grab some dinner?”

Her face is still scrunched when she looks back at me. Then down at herself. “I need a change of clothes.” She comes up to me, gives me a very methodical once-over, and then taps her finger against my chest. “And then you’re taking me back to Doc’s house.”

I choke on the lungful of smoke I’d just inhaled. “The fuck for?”

She laughs at the sky. “Are you serious? This is seven shades of fucked up, Vito.” Andy stabs a finger at the villa like a prosecuting attorney delivering a damning closing statement. “No self-respecting nurse, never mind a doctor, would leave anyone in this condition. So either this Doc guy can’t tell the difference between a scalpel and a tongue depressor, which means my mother flaked on me again, or there’s something even more fucked up going on here.”

I crush out what’s left of the cigarette, turning and beckoning her to follow. “Let’s find you some clothes. You good with sweats?”

She huffs out a breath, looking slightly surprised that I’m not arguing with her. “As long as it doesn’t say JUICY on the butt.”

Andy bends down, carefully emptying the bottom shelf of Doc’s hallway closet, her black sweats stretching tight over her ass. Any red-blooded man would struggle to keep his eyes averted.

I don’t even try.

They don’t say JUICY, but they don’t need to. It’s pretty obvious what a delicious derriere she has.

I have my hands tucked into the armpits of my beige Givenchy hoody to keep them warm. Knowing me and Andy wouldn’t be going near any more clubs tonight, I decided to change out of my threads. Michelin star restaurants seemed to be out of the question too, judging from the deadpan look she gave me when I asked her if she was hungry yet.

The fact that I’m starving is apparently nobody’s business but mine.

We’ve been here for an hour already, but thank God it’s not in the presence of decomposing bodies. Our cartel soldiers disposed of them yesterday. Instead of putrefying flesh, the house reeks of detergent and bleach. The carpets where Doc and his family were so carefully posed have been ripped up, leaving behind bare floorboards, some discolored from the harsh chemicals. Our clean up crew isn’t subtle, but they get the job done.

Doc has most likely been buried by now. If he had extended family members not included in the massacre, they’ll be compensated for their loss.

Just like that, Doctor Felipe Gomez has ceased to exist.

Andy shoves to her feet, hands on her knees. There’s a deep crease on her forehead when she turns to face me. “They took it.”

“They who?” I’m frowning too. “Took what?”

“His medical records. Unless he didn’t keep any, which is stupid. Is that how it works in the cartel? Your doctors just have to keep all that shit in their heads?” She taps a finger against her temple. “Chronic conditions, blood pressure, family history, past procedures?—”

I hold up a hand to cut her off. “Yeah, Jesus, I get it.” Shrugging, I glance around like I might just spot the missing file cabinet. “Maybe he kept his stuff in the cloud.”

Andy muses on this. “We didn’t find any laptops, so they took it either way.”

“Again with the they. They who?”

“His murderers, Vito. Figuring out who they were is your department.” She shakes her head, shoving her hands into her hoody’s pouch. “He knew something, and he got killed for it.”

“I could have told you that,” I mumble. “Now can we get out of here?”

“Sure.”

Andy blows out a breath as we head out the back door. “You know this probably has to do with Bryan, right?”

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