Page 52 of We're Not Strangers Anymore

“Hello?”

“Hey,” I feel the nervous excitement in my chest from hearing her pretty voice. “I got the gift you sent and– fuck, I can’t even form words,” I let out a small laugh. “Thank you. It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten, Row. I’m never taking it off of my neck.”

I can almost hear her smile through the phone. “I’m glad you like it, I was afraid you’d think it’s too sentimental.”

I laugh, “It’s perfect.”

I hear Laila calling for Rowan in the background. “Hey, I have to go. It was nice talking to you, Grayson.”

“Wait– Rowan?” I trip over my own words, desperate to talk to her even just a moment longer. “I- I’ll talk to you later.” I say, hanging up the phone. I almost said it, I almost told her I miss her. But I don’t know if her response will hurt or make me feel better. I don’t want to know. We’ve only spent almost a week away from each other, but it’s the distance that’s killing me. Not being able to watch her every move. Little does she know I cloned the phone I gave her though, at least I have that.

“Everything is squared away, boss. But there’s one problem,” my cousin Nico says, stopping at the entrance of my office. “I can’t find Frank’s body.”

I stand up and start pacing the length of my office. “The fuck do you mean one problem? That’s a million problems in itself.”

“It’s not my fault that you didn’t tell anyone he was in the bunker. You didn’t think to mention that when Dante and I had to come clean up hundreds of bodies?”

“Get that new tech guy on the phone– fuck what’s his name?” I tell him, snapping my fingers.

“Wyatt, and he can’t do shit about a missing body.” He clips.

“He can do something about finding out if Frank is still alive. Call him. Now.” I retort.

Just when I think I finally have things under control, Frank is the one to cause more of a shit storm.

“Have him check hospital records.” I call out to Nico just before he leaves my office. He nods to me, walking out.There’s no way he could have survived those injuries without going to a hospital. I’m going to make him wish he had died in the bunker, because after everything Rowan told me and the time I have on my hands now, I’m going to enjoy killing him slowly. My phone dings with a text notification.

Row:Hey I didn’t mean to cut you short. Your mom and Laila wanted to go to dinner.

My heart skips seeing her name on my lockscreen. Part of me feels like she just wanted an excuse to text me. I mean she didn’thaveto tell me what they were doing.

Me:Mhhm. Have fun at Monsieur P ;)

I have her location, for safety reasons, of course. Sliding my phone into my pocket, I head down towards the tech room to wait for Wyatt. I can’t relax until I find Frank and get rid of him. Austin too, that motherfucker put all of this in motion for Conejo. But they’ll get exactly what they asked for when I find them.

Grayson

I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to locate Frank ever since Wyatt gave me the footage of him hopping a train. All I have to do is figure out the routes from that day and figure out where he went from there. Pushing back from my desk, I stand and decide to head to the Santoro building to make sure everything is straightened out the way Nico says it is. I trust my cousin, but he’s been out of the game for a few years to focus on his wife and kids. I envy him, truthfully. The thought of settling down and having a family didn’t exactly cross my mind until Rowan came along. I just need to give her a little time to realize that we want the same thing. If she doesn’t, I may have to force her hand. Then she’ll see things my way.

I head up the stairs inside the Santoro building to clear some files in the tech room when I stop dead in my tracks at the top of the stairs. It can’t be— I’m seeing a fucking ghost.

“My boy.” Luciano says with a crooked smile.

I try to find my words as I stare at him, but I can’t force out everything I want to say. “What the fuck. You’re–”

“Alive, stronza.” He laughs. I run over to him, hugging him.

“Why the fuck is your hair blonde, bro?” I laugh.

“Didn’t want anyone to identify me, I’ve been laying low.”

I scoff. “You have face tattoos my boy, I recognized you right away.”

We laugh for a moment and I feel a weight lift off my chest seeing my brother alive.

“I got a lot of questions, bro so you have to just– explain.”

“I faked my death, homie.” He lets out a nonchalant laugh. “Nah, I knew I couldn’t take Conejo by myself and I figured if I pretended to be dead, he’d toss me into Lake Michigan– and he did. Dumb motherfucker didn’t even tie the cinder blocks to me, he just tied them around the tarp he wrapped me in. Anyway, I found out Austin’s bitch ass is a rat.”

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