Page 86 of Don't Let Go

Rory stared at me, and if she had the power, I would’ve turned to stone.

Chloe whistled, wrapping an arm around Rory’s hips. “Nah. We’re city girls at heart.” Chloe looked at me with wide eyes as if she was trying to tell me something.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Rory said, worming away from her friend.

“I got to go change.” I pinched my jersey. “I’ll see you around?” I moved to touch Rory’s shoulder, but she took a step back.

Chloe pickpocketed Rory’s keys out of her purse and held them in her fist. “Go to the restroom. I’ll catch up.”

Rory side-eyed Chloe and walked off toward the women’s restroom.

I moved forward to go to the locker room when Chloe body blocked me. “How much do you know?” she asked softly.

“About what?”

“About Rory. About her family.” Chloe stared me right in the eye. I felt like she was interrogating me.

I shrugged. “I know less now than ever before. Rory sneaks off and keeps secrets like the gun I found in her glovebox. I hear her making phone calls in her room. Her entire family has become zombies.”

Chloe looked around, making sure we were alone before she closed the distance between us. My heart pounded in my ears as I thought she wanted to kiss me out of the blue.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but I am anyway. Rory will not listen to me, and her family is too shocked and heartbroken to see the destructive path she is on.” She inhaled a deep breath, licking her lips. “The Giordano family is tied up with the Italian mafia. They have been for decades.”

Blood whooshed in my ears. I couldn’t have heard her right. I thought my crazy theories were from watching too many movies.

“Come again?” I choked out.

She looked around us again before she continued. “I know this is a lot to take in. Rory’s mom is a fixer and cleans up crime scenes. Her brothers are involved as well. Rory helps sometimes.”

“How do you know this?” I felt my face paling. This had to be a sick joke.

Chloe twisted her fingers into the ends of her long hair. “My mom is part of the mafia as well, and so am I. Rory never wanted to be a part of it, but after Lizzy, I fear she’s gone off the deep end. She has a suspect in mind, and I’m worried what she’ll do to him.”

My tongue stuck to the back of my front teeth. I ran a hand down my sweaty face. “And what am I supposed to do about this?”

“I need you to find a way to talk to her. To get her off this ledge. You said she had a gun?”

“Yeah.” I pulled the collar of my jersey away from my neck. “I found it after Lizzy’s funeral.”

“Shit,” Chloe muttered, looking off to the restrooms. “I don’t want to lose her.”

A drop of sweat fell into my eye. I rubbed it too hard. “Rory isn’t talking to me anymore. Hell, she won’t even look at me.”

Chloe kept an eye on the restroom. “That’s a good thing.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “Come again?”

Chloe toyed with Rory’s keys in her hand. “That means what you think of her matters. If it didn’t, she wouldn’t give a damn what you knew about her. What she was involved in. What she’s capable of.”

“And you think I can talk her out of whatever crazy plan she has?”

Chloe placed her hands on my shoulders. “You’re all I have, all-star. I can’t get her to listen to reason. I’m desperate.” A tear ran down her cheek. Staring into her hazel eyes, I realized how serious this situation was.

“I’ll try my best.” My sneaker squeaked as I kicked the floor.

I didn’t want to piss her off. Who knew what kind of skeletons this girl was hiding, I didn’t want to become one of them.

Chloe gave me a dazzling smile and hugged me. “Great! Talk to her tonight. What’s your number?” She whipped out her phone.

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