Page 100 of Don't Let Go

I looked around the living room to find where her voice came from. She wasn’t on the couch like I thought she’d be.

“Where—” I spotted her as soon as the word left my mouth. Rory curled herself onto the window seat in the living room and stared out at the lake. The water was pure blue as far as the eye could see. It was as smooth as glass this time of year, especially in the middle of the week when no one was here.

As the moonlight streamed through the tree branches and window blinds, it highlighted the gold in Rory’s hair and madeher skin shine like porcelain. Her hand had a slight tremor as she reached for her coffee mug. “Thanks,” she mumbled toward the glass, taking a giant glop. She didn’t flinch at the scorching heat of the liquid.

I sat by her and sipped my coffee, burning the tip of my tongue.

“So…” The word hung like an invisible noose.

“There’s so much to tell you. I don’t know where to start.”

I nodded outside toward the lake. “You know this used to be my favorite place in the world. My parents would lock up their laptops and phones in the vault and I had their complete attention for the entire weekend. Looking back, I should’ve taken advantage of that more.” I tapped my thumb on my coffee mug. “We had some amazing adventures on that lake. That’s where I learned to swim.”

The corner of her mouth went up a bit as she, too, looked out at the water. “I could see how a family getaway would be fun here.”

“Is the coffee okay?” I took another sip of mine; it was extremely bitter.

She tipped the mug so I could see she already drunk all of hers. “Yeah. Not too bad.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Wow. Do you want any more?”

“No. Thank you.” She clicked her fingernails against the glass. “I don’t have proof, but I’m about ninety-eight percent sure Paolo had someone kill your parents.”

“I want to know whatever you do,” I said softly, touching her hand.

She chewed on her bottom lip, and her eyebrows pushed together in thought. “Paolo would say certain things that waved a red flag. I always ignored his comments because he was always so loud and attention-seeking.”

“Go on.”

“I recently put it all together after seeing the police video.”

I leaned forward, setting my mug on the floor near the wall. “I thought you said the video wasn’t helpful.”

Rory stared at her mug, drumming her nails on the glass again. “I lied. The video showed a car I didn’t recognize, but in the passenger seat with the gun in his hand was Paolo. I’d know his shitty dragon tattoo anywhere. I assumed the driver was his cousin, the one who dragged me into an illegal drug deal involving luxury cars.”

“Wait.” I put my hand up to stop her. “You’re losing me. You had proof Paolo killed Lizzy, and instead of telling the police, you went rogue? And how does this tie to my parents?”

She blew a raspberry and clicked her ring against her mug. I kindly took the empty cup away from her so she would focus more on the story.

Rory placed her hands into her lap as she continued, “It wasn’t until after you moved in that Paolo hinted at your parents’ deaths. We were at a pizza place once, and he saw your papà on the TV and said something like, ‘wouldn’t it be a shame for Tyler to end up like his parents? He needs a family reunion’.”

I licked my lips, setting Rory’s mug next to mine before I threw it across the room. “So, he talked shit. I still don’t see the connection,” I said calmly, but my heart rate rose.

“The devil is in the details. We had a mob meeting a while back. They mentioned how your mamma was poisoned by Lily of the Valley if I remember her autopsy right.”

I balled my hands into fists. “How do you know what my mom’s autopsy said?”

She raised her right shoulder and let it fall. “My mamma saw it and knew heart failure wasn't her COD, but didn't know what to do with the info at the time.”

I got up and paced like a wild animal trapped in a cage. “My mom trusted yours enough to have me live with your family, but yet your mom knew my mom’s death was suspicious and did nothing? How does that make them good friends?”

Rory toyed with the ends of her hair. “Not everything is black and white, Tyler. My mamma is in deep with the mob. She has no way out. Besides, my mamma wasn’t the one who poisoned yours.”

“Then who poisoned my mom? What’s your stake in all this?” I asked, sounding angrier than I meant to. I didn’t want Rory to clam up because I frightened her. Then again, could my anger scare a siren who bloodied her hands in the name of the Italian mob?

Rory stretched her legs out, filling the entire window seat with her body. She sagged against the wall, tilting her head toward the window. “I’m associated with thefamily, but I’m not in it. They haven’t made me a full member yet.”

She cleared her throat and swung her legs around, planting her feet on the wooden floor. “I never wanted to be in the mob like my mamma is. She didn’t want me in it either, and she warned me to find a way out. I knew it would be hard since I got myself tangled with Paolo, who's the son of the boss in Italy, but I thought we’d break up after we decided to go to different colleges. That’s what usually kills high school relationships, you know?”

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