Page 19 of Merciless Attraction

I open the bag and pull out the saw. I have no idea how useful it’s going to be, but any weapon is better than none at all. The closer we creep toward the house, the louder the noises are. Someone’s inside and they’re moving around in a hurry.

Before we can get closer, the back door bursts open and Ronan steps out much to our relief.

“Fuck, you scared the hell out of me,” Antonio sighs and lets his body relax. “I thought you skipped town already.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m definitely leaving. I wanted to make sure I got rid of this stuff before I got out of here. You still have clothes here, Antonio, if you want to change.” Ronan tells us as he rushes into the shed.

“Gemma, get the car started. I’ll be out in a minute. We can head to your place to grab some clothes for you before we go back to mine.”

“Wait a minute, Antonio. We can’t just keep hopping from house to house and avoid our normal routines. Won’t that look suspicious if we’re supposed to be engaged? And we’re supposed to move like we don’t know Frankie’s dead?”

“You’re right,” Antonio says and turns to me, “We’ll iron out the details later. Right now, let’s just put as much distance between us and Frankie’s body as we possibly can.”

Antonio heads inside while Ronan continues to rummage around his shed. He comes out and stops in front of me. “He’s loyal to a fault. Don’t let your family get him wrapped up in this life again. Don’t let them get you caught up in it either. The both of you should follow my lead and get out of town until this war is over.”

He doesn’t wait for me to respond as he hurries back into the house. I go to the front, start the car, and wait for Antonio. By the time he arrives at the car, I’m in the passenger seat with the engine running.

Antonio gets in and drives us over the bridge and to the address I give him where me and Natalie share a house. I have the first-floor apartment and she’s upstairs. It’s clear she’s not home, but as soon as we step inside my place, something feels off and I stop in my tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Antonio whispers.

I pause and look around. “Someone’s been in here.”

Chapter 8: Antonio

The silence of the small apartment makes me feel like we’re alone. Gemma’s living room and kitchen combined are about the size of my bedroom, but the small touches of her personality stand out as I step deeper into her space.

There are digital picture frames of varying sizes which are playing slide shows of images and moments of her life. I can’t help but wonder if I make an appearance somewhere in the background of any of those photos. The Marzano family practically raised me as a son until the fire ruined everything.

The white walls have a chair rail around the entire space. Dark hardwood floors run throughout and creak in certain spots under a cream-colored rug. The navy-blue love seat has a corduroy texture with a black coffee table making the space cozy enough to curl up and binge-watch a good TV series.

“How do you know?” I ask because I can’t see anything that’s out of place. It’s not like in the movies where furniture is overturned, and drawers are pulled out with items all over the place.

“It’s clean.” Gemma squints and runs her finger along the chair rail. I do the same and there’s nothing on my finger, no dust, no grime, just a piece of molding that complements the walls.

I smile, holding back laughter, and try to reason with Gemma. “I know we’ve been through a lot in the last few hours, but do you really think someone broke in and cleaned up? I can walk through with you to make sure the intruding maid isn’t hiding in a closet.”

“Shut up.” She laughs and playfully shoves my shoulder. “It has to be Damian. He cleans when he’s stressed.”

“Wait a minute. Your brother, muscle for the mob, breaks into your apartment and cleans it from top to bottom because he’s stressed? All Ronan does is fuckin disappear for weeks on end and I usually find him in a high roller poker suite in Vegas.”

Gemma giggles, moving a lock of hair behind her ear and smiles. “Natalie has a key so I’m sure he didn't break in. She had to come in to grab some clothes for me and my dusty surfaces must have annoyed him. On top of Bash and Casper going after Frankie without him, I’m sure this is his doing.”

“What’s it like growing up as the baby sister toTre Fratelli?” I ask her.

Gemma walks down a short hallway into her bedroom where the cleanliness is noticeable with her bed having been made with hospital corners. She shakes her head as she opens her closet and hisses breath through her teeth.

A soft huff of frustration escapes her as she ignores my question, saying, “He just couldn’t help himself. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but going out isn’t just throwing on a dress and cute shoes. I had clothes everywhere and he put it all away. He started color coordinating my closet. I order it from the most comfortable stuff to what I like to wear out on dates. If you want to know what it’s like to have a neurotic brother, this is what it’s like. Nothing is good enough. And being the baby sister of the infamousThree Brothers of La Familiahas its pros and cons.”

“Cut Damian some slack, Gemma.” I can see she doesn’t want to talk about them, so I change the subject. “How do you like to unwind after a hard day? Shit, what does a regular day look like for you after a shift at Booked and Boozy?”

“After slinging coffee, croissants, cognac, and cozy mysteries for about eight hours, I usually come home and zone out to some music. Sometimes I wish I’m back in New York. I could grab some Thai food and a massage with Natalie before we end up curled on the couch watching Halloween movies.”

“The Michael Myers movie or like Hocus Pocus Halloween movies?”

“Depends on the day.”

“Well, I can help with the massage part. Come here.” I beckon her with my finger.

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