Page 13 of Devil's Thirst

We both chuckle at the memory, which is only possible because his brother Renzo sorted the matter for us. If it weren’t for him, the Russians probably would have tossed us into the river. In pieces.

I take off the brass and toss it into the bin.

“Whatever happened to him? He go down when Conner shot your father?” Tommy motions to all that’s left of Umberto. I’m sure he was told the basics of what went down with my father, but he and I never talked about it. I never talked about any of it with anyone.

“Yeah. I killed him.” I stare at my cousin as I say the words devoid of emotion.

Tommy stares at me, then gives a single nod of approval. “We done here?”

“Yeah. This is garbage. As far as I’m concerned, it can all burn.”

“Kind of harsh,” he mutters. “What’d those manga comics ever do to you?”

And just like that, the mounting tension melts away. Tommy has his quirks, but he can also be fucking hilarious. No one jokes with a straight face the way Tommy can.

“You want ’em? Take ’em,” I tease.

“What I want is to be out of that damn hotel.”

“Jesus, again with the hotel,” I groan as I lead us out of the storage unit.

“Wouldn’t be an issue if you weren’t chasing a piece of ass all over the city.”

I freeze and cut him with a menacing glare. “I know sometimes you misread things, so I’ll give you this freebie. Call her a piece of ass again, and I’ll dig out those brass knuckles to finish what the Russians started.”

Tommy stiffens. He gets agitated with himself when he missteps. “Understood.” He’s come a long way both in understanding himself and others, but it still frustrates him when he fails to read cues properly.

I nod, then pull down the metal door. “Think you can take care of this shit for me?”

“I’ll sort something out.”

“Good. Let’s get outta here. We need to find an apartment for you.”

“About fucking time.”

CHAPTER 8

AMELIE

Dothe protective powers of the evil eye charm have an expiration date?

They must. I’ve been wearing the same evil eye bracelet for years and carried on my merry way with no problem, but now I swear I’ve been jinxed. Most people don’t buy into that sort of thing. I don’t blame them. It sounds like something only kids believe in, but when you’ve got luck like mine, you’d be willing to buy into it, too. Anything that might help is worth a try.

I got my first evil eye jewelry from a street vendor not long after recovering from my episode of amnesia. The wrinkled old woman who sold me the ring convinced me of its powers more than the ring itself. Something about her was old-world—a sage glint in her hooded eyes. She looked like she could have wandered off a movie set, perfectly cast as the wizened old hag. It was almost comical, but I was way too scared of her to laugh.

She was convincing, but more than anything, I liked the idea of believing in a protective power. I still do. And since starting to wear the charms, the horrible luck from my past seemed to fade away. I’ve been flying under the radar for years without any major catastrophe. Then, all of a sudden, danger has closed in around me from every direction.

I spent my evening debating whether the masked man or my calculating new neighbor was the worse threat. My stalker is unquestionably dangerous—who knows what he has planned. On the other hand, Isaac has made his plans crystal clear, and they could be equally devastating. Maybe not to my body, but to my heart. Both men have the potential to shatter me.

It’s definitely time to upgrade talismans. Maybe buy some sage and a little holy water.

It wouldn’t hurt.

Good grief. Why me? I might as well be a danger magnet.

In a strange way, Isaac has me the most on edge. The stalker, I get. His plan is to terrorize me, either of his own will or because he was sent to do so. Easy enough. But what is Isaac’s deal? I don’t seem remotely his type. Maybe that’s the thrill—bad boy looking to defile the good girl. Maybe he’s not interested unless there’s a chase.

Maybe he and my stalker have more in common than I realized. They should grab lunch together.

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