Page 9 of Dangerous Rhythm

“We don’t know yet.”

“You sounded serious when you talked to the detectives.”

“They should’ve done a better job keeping your name secret.”

“My name would’ve come out anyway once the trial started,” he said.

“Did they explain to you about the risk of testifying?” Lina glanced at him. “Marcus told me you gave them evidence—a video of Rocco—”

“Brandishing a bloody knife at me. And there is the knife itself,” he confirmed.

“They could’ve spared you this,” she said.

“I felt I needed to do my part. I saw him killing a person. Though I regretted that it’d put him in prison for life, he had to answer to that.” Curtis’ voice was firm.

Lina wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand to convey she understood, but she didn’t. She kept her eyes on the road.

“You must think I’m an idiot,” he said when Lina said nothing.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” she said. “As your security consultant, I’d advise you not to take the stand if it was unnecessary, but I get it.”

Curtis nodded. “I didn’t think it’d come to this.”

She could see Curtis not thinking further than what he thought was the right thing to do. He had seen little of the world’s darkness in real life.

“Is hiding really the way to go?” he asked, half to himself.

“We’re lying low. Out of sight, out of mind,” she explained.

“You sounded like you knew these Stilettos well.”

“By reputation only. It helps to know all the trouble makers when you’re in security.”

“You said Serafina Stiletto is a dangerous woman.” Curtis looked at her. “How dangerous?”

Lina’s lips flattened into a thin line, not wanting to tell him the truth, but she couldn’t lie to him. “The word on the street is she’s ruthless—more so than her late husband. When he died, she took over the family operation. Antonio Stiletto was tame compared to Serafina, and he was no softie.”

Her phone, connected to the car’s system, rang. Only a string of numbers appeared, but she knew it was Marcus. Hers was encrypted as well. No one besides Marcus and the top level at B&Y could contact her on this number. She pushed the answer button.

“You’re on speaker. You have info?” Lina didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“It’s escalated. Serafina declared war on the Murphys. There’s always been tension between the two families, but there was also a boundary they wouldn’t cross before. Some kind of agreement between the older patriarchs. But now we don’t know what will happen. With the Murphys supposedly out of the game, it could become a massacre instead of a war.”

“Not exactly good news for Detective Durham, but it takes their attention off Curtis.”

“Not quite,” Marcus said, his voice grim.

“Wait…what do you mean, not quite?” Curtis chimed in.

Marcus didn’t respond right away.

“What is it?” Lina asked.

“You’ll need to go farther than upstate,” Marcus suggested. “There might be a bounty on Curtis.”

“A bounty?” Curtis echoed the words with a croak in his voice.

“Serafina doesn’t just have her eyes on the Murphys but also on you. Rocco was her baby. So, until we can figure out what to do, it’s better if you disappear.”

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