Page 80 of Be Very Quiet

“We tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen,” Audria chastised.

Reese stood and held a hand to Luca, who grasped it and got to his feet. Damn, his side ached.

“What happened?”

“The hit was meant for me.”

“Why do you think that?” Audria asked.

“Because the shooter could’ve sprayed bullets, but he concentrated on where I was standing. It was to get me out of the picture. The deliveryman was collateral damage.”

“Luca!”

He turned to see Liliana rushing to him. He guided her away so she wouldn’t see the dead body. “What are you doing? You were supposed to stay upstairs. Where the hell is Christian?”

Christian came half-running, half-limping. “Sorry, Luca. She blindsided me.”

Liliana didn’t look the least bit apologetic as she inspected the bruises on his torso.

“How did you know what happened?”

Audria winced. “My fault. I texted Christian since there would be so many sirens.”

“I’m glad you did,” Luca told her, then pointed to Christian. “But you, I’ll deal with later.”

Liliana looked from him to Christian and back. “Oh, no. You will not blame him, Luca. It wasn’t his fault. I tricked him.”

“His job was to keep you in the apartment.”

“No one tells me what to do, Luca. You should know that by now.”

He jammed a thumb in his chest. “I do.”

“You do not.” She rolled her eyes. “I was worried about you. You should be relieved that I left him conscious.”

As mad as he was right now, he couldn’t deny how sexy it was that she was so capable.

“What was in the package?”

Luca had forgotten all about it with the commotion. He searched but didn’t see it on the ground. Then he remembered it flying from the deliveryman’s hand when the shooting started and checked behind the desk, finding it on the floor.

Warren had recovered from his case of stark fear and was talking to the cops with his chest puffed out, acting like the man in charge. Luca shook his head and returned to where Liliana stood with Christian and Audria. He’d wanted to inspect the contents without Liliana around. If Rader continued to parallel his earlier crimes, there would be something of Erin Simon’s inside the package. But he couldn’t keep it from her, so he slipped on gloves, unsealed the flap, and withdrew a velvet box. He opened it to reveal a diamond ring.

Liliana moaned, “It’s Erin’s. It belonged to her grandmother.” Tears coursed down her cheeks as she stared at the reminder of her dear friend. Once the police released it, Luca would ensure it was returned to Erin’s family.

Luca took out another object and held it up. Christian grabbed Liliana before she hit the ground and eased her to the floor.

“Liliana, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“T-that bracelet. It belongs to Shonda. I gave it to her.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Luca was worried about Liliana. First, her friend Georgia had been considered by authorities to be an accomplice, only to end up a victim herself. Then Liliana had to relive her former roommate’s murder after seeing Erin’s ring. But knowing that her best friend might now be suffering the same fate was gut-wrenching.

Christian had swiped Warren’s chair and brought it over for her to sit. Luca needed to apologize to his coworker. He knew there was nothing Christian could’ve done to keep Liliana inside the apartment when she was determined to get out. Hell, Luca wouldn’t have been able to stop her. She had mad skills.

He’d called Reese over and told him about the latest package. He immediately sent two agents to Shonda’s apartment to check on her, and they were waiting to hear any word, one way or another. Liliana had called her a dozen times, but there was no answer.

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