Page 98 of Be Very Quiet

Liliana followed the directions to the COBRA Securities complex on her Jeep’s GPS. She’d driven for two days instead of flying so she could bring Smoke with her. Liliana didn’t have the heart to surrender him to a shelter. He was the sweetest cat, and he’d been her constant companion all week, providing comfort when she desperately needed it. There was no way she’d let him go. She’d loved him from the moment Luca had brought him home.

A check at the GPS told her she was almost at her destination. It felt as if she already knew the place since Luca had sent her videos and pictures. It looked incredible, and she couldn’t wait to see it in person.

Liliana feared she wouldn’t hear from Luca once he was gone. She hadn’t walked away this time like she had ten years ago, but she was responsible for him leaving just the same. If she’d asked him to stay with her, he would have. She didn’t doubt that. But he had a job he loved, and she didn’t want to stand in his way.

Her fears were unfounded. Luca had called her as soon as he’d arrived home and each day since. They’d spent hours talking about everything and nothing. He’d told her all about his job and coworkers. She couldn’t believe he lived in the same complex as an Oscar-winning actress, a Grammy-winning singer, a best-selling author, and many other celebrities. She’d even met Kai Costa, the son of one of his coworkers, via FaceTime. He was absolutely adorable and a bona fide hero. Luca had told her stories of how Kai had single-handedly saved his sister, the granddaughter of the President of the United States, and another girl, and he wasn’t even in his teens yet.

Leaving Miami Beach hadn’t been difficult, though saying goodbye to her friends had been hard. Her employees had ganged up on her and begged her to rebuild. She hated disappointing them, but that would never happen, at least not in Florida.

Saying goodbye to Rutger had been especially rough. He’d been a big brother to her and a friend when she’d needed one. Nina had been inconsolable with Shonda’s death and then Liliana’s departure. They vowed to text each other often, and Nina promised to visit her wherever she ended up.

Liliana packed her belongings with Nina, Kelsey, Jody, and Creed’s help, letting them take any of the furniture they wanted. The rest of her things were in storage until she decided where to go next. She’d listed the condo the day Luca left, and it had sold almost instantly.

Her former employees offered to help her clean out Shonda’s apartment, and she appreciated the support. She would’ve fallen apart if she’d had to do it herself. Almost everything had been donated to charity, as Shonda would’ve wanted.

She was still working with the insurance company for the destruction of her studio. It would most likely take months to wrap it up, but she wasn’t expecting any issues.

Burying her best friend had been excruciating. Everyone from the studio was in attendance, from the instructors to the smoothie bar workers, as were Shonda’s dance students, both past and present. Luca’s office had sent an exquisite bouquet of white roses that blanketed the casket. It had to have cost a fortune. Liliana chose to keep the lid closed. She wanted everyone to remember Shonda as the gorgeous, vibrant woman she had been before Theo Harvey.

Liliana had shared fond memories of her best friend and spoken of the beautiful life cut short by a senseless act of violence. They’d laid her to rest on a sunny, balmy Tuesday.

The voice from her GPS told her she was close to her destination. Her heart thumped in her chest. She rounded a corner and saw the most magnificent sight standing at the road’s edge.Luca.

#

Luca could barely contain his excitement. Liliana was coming to visit, and if he had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t be leaving.

Walking out the door of her condo had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He’d almost gone back several times but forced himself to put one foot in front of the other and climb the steps to the plane.

Christian and Audria had attempted to lift his spirits on the flight home, but it was impossible. He’d left a big part of himself in Miami, the part that brought happiness to his life.

Luca had promised himself he’d give Liliana time to decide what her next steps would be, but that lasted all of eight hours. He’d called her that night and every one since. He’d hoped that showing her pictures and videos of the compound would persuade her to visit—and it had worked! She would be here any minute.

With Ted Rader’s death, a burden had been lifted off Luca’s shoulders that had weighed heavily for ten years. The Mortician could not harm another woman. He’d been relegated to the depths of hell, and there was no more deserving soul.

Luca had made sure Erin Simon’s grandmother’s ring had been returned to her family, as well as the mementos from the other victims to their next of kin. There would be no trial, so there was no reason for the police to keep them.

Though he still wore a sling—thanks to the insistence of Dr. Amelia Hollister, the COBRA Securities doc—his arm was much better. Each day, he’d checked to ensure Liliana’s various injuries were healing: the bruised face, the bump on her head, the scraped wrists, and the contusion on her torso from Douglas Speke. She’d assured him she was fine.

He’d given her instructions on how to enter the complex, from stopping at the speaker outside the initial gate to continuing down the road to the booth and meeting Tucker Nash, the head of security. She wouldn’t need to worry about any of that now because he couldn’t wait. He’d walked to the entrance to meet her.

An SUV rounded the curve, and he saw her through the windshield. His heart thumped in his chest, and when she smiled, he knew then and there he was not letting her go again.

Liliana turned into the driveway and stopped. Luca barely gave her time to turn off the engine before he whipped open the door and reached for her.

“Luca, let me unbuckle,” she laughed.

“Hurry.” His patience was gone.

As soon as the latch clicked open, he pulled her into his embrace.

“Your arm—”

“Is fine,” he said before kissing her. It had been too long, and he needed to taste her. She melted against him, and he wanted to squire her away in his apartment and make love to her for the next decade. Unfortunately, a compound full of people was waiting for them.

“I’ve missed you,” she said when he reluctantly broke the kiss.

“I’ve missed you too, babe.”

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