Page 125 of Vito

He grips my arm. "What's the matter?"

"I need to run out for a bit."

I trust Gus, but I can't risk anyone knowing what I'm after. Not with Gina, Sophie, and an innocent baby at risk—all because of me.

If anything happens to any of them…

I can't let that happen to them or to Vito.

Frank joins Gus, and both block me from leaving.

Gus recognizes the determined, feral look on my face, and he puts up his hands. "I'm not stopping you, Ed, but you'll take Frank with you whereever you're going. I have a bad gut feeling here."

He also had a bad feeling last night when I was attacked.

"Fine," I snarl. "Frank, move your ass if you're coming with me."

"I'll tell Evers he's top dog for security while you're out, Frank," Gus says, squeezing my shoulder with a grave expression. "Do whatever you need to do and get your ass back here.Pronto."

Frank makes me wait while he checks outside before he gives me the all-clear. My car is parked right in front of Gilly's, and I stride down the wide pathway toward it.

Frank matches me stride for stride, alert, and hand on his weapon. "I'll drive."

"Not a fucking chance." I walk around to the driver's side and get in. Frank folds his tall frame into my 1970 Mustang Boss 429.

Buckling up, he grins when the car rumbles to life. I gun it, squealing into traffic to race toward the ultrasound address. "You drive like John Wick, too."

I grunt but smile that he knows that's why I bought this car.

"Everything okay?" he presses.

"Just working out a puzzle." I swerve to avoid a car that slammed on its brakes.

"Must be an urgent puzzle."

"Frank. Shut up. Keep your eyes peeled for threats, yeah?"

I remind him of the purpose of his being my chaperone, but I also do need his attention to look for threats. My nerves are buzzing and on fire.

He's vigilant as he scans around. "How's Ambrose?"

"Sleeping like a baby," I deadpan, and Frank chuckles. "He's stable, though. If infection doesn't set in, he should be fine."

"He's the toughest man I know." Frank turns to me before returning to watch our surroundings as I maneuver us as fast as possible through the streets. "He'll take this more mentally hard than anything. He'll feel like he failed you."

"He didn't. He followed protocol to the letter. No one was around when we checked the cameras before exiting, and no one was on the street as we went to my vehicle. Those two guys came out of nowhere."

"We missed them hiding. They knew how to circumvent what we had in place. Just like with Aiken."

My knuckles are white on the steering wheel. He's right. If any criminal knew Gilly's security system and protocol, it would be the Chamber leaders.

Which gives another check in the circumstantial evidence box for Vito's suspicions that something is off with the Chamber and what happened with Gilly's owner-operators.

Or it's an inside traitor.

My jaw flexes. I remain silent as I turn the corner to the street where the medical building is.

A thin sheen of sweat coats the back of my neck and palms. I realize I haven't really thought this part through.

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