Page 107 of Brutal Legacy

With a sigh, I sank back, staring at the ceiling, my mind drifting back over the days we’d shared together. That whole sun-dappled summer that had passed too quickly—before my life had plunged into winter.

Unrelenting. Never-ending.

I still hadn’t found spring.

The sound of a slamming door echoing through the penthouse sent me shooting to my feet.

A person?

I stood, panicking. Every time I snooped, I ended up nearly getting caught. I probably should just quit it. I clearly wasn’t cut out for a life of crime. But common sense warred with my desire to find out more about Elio.

I shoved the notebook into my pocket, hoping my loose pants and baggy shirt would hide it.

I sauntered out of Elio’s room, trying to seem like I hadn’t been doing anything wrong.

A woman stood in the foyer, a discreet black headset in her ear. When she saw me, she stood straighter, clasped her hands behind her back, and studied some point over my head.

“Captain Toni Deponio, Mrs. Santori, performing a security sweep.”

I felt like an absolute mess compared to this professional, disciplined-looking woman.

“Um, Elio said that there wouldn’t be security inside the apartment,” I pointed out.

“With respect, Mrs. Santori, that is only when he is in residence. Otherwise, I will be looking after you.”

I sighed. “I don’t need looking after.”

“With respect, your husband disagrees.”

Your husband.My face felt hot and itchy.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Toni. Please call me Georgia.”

“No can do, Mrs. Santori. Please go about your evening, and I will check the residence.”

She gave me a salute, turned on her efficient heel, and strode off.

I stared after her. These people who Elio had watching his house weren’t De Sanctis men (or women, for that matter). There was no way. These were all ex-military. More clues to Elio’s mysterious past that I couldn’t fit together.

Seeing as Captain Toni seemed as likely as a rock to let private information slip about her boss, I was just going to have to find out for myself.

You could just ask Elio.

Yeah, right, because he was really open to being asked about what had happened in our time apart.

The truth was, however, that Elio still had the poems that he’d written that summer. Love poems… to me. It made my heart feel like it could smash into a million tiny pieces.

That could mean anything… but it didn’t mean nothing.

I couldn’t go and read the notebook while Captain Toni was wandering around. The last thing I wanted was Elio finding out that I was snooping in his most private, personal memories. I’d justified it because he’d destroyed my life and forced me to leave everything I’d cared about behind. And yet… I couldn’t deny that it was weighing on my conscience.

I really was done snooping.

I needed something else to do. Something other than sitting and thinking about the disaster that was my life. I had just the thing.

For an upright,ex-military Mafia man, Elio sure had an impressive wine collection. To be fair, they were pretty dusty. He might collect, but it didn’t seem like he enjoyed them often. I uncorked a bottle of red and swigged straight from it, settling down on the floor with my back against the kitchen counter, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window at the Atlantic City marina.

My mind lingered here and there, a bird hopping from the past to the present. I never usually let myself think too much about those days together. They had been so short but so precious. Thinking about them was like tracing an old scar that had never quite healed right and would always ache.

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