Page 87 of Unforgiving Queen
“It makes perfect sense,” I countered. “If I get caught, you guys get me out. Seduce a detective or something.”
Everyone’s eyes were glued on me.
“Why does it feel like you’re keeping something from us?” Isla stated. I took a swig of my drink, buying myself a few seconds. It felt like secrets were piling up, fast and heavy, starting with Mamma’s death and ending with Angelo Leone’s final words. I couldn’t tell them the truth, because they wouldn’t know what to do with it. I hid my secrets like I did my panic attacks.
I waved my hand. “I’m not keeping anything from you.”
“What if you get attacked?” Raven countered.
“I can handle myself.” Then, just to remind them, I added, “I took a baseball bat to Steve Jones when he refused to stop harassing me in high school.AndI kicked Melanie’s ass in college when she bullied Phoenix. Anyone remember that?”
Murmurs and acknowledgements followed.
I clapped my hands. “Wonderful. So we all agree.”
Needless to say, nobody agreed.
“We all go, and that’s final,” Phoenix concluded.
I let out an exasperated breath. “Actually, isn’t it more risky to go back into the catacombs and mess with the body?” I pointed out. “The likelihood of anyone finding all the parts is slim to none.” I pushed my hand through my hair and tugged on the strands. “Those body parts have been decomposing for almost three years now. What could there be left to burn?” I questioned, annoyed at their protectiveness. “Not to mention that it’ll be hard to find every piece since we scattered his parts.”
They meant well, but it was time they stopped babying me. I was strong enough to protect myself and pay for my own mistakes.
“Sasha Nikolaev said the only way to remove DNA is by burning the body,” Isla muttered, anguish filling her expression.
“Why are you suddenly worried about it?” I questioned. For three years, we avoided the topic of that night like a plague. Suddenly, everything seemed to revolve around it.
“I don’t want Enrico to find out.”
“Do you think he’ll kill you?” Athena blurted out.
She let out a strangled laugh. “No, but I’d rather we didn’t rock the boat. I want us all to be safe from the Omertà and the rest of the underworld. It seems to be that’s how the criminals get rid of the evidence.”
“I’m sure Sasha knows what he’s talking about,” I reasoned. After all, he was a Russian mobster. “But these body parts are in the catacombs where the general public don’t have access. It’s probably a rattle of bones by now, right along with thousands of others.”
“Probably,” she agreed reluctantly.
“So why do it?” I insisted, my eyes traveling over my friends. “Why risk exposure?”
“She makes a good point,” Phoenix said. “Now that Isla’s married to Marchetti and Papà has an extra eye on us, someone’s always watching.” My eyebrows met my hairline in surprise. It was news to me that she knew Papà had an extra eye on us. “It’s likely that we cannot slip into the catacombs, have a bonfire, and remain undetected.”
“Excusez-moi,” I chimed in. “You meant to saybone-fire.”
“Let’s forget this whole plan,” Raven suggested. “It’s bound to fail.”
I hated to admit it, but she was right.
“Fine, fine,” Isla relented, clearly seeing reason. “Nobone-fire. We’ll take our chances, and if someone learns our secret, I have an ace up my sleeve.” We shot her a curious look. “Enrico.”
I frowned. The head of the Marchetti family was known for his ruthlessness, so killing one of the members of his organization wouldn’t be taken lightly.
Enrico Marchetti might be Isla’s ace, but he’d be our doom.
32
AMON
Instead of going straight from the Philippines to Paris, I had to talk to my mother and line everything up so I could set my plan to marry my cinnamon girl into action.
