Page 96 of Vincenzo
“What does that mean now that your dad is out of the picture?” I ask, knowing he owned the chief of police.
Armando clenches his jaw and lets out an audible sigh while the sirens grow clearer in the distance.They’re getting closer.
“It means you need to get out of here.” Armando snaps his gaze to Enzo’s. “Both of you.Now.”
I grab hold of my cousin’s arm. “Armando, I can’t?—”
“Yes, you can, Amalia.”
“No, I can’t just leave you to deal with this.” My voice is controlled, but inside, I’m shaking to my core. The only thing keeping me upright is the death grip I have on my cousin’s forearms.
“Miami isn’t safe for you anymore,” Armando says, snapping my attention back to him as realization dawns on me. My cousinmust notice the hurt in my eyes at what he just said because he immediately follows it up with “At least for now.”
Armando glances at Enzo before settling his gaze back on mine. “You need to get out of Florida until I get this cleaned up.”
“This isn’t your responsibility.I’mthe one who did this.Ishould be the one to clean it up.”
“Absolutely not. You’ve done enough, Amalia. You avenged our parents’ deaths. You’ve donemorethan enough.”
“And this does not all fall back on you,” Enzo says. “Weallhad a part in what went down tonight. Weallfucking killed some people, but what’s important right now is getting you the fuck out of here.”
“You’re not going down for this shit, Amalia,” Armando says. “You know I’ve worked with Chief Valdez before, so let me handle this.”
“I can’t leave you here to?—”
“You can and you will,” he says, and the authority in his voice is unwavering.
“Armando,por favor?—”
“There’s keys to Diego’s boat in the boat house over there,” Armando says to Enzo. “The code is two nine five three six. On the right-hand side of the wall, you’ll see the keys. Take them and get her out of here.”
Enzo nods and moves to push me toward the boat house.
The sirens get louder.
“I’m not leaving!” I yell.
“Go, Amalia!” Armando yells back at me, and it’s the first time he’s ever done that.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again. “Go,” he says, this time softer, almost as if he’s pleading with me. “I’ll take care of everything here. Look at this as your chance to go and live the life you could never have being stuck here. This is your chance… Your chance to get out.”
Get out.
Is that what I want?
Miami and the cartel are all I’ve ever known, and now Armando’s telling me to leave just like that? To get out and live the life I was never able to have.Is that what I want?
He must see the hesitation on my face. “I will not let you go down for this shit. Go, Amalia. I’ll keep you updated, but I need you to goright fucking now.”
The sirens are close now.
“I don’t like this, Armando.” I shake my head, unable to wrap my mind around what he’s telling me to do.
“We have to go,” Enzo says through clenched teeth. He looks over his shoulder as if he expects the police to raid and take us away at any second.
“I can’t just leave him, Enzo,” I cry out. “He’s the only family I have. What would that say about me if I leave him here to pick up my mess?” I’m desperate for Armando to understand. Leaving him here by himself could put him in a bad spot.I can’t do that to him.
Screeching tires sound, and I’m sure the police have just pulled up to the front of the house.
