Page 45 of The Silent Night Stalker
Move, move, move.
I can hear the punches and kicks over the noise. Or maybe it’s my imagination. I can’t tell. But the sound pushes me to move faster and force my way out of there.
I need air.
Finally, I get through the crowd, and I gasp for oxygen, but I don’t stop moving. Eventually, I tuck myself between two parked cars far enough away so I’m not suffocating in noise, and I slide down against the concrete wall until my butt is on the ground.
I hug my legs and rest my head on my knees as I slowly breathe to calm myself down.
God, Enzo is going to be so disappointed in me. I couldn’t stay to watch his fight. I just can’t go back there until the fight is over.
“Enzo called me again yesterday,” someone says, their deep voice with an accent quietly echoing against the walls. “He’s mentioned some letters that are connected to the Da Costas. Dammit!”
“He’s not going to let this go,” says another voice.
I freeze, not daring to move, and I do my best to control my breathing so they can’t hear me. I’m fully alert and focused now. My past has instantly vanished. Why are they talking about Enzo?
“Dammit, hehasto. I don’t want to lose another good asset, Mario. He brings me too much money from these fights.”
“You may have to. If he learns that I took out Enrique, he’s going to want to pay it back in blood. Besides, there will be other fighters.”
The other man scoffs. “Please, he’s no killer.”
“Do not underestimate a man out for blood and revenge. They were brothers. You know this, Halcón. We’re going to have to take him out if he keeps up with the pressure, and hewillkeep up with it. He’s not going to sit on this.Hell, I can barely get him to focus on work as it is.”
“We had to take out Enrique. He shouldn’t have been dating Diego’s daughter. We almost went to war over this. What the hell was he thinking? My hold is starting to weaken, and I can’t afford for the Da Costas to gain any more territory.”
“No, Halcón.Itook out Enrique. Your hands are clean. Let me dirty them again for you. For our family.”
“Fuck. Fine. Just do it differently. Make it look like an accident or something. We don’t want his death tied to Enrique’s. Or make it look like a suicide because of his grief.”
“It’ll be done.”
My anxiety is completely gone, and in its place is pure rage. All this time, Enzo has believed the Da Costas killed Enrique. Instead, it was his very own family. I was about to hunt Antonio Da Costa, but now, I have my target.
The crowd suddenly erupts in cheers.
“We’d better go. Enzo will notice I’m not there.”
I peek out from behind the car and see the two men walking away. I can’t see their faces, but I know their names. When I get back down there, I’ll find them and memorize what they look like.
I wait long enough not to draw suspicion before I head back. When I do, I find Enzo surrounded by people, smiling and bleeding, as he shakes hands and accepts pats on his back. He must have won.
I smile sadly. I wish I hadn’t missed it, but it was too triggering.
Like the last time when I’d been following him and he sensed me, he does it again. He stands tall, looking over at thecrowd before his eyes land on mine. Then he frowns and storms over to me, shoving fans out of his way.
“Your face,” I say when he reaches me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but you’re clearly not. What’s wrong? You’re white as a ghost.”
I winced and shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t watch you get hit. It reminds me of…” My voice trails as I shrug again.
“It reminds you of when you were beaten,” he finishes for me.
“Yeah.”
He rests his gloved hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Little Bird. You don’t have to watch my fights. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that when I invited you. You don’t have to watch a fight ever again.”
