Page 96 of The San Marco Heist

She didn’t budge.

It was all I could do not to shake her. “And take Rav with you.”

“Go away, Malcolm,” she whispered.

Letting people into your heart just produced the feelings which were surging through me, the nervous jitters, the aching gut, the indecision.You’re a lone wolf, Malcolm. You look out for yourself.

I turned away from her and walked through the sitting room. The bouquet from her former fiancé added insult to everything I was feeling at the moment. My instinct told me to pick them up and throw them across the room. Smash their tender little petals into the garbage.

My dad’s voice echoed in my head.It’s just for the semester, Mal. Maybe two. I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends there.No ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m sorry she’s gone’ or even an ‘I’ll miss you.’ Just enroll me in a new school and go to work. Maybe think about me every once in a while, or just treat me like the adult I was supposed to be the moment my mother died.

I tore open the door to the hotel room, fully intending to slam it shut behind me. I didn’t want to slam it. I wanted her to come running to the door and tell me she trusted me. That had been our entire problem since day one. I thought we’d gotten over it.

Who are you kidding, Mal? You lie and sneak around for a living. Why would anyone ever trust you?

Why did I even think she might be different? She was the queen of lies and deceptions. Just not with her team. With her team, she was stubborn, loyal, and protective. That was the real her. But only with her fucking team.

Not me.

No one ever picked me in the end.

I clicked the door closed behind me and slunk down the hallway to the central staircase. I was a lone wolf. I didn’t need people. I hated working with teams, because someone always let you down or they were looking out for themselves. I was happy for the clean break from the stupid Reynolds people. I’d gotten my rocks off, and I wouldn’t be saddled with anyone else.

Perfect.

I needed a drink.

The front door of the lobby was open to the square, all the same sounds greeting me as I’d heard from Scarlett’s, three stories up.

“Malcolm!” Declan raised a hand in greeting as he came in through the front door. “Rav and I were sitting down at the café across the square. Care to join us? I owe you a drink, after all.”

Lone wolf. No teams.

I didn’t even slow down as I passed him. “I don’t feel like it.”

“Have you seen Scarlett? You think she’d like to join us? I should probably grab Jayce, too.”

Goddamn teams.

Chapter 38

Scarlett

Onefootinfrontof the other. Don’t look back. Just keep moving.The words repeated in my brain over and over, urging me to continue, despite the weight sitting on my heart. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, trying to ward off the chill of the evening.

For the blink of an eye, I’d thought there might be a future with Malcolm. Something intense had happened between us, giving me the first glimpse of a life post-Noah.

Then the truth came out about Noah.

And the truth about Malcolm.

Followed by the truth I was nothing more than the crew mastermind. The planner. The manipulator. The tool. And there I was, alone again, walking the cobblestone streets of Venice, running straight toward the ghosts of my past.

It was late and dark, but the city lights persisted. Laughter and voices came from all around me, from restaurants and outdoor cafes, and from tourists not wanting to lose the magic of the city by turning in. The ancient stone buildings held no interest, and I nearly collided with several people in the narrow alleyways.

One foot in front of the other, through the labyrinth of canals and bridges. The answers would be on San Michele. I’d get the truth, I’d close that chapter of my life, and I’d go home.

My phone buzzed and I ripped it out of my pocket, half-hoping it was Malcolm. But it was Emmett, also alone, but surrounded by hospital staff. I picked up. “Hey, Em.”

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