Page 23 of The Woman with the Target on her Back (Grassi Family)

“Hey, that’s not gonna happen,” August said, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to get all ‘hysterical’ on you,” I said, bristling just with the memory of him throwing that word at me.

“Alright,” Aurelio cut in, sensing things about to get out of hand. “So, we don’t want this at the morgue?” he asked, holding up the tracking device. “Where then?”

“The police station?” I suggested. “If he was attacked and recovered, that’s where he would be, plotting to take down who did this, right?”

August and Aurelio looked at each other and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll take it there,” Aurelio said. “Stick it somewhere it won’t get disturbed. Then I think everyone needs some sleep,” he said, a little pointedly looking in my direction. “We can come up with steps in the morning.”

With that, he was striding out the door, leaving the two of us standing in the living room with nothing but the droning sound of the local meteorologist talking about a heatwave coming. Like we weren’t already in one.

“What’d they—“ August started even as I spoke.

“Can I ask—“

“Yeah,” he said, nodding.

“Do you think I should call my mom about my father?” I asked. “I, ah, I don’t have as much experience with complicated family feelings as you probably do.”

“Figure things didn’t end well?”

“He fucked a twenty-year-old on their bed. Several twenty-year-olds, actually,” I said, watching August’s brows go up.

“Did she move on?”

“I mean… she moved away. As soon as I was old enough to live on my own. My dad hired lawyers to make it so she was stuck here until I was eighteen and he didn’t get visitation anymore. But, ah, no. She’s… pretty bitter about all of mankind actually.”

“Then I think maybe leave it be for now. Hopefully, he recovers. Then you can talk it out. If the worst happens, then I think she would want to know.”

“Yeah. You’re probably right,” I agreed. I probably only wanted to tell her because it would give me someone to talk to, to dissect my messy feelings about it. But I knew exactly what she would say.

Why are you so worried about him after he blew up our family?

“Why don’t you try to sleep?” August suggested, waving toward the one and only bedroom. “Aurelio and I will be fine out here.”

“Yeah. I, ah, yeah,” I agreed.

I wasn’t going to sleep.

But I did want a couple of minutes away from an audience to get myself together. Or fall apart, if that was how this was going to go.

“Hey, Traveler?” he called as I was in the doorway.

“Yeah?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.

“We’ll figure this out.”

We had to.

Or my life was pretty much over.

CHAPTER FIVE

August

“Fuck,” I hissed, dropping down on the couch across from Aurelio.

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