Page 96 of The Woman with the Target on her Back (Grassi Family)

Was it just him, or were Don and Chuck in on it too?

Did it bother Stan to have to beat the girl he’d watched grow up?

Did he feel guilty for trying to strangle the life out of me?

So many questions.

And I was going to get some goddamn answers.

I rattled off his address and I swear my rage grew with each block we drove in that direction.

“It’s an apartment?” August asked, shocking me out of my swirling thoughts.

“What?”

“Stan lives in an apartment?” August asked.

“I, ah, yeah,” I said.

“He couldn’t bring your father here,” August said.

Right.

Duh.

“I, ah… this is the only address I know,” I told him, shaking my head.

“Okay. We’ll go up,” he said, nodding toward Aurelio who climbed out. “Milo, keep the car running,” he demanded as Milo moved around the car to climb in the driver’s seat.

“Have you ever been here before?” August asked as we walked up the path to the door.

“Just once,” I said.

“Does he have a system like your father?”

“Not when I was here. Just the usual door lock sort of thing. It’s a penthouse, though.”

“Tell me he doesn’t have a private access,” August demanded.

“He doesn’t,” I said, moving toward the elevator, my rage overpowering my anxiety as I stabbed a finger into the button for the penthouse. “There are two penthouses,” I explained. “One on each side of the hall.”

“His neighbor nosey?” Aurelio asked as he reached into his pocket, producing a little leather pouch with tiny tools inside it. A lock pick kit.

“I think my father said they don’t live here full-time, just come in for work sometimes.”

“Good. No witnesses,” he said as the door opened to the long, empty hallway.

“To the left,” I said, following behind Aurelio with August at my back.

We stood there for less than a minute as Aurelio worked the locks.

There was a click breaking the silence, making me jump.

Aurelio tucked the kit away as he reached for his gun, then pushed the door open.

There was no reason for the guns, though.

The apartment was empty.

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