“There’s something else. Something I’ve been meaning to tell you but I’m afraid of how you’ll react.”
I don’t like his tone and a bad feeling drifts into my chest. “Just tell me. I can’t handle all this suspense.”
“It’s about Riley. And the guy that killed her.”
I sit up straight, like an arrow burst down my spine. “What do you know?” I stare at him, my mouth hanging open, heart racing.
“Damon says Riley was with a guy named Louie, one of Vince’s closest and most trusted Capos. He’s what we call a trigger man, a guy that does the killing. If there’s someone in the city that Vince needs to take care of, he sends a guy like Louie. Grace, he’s dangerous, one of the most dangerous men in the Manzini organization.”
I sit so still I feel like I can hear every sound in the room: Calvino’s breathing, the groan of the air conditioner, the breeze outside, neighbors down below. It’s like the world zeroes in on me and closes down around my body and I can’t move as I try to picture Riley with a guy like that—a psychopath, a trigger man, whatever the hell that means—and I’m sure, I’m so sure that he killed her.
He killed Riley. Louie killed my Riley, my cousin, the only person that ever made me feel like I’m worth a damn. Sorry, girlie, I almost hoped you’d never figure it out, the Riley in my head says with a sad smile, but I guess you found you a good man.
No, not good, not good at all—none of these men are good, not remotely, not even close.
“Grace?” Calvino’s looking at me with concern and he leans forward, reaches out, tries to touch my knee.
I pull away. I can’t be touched right now. I can’t be near him or anyone. I get to my feet and pace away, my hair soaking wet, still in sweats and a tank top, a glass of wine in my hand—when did I get a glass of wine—I drink it down and stare into the kitchen.
“Where is he?” I ask and the words feel like hammers in my head. I’m buzzing and bursting and I can’t stay still, I need to do something right now or else I think I might go crazy.
“Grace,” he says, a warning.
“Tell me where I can find Louie. Tell me where I can find him, Calvino.”
“I can’t. You can’t. You don’t understand.”
I turn on him, all hot fire and rage and anger, so much anger. I take two steps closer to him and the surprise in his eyes doesn’t do a thing to temper the overwhelming tornado that tears through my heart.
“You don’t get it yet, do you? I’d die to get revenge for Riley. I loved her so much and she was ripped from me, and now I’m going to kill that bastard and punish him for what he did. So tell me, where the hell can I find Louie?”
“No,” he says, his face hardening. “I’m not letting you do this.”
“You don’t have a choice. This is what we agreed on.” I put my glass down and storm into my room.
Calvino follows. “What are you doing?”
I throw some things into a bag. Shirts, pants, underwear. Shoes and cash. It’s all Calvino’s, everything in here is Calvino’s, I haven’t been back to my crappy little apartment since the night Diego dragged me to this place. And yet I feel like it’s partially mine, like we started something and began to create our own special space, just me and Calvino, where we could share everything and actually feel like humans for once.
Now that illusion is shattered.
“I’m finding him.”
“Grace, stop it.”
“Move.” I stand there seething, so mad I can barely think. I put the backpack on my shoulders and steel myself for what I’m about to do. “Move, Calvino.”
“I won’t let you go.”
I slam myself into him and it’s like hitting a brick wall. I growl, animalistic and desperate, and push and shove until he stumbles back a step in sheer surprise. I manage to wriggle past him and run as fast as I can for the door. He chases after me, but I don’t hesitate, I throw it open, hit the hall, find the steps, and descend as fast as I can.
I don’t look back. If I look back, I might see the fear and concern and the longing, god, that pure need in Calvino’s eyes, and I can’t handle that right now.
I have a name. I know who did it.
I need to find him and finish this.
“Grace, please wait!” Calvino’s voice echoes into the stairwell, but I keep going, taking two steps at the time, throwing myself recklessly forward.
Toward my death, my doom, and my revenge.
Chapter 23
Grace
I walk for a long time. My thoughts drift: Calvino in the shower, Calvino in bed, his arms around my body, his lips on my throat; Calvino holding back information because he thinks I can’t handle it; Calvino protecting me, Calvino dominating me. I don’t know what I want or who I love or what it means to be myself right now, and no matter how lost I get, I keep coming back to one thing—revenge for Riley.