“I was going to say, wait until he gets home to talk to him, but I guess what you said is the same thing.” I narrow my eyes at him, too frustrated to speak, but I guess I haven’t talked to Vince since blowing up on him. Why would he want to tell me after the way I acted? I grit my teeth and fists and make my way up the stairs to my room.
“I guess we’ll just have to—” I begin as I head in before seeing she’s not there. “Scout?” I walk around the corner to see if the bathroom door is closed, but it’s not. It’s wide open. I leave my room and cross the hall, knocking on her door. After a few knocks, the door creaks open. Odd, she hasn’t left her door cracked open yet. I step inside, cautiously looking around at the empty room.
I’m about to go into Espie and Olive's room, but as I back up, I bump into someone.
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath and whip around to see Espie.
“Espie,” I breathe, and her brows twitch up.
“What’s wrong?” She looks past me as she asks this, before looking back for me to reply.
“I can’t find Scout.”
“Where was she last?”
“Espie, I didn’t misplace her.”
“Tito, I’m trying to help you.”
“Sorry.” I shake my hand through my hair with a huff. “It’s just the whole increase-in-security thing that has me stressed.” She considers what I’m saying, watching me speak intently.
“I get it.” The way she says this makes me feel even worse for her and how tightly she’s bound by her role in our family.
“I’m sure she’s just wandering the halls. Maybe she went to the library? I mentioned it to her yesterday as a place I like to escape to.” I think about going for a moment, but decide that if she wants to be alone, I’d rather let her take her time.
“I think I’m just going to head into my room and wait for her.”
“Okay.” She gently says as I turn around. “This will pass.” She calls as I walk away, and I turn around as she continues. “Once Vince is sure the events of the other night pass by, he’ll be laxer. You’re the youngest boy, after all.” She offers me a smile that's sadder than it is reassuring, and I think I return the same look.
“Thanks, Espie,” I say before turning around and heading back to my room. Just after I close my door and flop back on my bed, my phone rings. I pick it up off the bed and am disappointed when it’s not Scout.
“What’s up, Vince?” I answer, attempting to make my voice as even as possible to conceal the fact that I’m still very much pissed.
“Martin told you.”
I suck in air through my teeth and click my tongue as I force out, “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, Tito. I wanted to have it at the house, but Nikolai found out that one of our family members led the team to break into the Magdalin, and I would rather not put anyone at risk. It seemed too risky for a meeting that might not go the right way.”
“Did it?”
“Go the right way?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s hard to tell.”
“What was it about?”
“Fixing the rift between us, the Bratva and San Giovanni’s.”
“I thought we were helping Kira and Koa take back their birthright to head up the Bratva.”
“We are, but with only three council members wanting to even consider hearing them out—”
“Hearingus, out.”
“Yes, hearing,us,out… It seems unlikely that three council members will be able to sway the other nine.”