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“I’ll give you one guess.”
“Aldo,”I hiss.
“He’s friends with the Longview owner. And likes it there because it’s discreet.” Meaning he can get up to whatever he wants with zero repercussions.
If he can do what he did to Tati where there are cameras all around, I can only imagine what he’d get up to out there.
“Shit, I’m on my way. Keep trying to call her, and if she picks up, call me back.”
I slip my boots on, not bothering to change out of my black jeans and hoodie. The dark clothing will help me blend in with my surroundings. It takes me forty minutes to get there. The sprawling motel is spaced out over half a dozen acres of land, making it more of a resort than a motel, but what do I know? I didn’t name it.
I call Steven to check in as I park down the road and walk up, keeping to the tree line as I wait for him to pick up.
“You find her?” he asks, making me curse.
“Just got here. I’m guessing that means she hasn’t called you back.”
“No. Fuck. I don’t like this, Nova. Petra is not one of the flaky girls. She does what she has to do and keeps her mouth shut because she doesn’t want trouble. She has two little girls at home.”
I don’t let the emotion leak in, keeping my head clear so that I can focus on what needs to be done. “I’ll find her, Steven. Do you know what room she was meeting him in?”
“Yeah, eighteen.”
“Alright, I’ll call you back when I have something.”
I hang up and slide my cell phone into my back pocket. I take my gun from its holster and hold it at my side. There is an eerie quiet surrounding me—a stillness in the air that’s waiting with bated breath to see what I do next.
I walk in the direction of the detached motel rooms. It takesme five minutes to find the right room. When I get to the door, I hesitate, unsure of what I’ll see. If Aldo is still here, I could find myself in a world of trouble. I peer in the window, but the drapes are closed. A faint light spills out from around the edges, giving me pause.
I could just leave it. The last thing I want is to walk in on them fucking. But after Tati, I know I won’t go until I’ve laid eyes on her and made sure she’s okay. I check the door, willing to break in if necessary. I am surprised to find it unlocked. With my gun in my hand, I slowly push open the door and quietly head inside.
I take in the discarded clothes scattered around the room but find nothing broken that suggests a struggle. Hopefully, this was just a run-of-the-mill appointment, and I’m just being paranoid.
Of course, the problem is that that doesn’t mean nothing is wrong, which is confirmed by the blood coating the tiled walls as I walk into the bathroom. But that’s not what has me freezing in shock. It’s finding Gia naked on the floor, masturbating in a pool of blood. Blood that belongs to the dead woman in the tub.
Chapter 10
Vice
Icrack my neck as the gates slide open, taking in the black Escalade parked just down the road. I spot a tall, thin man I’ve never seen before leaning against it, smoking, as my brother paces on the sidewalk with his cell phone to his ear.
Heading toward them, I sling my bag over my shoulder and take a deep breath. Funny, I thought freedom would smell sweeter.
The guy spots me first and must say something to Dano because he spins around, his blue eyes locking on mine as he ends his call and walks toward me.
Though we both have our father’s coloring, everything else about Dano and me is as different as night and day. While I’m tall with black hair and dark eyes, which I inherited from our father, Dano looks more like our mother. His hair is a light brown, though his neat facial hair is a shade or two darker, and his eyes are a startling light blue.
“Vice! Good to see you, brother,” Dano calls out with a toothy smile.
“It’s good to be seen. Fuck, you grew up,” I joke, watching his reaction. It’s true. The last time I saw Dano, he was twenty-three.
A smirk quickly masks a tick in his jaw. “Ten years will do that to a person. And you’re one to talk. You look like a fucking machine.”
“Not much to do inside but work out.”
“Well, that shit’s over now. Let’s get you home so I can fill you in on everything you missed while you’ve been away.”
Like I’ve been on vacation or some shit. He doesn’t touch on the fact that it was him and my father who decided to stay away all this time. He doesn’t introduce me to his man, and I don’t care enough to make introductions myself. Besides, if he’s here, he must know who I am anyway. He opens the door and waits for me to climb in before walking around and opening the door for Dano, who climbs in beside me.
