He rubs his hands together, a clear sign he’s uncomfortable with the direction of our conversation. It won’t stop him tattling, though. Rocco loves bragging. “It isn’t just gangbangers who like seeing people get fucked up.Allwalks of life turn up to these events.”
I nod, understanding what he’s saying. Agent Moses didn’t get footage of my first fight via magic. He was either ringside or was extremely chummy with someone who was. “Col is making mistakes—”
Before I can issue all of my warning, Rocco makes it clear he’s aware of what it entails. “And Dimitri is tired of cleaning them up. It’ll come to a head soon. Dimi just has more important things to focus on right now.”
When I lift my chin in understanding for the second time, Demi slots into the passenger seat. She farewells Rocco with a dip of her chin because just like Dimitri, she’s too pissed to give him a proper goodbye.
I’m halfway into the driver’s seat, more than eager to get out of here before more controversy can be attached to my name when Rocco mutters, “If you change your mind about your sister, you know where to find me.”
“I won’t,” I reply, my jaw tight.
I fire up the ignition, then rev the engine, drowning out Rocco’s chuckles before I drift my eyes to Demi. I’m eager to leave but have no fucking clue where we’re going. I thought we’d still be running. I didn’t factor in the idea that Dimitri would ask for payment after shutting down his father’s operation.
After watching Rocco climb into the driver’s seat of the car Sloane is a passenger inside, Demi whispers five little words I’ve been dying to hear her say for the past four days. “It’s time to go home.”
Halfway to Ravenshoe, I lean over the cab of the car to secure Demi’s hand in mine. She’s been noticeably quiet since we left the warehouse. I haven’t minded. It gave me plenty of time to un-muddle my confusion, then a couple of minutes to plan our next move. It still involves getting Demi as far away from her uncle as possible. It’s just going to take a little longer than I’d hoped.
“How was Sloane?” I ask, desperate to strike up a conversation. Demi hasn’t been this quiet since Landon said her entire family should be sterilized so their bloodline would become extinct.
Demi strays her eyes from the scenery whizzing by her window to me. “She’s okay. A little shaken but mostly unharmed. She asked me to give this to Saint.” She shows me a handwritten note on the back of a boutique-shop receipt.
“Is she going somewhere?” I question, surprised Sloane wouldn’t give her note to Saint herself. She’s pretty ballsy. I didn’t think anything would faze her.
The reason for Demi’s quiet smacks into me when she briefly bobs her head. “She got an offer a couple of months back to study abroad. She initially turned it down…”
“Thischanged her mind?” I fill in when her voice cracks too much for her words to be legible.
Demi nods again. “It will be good for her. I’m happy for her and all that. I’m just going to miss her.”
I raise her hand to my mouth, kiss it, then nibble on the edge of it. I’m not making light of the situation. I am simply doing everything in my power to stop Demi’s tears from falling. She hates when she cries. Her dislike has nothing on the aversion I feel, though.
When my touch doesn’t fully eradicate the groove between her brows, I throw words into the mix. “Maybe we can visit her one day?”
Demi’s eyes drop to her hands in her lap before she mumbles something about how she’d need a passport first.
“Then we’ll get you one.” I wait for her eyes to lock with mine before adding, “There’s an entire world out there waiting to be explored. Why can’t it be explored by us?”
I eye her curiously when she unexpectedly smiles. I was endeavoring to weaken the tension between us, but I would have never predicted a grin. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad crying is now the last thing on her mind. I’m just super curious to learn what changed between now and five minutes ago.
“What’s got you smiling?” I ask, too curious for my own good.
“Nothing important.”
Her smile doubles when I gawk at her, loathing that she’s leaving me hanging. I often blurt out the wrong thing at the most inappropriate time because I’m so damn impatient. I’d rather stick my foot in my mouth than wait for a better reply.
Only once I’m on the verge of begging does Demi finally surrender up the goods. “I was just wondering if that’s the excuse my uncle will run with when he spends the next six months in Italy.”
“He’s going abroad?” I ask my question so loud, I’m certain three blocks over hear it.
Demi’s grin turns blinding. “Around twenty minutes after Dimitri arrived, Sloane overheard Col telling his associates that he was needed on urgent business matters.” She air quotes her last two words. “He will be gone until at least Labor Day.”
Although her happiness makes me happy, we need to remain cautious. We did have a win tonight. It may not seem like it when I’m running coke from town to town, but compared to what I was prepared to face, you could class it as a victory. I just need the knot in my stomach to get the message. It’s holding on firm like the worst is still to come.
When I say that to Demi, she squeezes my thigh. “I know. I feel sick to my stomach as well, but it will be nice not needing to look over our shoulders all the time. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but with Dimitri’s focus devoted to finding his daughter, I don’t see him having the time to meddle in our affairs.”
Loathing that my inability to look a gift horse in the mouth is stealing the joy from Demi’s face, I bring out the coping mechanism I always use when feeling snowed under. “You only spoke with Sloane for ten minutes, so how the fuck did you cover so much ground?”
Demi smiles in a way I was certain I’d never witness again before she mutters, “You have no idea.” As quickly as her smile arrived, it fades away. She doesn’t appear upset. Maiming seems more on the agenda when she asks, “How come you didn’t tell me Dimitri has a daughter… amissingdaughter?”
