His eyes glaze over as he utters one final word.
“Checkmate.”
Chapter twenty-two
Dead weight and blood press against me. The shooter rolls out of my arms and drops to the concrete as I jump to my feet. Blood stains my sweatpants.
Dominic places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” I look at him. “Did you shoot him?”
“No. I was too busy making sure you were okay.” He squats down and begins rifling through the stranger’s pocket. “No ID. No phone. Nothing. Fuck.”
I glance at the man’s gun in Dominic’s hand. “Do you think that’s the weapon he used on Bruno and me?”
Dominic stands. “I don’t know. I’ll have a ballistics test run on it. I know a guy.”
“So if you didn’t shoot him and I didn’t shoot him, then who did?” I look around the abandoned wharf.
“I did.” Salvatore stumbles from behind a giant metal container.
He looks like hell.
His slicked-back hair is ruffled and stringy. Suit jacket and tie are gone, and his collared shirt is unbuttoned.
Dominic and I stand in shock. His face mirrors my own as if we have seen a ghost.
“Salvatore!” I run over and hug him.
The wetness from his clothes soaks mine, but I don’t care. I’ve never been so relieved.
“Ouch!” Salvatore winces and leans heavily against me.
“What’s wrong?” I help him sit on one of the nearby crates.
Salvatore clutches his side. “That bastard attacked me…he got me in the knee and the side.” He coughs and spits out river water. “Thank God the two of you came when you did. You distracted him long enough for me to jump into the river and swim to the docks.”
Dominic doesn’t look amused. “Why did you shoot him? We could have asked him who he’s working for.”
Shaking his head, Salvatore clutches his side. “You really think that bastard is going to tell you everything? Yeah, right. He probably would have shot himself before answering any of your questions. But I forgot, you wouldn’t know anything about this life. If I hadn’t shot him, you two could be dead.”
“What the hell are you doing here, Salvatore?” I demand. “The port is closed.”
He wipes his mouth. Streaks of blood stain the back of his hand from his split lip. “I was dealing with a personal matter.”
“What’s that?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Salvatore. Answer my question!” I snap. “What the fuck are you doing here? You better tell me. I already don’t know who I can trust in this family. You don’t want to end up on that list.”
He hangs his head. “I thought I could end it without any more bloodshed.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I cross my arms and glare at him.
“No offense, Cipi, but ever since you got shot, you’re losing your touch. I didn’t think bringing Dominic into this was the best choice due to your past history together. And to be honest since you’ve brought him onto the case there hasn’t been much progress.”
Dominic looks like he wants to say something but I glare at him.
