37
HAWK
Vinnie’s phone buzzes.
He wrinkles his forehead.“It’s security at the gate.”He picks up the phone.“This is Vinnie Gallo.”
Pause.
His eyes go wide.“Fuck, yes!Let them through.”He turns to me.“It’s Belinda.It’s Belinda!”
I’m on my feet before I even register the movement.The chair topples behind me.My pulse is already a freight train in my ears by the time I reach the foyer.Vinnie beats me there, because of course he does.It’s his house, his security system, his turf.He throws open the door just as a car rolls up.
Belinda emerges from the backseat.
“Belinda,” he breathes.His voice cracks in the middle.
And there she is.
Messy hair, pale face, clothes rumpled like she’s been sleeping in them for days.
But it’s her.
Alive.Breathing.Running toward the house like nothing in the world makes sense anymore.
Vinnie doesn’t even hesitate.He scoops her up, crushing her to his chest.“Thank God,” he mutters into her hair.“Thank God you’re home.”
For a moment I can’t move.I’m too stunned by the sight.Relief punches through me so hard it almost knocks me over.
But there’s something wrong about the timing.My brain starts doing math automatically, the same way it does when something doesn’t add up on a crime scene.
Too soon.
Way too soon.
Daniela was still on the highway when her phone went into airplane mode.She would have probably just gotten…
Fuck.
If Belinda’s already here, that means the chef’s part of the bargain has already been fulfilled…
Or maybe it’s something else entirely.
I force my legs to move, step forward into the doorway.“Belinda.”
“Hi,” she says, her voice trembling.
“Come inside,” I tell her gently.“You’re safe now.”
Vinnie ushers her in and sits her on the couch.She perches on the edge, twisting her hands in her lap.She looks small, younger than I remember.Raven hurries down from the second floor, clutching a blanket, and wraps it around Belinda’s shoulders.
Vinnie crouches in front of her.“Sweetheart, can you tell us what happened?Where were you?”
She swallows, her gaze unfixed.“I’m so sorry.It’s all my fault.I?—”
Vinnie quiets her with a hand to her arm.“It’s not your fault.Just tell us what happened.Where were you?”
She draws in a deep breath.“I was in this house, I guess?Like a cabin, but really old.It smelled like dust and metal.”
