Page 22 of Malice

“That’s the last we heard from him. Leo tried calling you, too. We tracked Toni’s last location and were on our way but then Vivian called.”

Antonio and I exchange a glance again.

“What did she say?” I ask, feeling my pulse quicken.

“She said Gia is with her but Xavier turned Antonio into a vampire and now she has to kill him.”

My mouth falls open in disbelief at the over-the-top ridiculousness of the lie.

“Whoa,” I finally croak out, at a loss for words because I want to say what a lying piece of shit Vivian Russo is but I also don’t want to say too much. “Okay. I can see why Leo freaked out, but tell me about Gia. Are you sure she’s safe?”

“Vivian said so.”

“Where are they?”

“Wren…” Ryder starts and I can hear the sounds of the bar getting louder behind him. “You don’t seem concerned about Toni.”

“He’s not a vampire,” I rush out and then close my eyes, wincing at my words but not regretting it at the same time.

“Is he dead?”

I hit mute again and twist in my seat, looking at Antonio. He’s staring straight ahead, eyes on the road as he drives.

“What the fuck,” he mumbles. “Tell him the last you know, I’m alive and well.”

I nod and unmute the call. “I don’t think he is. The last time I saw him, he was alive and well. We took Gia out to eat and then we parted ways. I’m sure he’s fine. And Xavier wouldn’t hurt my brother.”

“Yeah, that might have been believable until like half an hour ago when he blamed what seems like demonic activity on Marcus fucking Henry.”

The thumping base from the music of the bar gets louder, drowning out whatever Ryder said after that.

“Can’t hear you,” I shout. “See you soon!” Then I end the call and flop back against the passenger seat. “I seriously need Post-Its to keep track of all these lies.”

“Gia is safe,” Antonio echoes. “You believe that, right?”

“I do. If not, they’d blame it on me, too.”

“Right.”

“They think I died in the fire,” Antonio says slowly. “Burned up with no body to be recovered.” He glances away from the road for a quick second to look at me. “That’s why they said I’m a vampire.”

“Dead vampires can’t be identified.”

“Exactly.”

We both sit in silence for a while, heads spinning as we try to comprehend just how big this is getting. My phone vibrates and I look down, expecting to see a text from Xavier. It’s Delphi and I remember just now that I promised to fill her in.

Delphi: I just saw the recap of Xavier’s interview. OMG

Me: I know...

Delphi: Are you still there or can I call?

Me: I’m not there but I’m going to get one of my brothers. Can we have lunch tomorrow?

Delphi: Yes! My last patient is at 1PM. Want to meet at Blackbird at 2? Just in case I’m running behind.

Me: Doctors are always running behind LOL