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One month later…
I would like to think I’ve fallen into a comfortable rhythm since Teddy’s death, but I’d be lying to myself. I knew Teddy was grooming me to take his place, but I never thought it would come so soon. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. My head was a wreck, and I never saw his body. I twisted it in my mind that because of that, none of this was real. That Teddy would walk in the door one day and prove I wasn’t crazy, but it’s been a month and he still hasn’t shown.
Lucas insisted my last memory of him shouldn’t be one of him carved up and bloody, and in a way I’m grateful, but I hold more resentment than anything. If I could have seen him one last time, told him I loved him, maybe it would prove this was reality and I could find peace. But there is no peace to be found, just a new normal.
If I’ve learned anything in my short time with the Mafia, it’s that nothing is consistent, and things are always changing. More monsters come out in the dark every night, and life is considered as nothing more than disposable.
I pin a stray strand of hair behind my ear and smooth down my dress while looking into the mirror. In my room, I’m a mess. I cry and scream and let out the pain I feel every day from losing Teddy, but when I step out those doors, I’m composed, cool. I’m the queen they never expected.
I open my door and start down the hall, letting my heels clap against the marble floor. “Luke, Jules!” I yell.
Both twins rush to my side. I don’t know if it’s the fact that Teddy is gone, or they actually respect and fear me, but ever since that night, they don’t question me. When I call, they come.
“Emil called. Are you ready?” I bounce my eyes between the both of them, and they nod. “Good, get me my bag.”
Julius disappears, then reappears with my Prada bag. I’m sure they get tired of my demands, but resentment is a bitch. Although Lucas was the one to insist I didn’t see Teddy, I know Julius agreed, and for that, he gets my wrath too. It could be worse for them. I could have thrown them out on their ass, but I know Teddy wouldn’t want that. Hell, I don’t want it either. They’re the one thing that makes me feel close to him. Even if we don’t speak about Teddy much, I know they feel the same way I do. We’re all connected, more than ever before, by the fucked-up tragedy.
I reach inside and grab my gun. It’s a silver Kimber LW pistol, with mother of pearl grips with an H carved into its side with a crown behind it. The one last thing Teddy gave me before he died. He said I would know when to open the bag, but the truth is, I didn’t. Maybe he intended it for when he died, or maybe an anniversary. Who knows?
Lifting my dress, I position it in my holster. “Let’s go.”
We pull up to Red Eye and step from the car. The same bouncer who works every night greets us at the door, then sweeps his arm to the side, inviting us in. I go straight to the stairs and start taking them one by one.
Before I open the door at the top, Lucas places his hand on the small of my back. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I look into his eyes and see the same pained expression I do every day. “I’m more than sure.” I step out of his hold and push open the door.
Whatever Emil found out about the key will be a good distraction. I can’t spend my days thinking and trying to analyze what happened to Teddy. I know it isn’t healthy. Focusing on a puzzle I’ve been trying to pick apart for months is exactly what I need. I need to find my dad’s murderer. I need to handle it, and once I’m done, I’ll get to the bottom of Teddy’s death whether the twins help me or not.
They’ve tried to say it was an accident, a mere coincidence of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I know there is more to it than that. The twins know more—they’re hiding something from me, and I’ll get to the bottom of it in time. One thing I don’t do is give up on the people I love. Lucas said it himself: “If you fight just to fight, you’ll get your ass kicked. Fight for what you love, and you’ll never lose.”And two things I know for sure: I loved Teddy, and I don’t like to lose.
Emil is stretched on the couch, waiting alone for us. “Charlie! Boys!” he calls out, hurrying to close the gap between us.
“Emil.” I dip my head.
He grabs my shoulders and pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s good to see you. At the funeral you were…” He trails off.
“What? Sad, a wreck? All of the things you weren’t. You showed zero emotion. He was your brother,” I hiss.
I know bringing that up now is probably not the best idea, but it still pisses me off. I feel I’m the only one who is truly mourning Teddy, and it sucks to be doing it alone.
He clears his throat, steps away from me, and quickly changes the subject. Reaching into the inside pocket of his suit, he pulls out my key wrapped in a slip of paper. “My locksmith was able to find a storage until on the other side of town and the number it belongs to.” He hands it to me. I snatch it and stuff it into my purse before turning away.
I pull open the door, but before I can step out, he speaks softly behind me. “I did care, Charlie.”
I turn my body and let my eyes roam over his face. “Just because you lie to yourself doesn’t mean you can lie to me.”
I hurry out the door with the twins following closely behind me before he can reply. We move back into the car and start the drive home before Lucas decides to speak again.
“So, what are we going to do, Flower?”
I glance out my window and watch as the city passes by in a blur. “We’re going to figure out who killed my dad, starting with this.” I slip the paper from my purse and hold it up. An address and four-digit number are written neatly across the front.
He nods, taking the paper and handing it to Carl. Carl looks at it, then turns the car around and heads in the opposite direction of home.
