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She clenched her jaw before responding. “You lied. You left, and you never came back.”
I could tell her part of the truth. “To keep you out of all this bullshit!” I shouted, gesturing around myself. “I didn’t want you involved in any of this, and staying away was my best bet at keeping you out of it. You’ve been punishing me for keeping you safe, Sierra. Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?”
“You knew you were involved in this shit when you led me on, didn’t you?” she asked, and I ground my teeth together.
“And I tried to get out of it for you.”
“Clearly you didn’t try hard enough,” she shot back.
The brand across my chest said otherwise. If she fuckingknewwhat I’d gone through…
“I’m trying now,” I said, quieter than before. I wondered if she’d even heard me as she stared at me, hatred and irrational anger burning in her eyes.
“You’re the one who brought me into this. That’s hardly considered trying.”
I exhaled a long laugh. “You put yourself in this position by accepting a job from him.”
“Before I knew who he was!” she shouted, flailing her arms above her head in exasperation. “God, you have no idea what I had to give up in my life to wait for you. It was because I waited for you that—”
She cut herself off as the door to the neighbor’s house flew open, and Hunter came striding outside, looking between us. I glanced back at Sierra, her train of thought completely compromised. “What did waiting for me have to do with anything?” I pushed, but she only shook her head as Hunter approached.
“Hey man,” he said, greeting me with a look of pure confusion on his face. “Sierra, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
Shit. I should have known better than to have this confrontation outside, especially when Hunter lived next door. I watched as Sierra stumbled over her words, clearing her throat and looking up at me with wide eyes. “She said she’d help renovate our dining room and kitchen area,” I told Hunter, shooting her a sly look. “But she’s not charging us enough, and I know she’s doing it out of some misguided sense of generosity.”
Hunter scowled down at her. “You tried to do my entire master bedroom remodel without getting a dime. I thought I’d gotten through that thick skull of yours. You have a big heart, Sierra, but that heart can only continue if you have enough money to provide for yourself.” He patted me on the back. “Carlo here’s a good guy, but he can afford your full prices.”
She narrowed her eyes but had no choice but to play along. “I don’t charge full price for friends and family.”
“It’s a good thing he’s my friend and not yours,” Hunter chastised, finally glancing at me. “Man, I get your good intentions here, but don’t yell at my sister.”
I saw how firm his expression was. From the first moment he brought me home, he'd told me that Sierra was off-limits, and I hadn’t listened. I’d gone behind the back of my best friend, and guilt panged in my chest at the thought. If he knew what I was doing with his sister, Hunter would end my life right here. “Noted,” I said, looking between them. Sierra went to take a step away, but I gave her a wicked smile. “Come on, Sierra. Let’s show him what you’re helping us with.”
I was surprised I didn’t hear her teeth crack with how hard she clenched her jaw, but she followed anyway. The whole way in the house, I wondered what she’d been planning on saying before Hunter came out and interrupted. Was she finally going to tell me why she hated me? Was she going to reveal what had happened to her? I’d have to push again. I’d have to figure out precisely what it was that made her hate me so much.
Her anger radiated from her like a living flame, and I knew that whatever I’d done—whatever I’d caused—was more severe than I’d once believed.
10
SIERRA
The front door of Virgil Lucchese’s home slammed closed, and I glanced toward it, surprised that someone dared to act out here. It was rare that someone came into this house to meet Virgil. I found that he kept his home and business separate besides housekeepers and a single guard, so as the two men marched up the stairs with stern faces, I stared after them. They didn’t bother knocking as they strode right into Virgil’s office and began talking in low tones.
I waited for them to come back out, standing at the bottom of the stairs, considering what Carlo insisted I do for them. So few meetings were held in this house, so I knew I had to listen to what was being said. What if it was important? What if it was relevant to his plan of attack on the Bonanno brothers? They could be discussing so many things, and my job was to listen.
I hated being in this position. My stomach sank as I took the first step up the stairs, forcing myself to take deep breaths as I went. I made my way toward the office, and the voices became clearer with each step. More in focus. When I finally reached the office door, I paused outside of it, hearing the distinct sound of pacing steps. “It was meant to be here three days ago,” Virgil said, clearly angry at whatever hadn’t shown up.
“Some Genovese motorcycle gang intercepted it,” one of the men said. “We have a few options here. We could—”
“You could go and get my fucking narcotics!” he shouted. “I gave you the job of securing shipments. Are you telling me you’re no longer useful to me?”
“Shipments that havearrived.This one hasn’t.”
“Then make it fucking arrive.” I could hear the cruel hatred in Virgil’s tone—the animosity toward the Genovese family. I tried recalling what Bella told me about the families, but I drew blanks. There was too much information, and I was too focused on the Lucchese threat to listen to the other families and their backgrounds.
“Boss, with the Bonannos still supporting any attacks on us—”
“There’s someone inside ready to strike them all down. Take care of this shitnow,and the Bonannos will be taken care of.”
