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My brows lifted at his words. “You’d really be willing to take away your one chance at leaving here?”
“Frankie, I can leave any time I want,” he explained with a shake of his head, “I don’t want them getting in my way.”
“I need to feed my chickens,” I explained.
Marco snorted, his laugh felt like a punch to my gut. “Are they worth risking your life?”
“But you said-”
“I saidIwouldn’t hurt you, Frankie. I can’t say the same for any of my brothers. You kidnapped and injured me. That’s not something that can be easily forgiven,” he explained slowly.
Well, if that were the case, why wasn’t Marco acting angry about it then?
“Okay, I’m sure they’ll be alright for a few hours,” I mumbled, not wanting to imagine what was going to happen to me then. “Stay here while I grab your stuff.”
“Not going anywhere,” he reminded me as I made my escape.
When I came back, I debated giving him his phone. Maybe I could test his honesty. If he tried to contact someone, I’d crash his car. Something crazy like that.
Offering him the phone, he immediately took it. Didn’t even offer any appreciation. Instead, he went through his device.
“I’m driving,” I warned him, “don’t want to risk you taking us somewhere unsafe.”
He mumbled his acknowledgment, hardly giving me much of a nod. Whatever got his attention was on that phone of his. Maybe I should’ve looked through it again to make sure he wasn’t seeing something worth keeping secret.
Trying not to worry about it too much, I cleared my throat. “Are you ready?” I asked after a few passing seconds.
Marco nodded slowly before tucking his phone away. “Yeah, let’s go.”
We were out on the road in a matter of minutes.
“Do you even have your driver’s license?” Marco asked next to me.
“Of course. I just don’t really need to drive.” After the answer left my lips, I glanced his way. He was staring at me.
“So, what’s your story? Normal people don’t move out to the middle of nowhere without a reason,” Marco pointed out.
The best I could give him was a shrug. “My uncle didn’t have anyone to take care of him. I volunteered and stuck around after he died. I like the silence. The city is a bit much.”
He hummed in acknowledgment. “I would have gone insane. There’s nothing to do.”
Chuckling, I knew many people would share the same way of thinking. “I take long strolls to pass the time. There’s a lot of wildlife out here, so I set traps. Plenty to do. Not worth the money to rent a car just so I can stop somewhere in the city for an hour.”
“You are wild, Frankie.”
My smile grew naturally and a laugh bubbled out. “I’ll take that as a compliment. What about you? I read through all your messages, so I have a feeling what you do, butwhoare you, Marco Franzolli?”
A few seconds of silence passed and I noticed Marco contemplating his answer. Maybe his identity was supposed to be a secret?
“I work under a man named Antonio Franzolli. He runs the east part of the state,” he tried to explain.
“Is he a government official?” I asked, not recognizing the name.
“Think worse.”
I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. “Is Antonio a bad guy?”
Marco sighed, putting his attention out to the passing scenery. “To some people, yes. My family is dangerous for a reason.”
