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She thinks for a moment. “He killed someone.”
I arch my brows, trying to act indifferent. “Fuck. I heard he was brutal. Someone you knew?”
She shrugs. “Not really. Callie had just met him.”
I frown. “So, Callie knows all this?”
“Yes. Me, her, and Emerson, we all saw it.”
“Let me get this straight. All three of you were there when Dante killed someone, you all saw it?” She nods. “Where was this? When?”
She thinks again. “It was in the Duck and Partridge, on Porchester Road. I was sixteen. I didn’t know his full name, but we called him Jase.” I let that information sink in. What the fuck is Callie playing at?
“Christ, Tessa, no wonder you feel so trapped and alone. And you never saw your friends after?”
A sad look passes over her face. “I saw Emerson,” she almost whispers. “Just once.”
“I bet they were scared. What did they think of you moving in with Dante?”
She bites her lower lip and tears balance on her lower lash line. “I didn’t get a chance to explain the deal.”
“Deal?”
“Dante said if I moved in with him and stayed, they’d never come to any harm. I thought if I did that, then eventually, I’d escape. Then I could tell the police and they’d keep us safe.”
“So, what happened?”
“I was sixteen and stupid. I soon realised that the police were in his pocket, and even if I did make it out somehow, Dante would find me again. Then he’d kill Emerson and Callie and probably make me watch. But in the end, it didn’t matter, not for Emerson.”
“Did something bad happen to Emerson?” I push.
A tear rolls down her cheek and she nods. “When I saw her, she was mad. She slapped me, and Dante saw. He sent me home, and I thought he’d probably teach her lesson, maybe hit her, but he did so much worse.”
“He killed her?”
She nods. “Him and Enzo, they,” she sniffles, “they raped her. She was a mess when they brought her to the house. And Dante demanded I hit her, but I wouldn’t, so he . . . he . . .” She breaks down, and I pull her to me. “I need the bathroom,” she whispers, pulling away.
I watch her go and take out my mobile phone, angry that I’ve been kept in the dark. I make my way out to the smokers’ terrace and call Callie. She answers right away. “I’ve been trying to call you,” she snaps.
“When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“About Jase?” The line goes quiet. “In case you’re interested, I got her to open up. Once she started, she couldn’t fucking stop. She’s witnessed shit. But then apparently, so have you.”
“We should meet to talk,” she mutters.
“You’re a fucking copper, Callie, and you held out on something huge. And now I know too, what the fuck am I supposed to do?”
“Let me explain.”
“Explain that you could’ve brought Dante down all alone? But instead, you kept your mouth shut and let me go undercover for fucking months?” I turn and find Tessa right behind me. She’s staring open-mouthed. “Fuck. I gotta go.” Tessa turns and runs, pushing her way through the crowd. “She heard me,” I tell Callie. “Tessa knows.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
TESSA
I don’t remember the last time I felt so drunk. I stumble through the crowd and break out onto London’s busy streets. It’s easy to get lost in the crowds. I hear Nero calling my name, but I don’t stop until I feel him right behind me and realise I can’t outrun him. He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and holding me against him. I kick and scream, but we’re in London and no one bothers to stop and check if I’m okay. “Let me explain, please,” he whispers.
