Page 76 of His Fatal Love

The problem is, there’s only one of me. And while I’m out here losing sleep, Julian Castellani could be off in dreamland. He could do it any time. He just has to wait for the right moment to stick a knife into Roxy’s ribs.

I don’t think he’ll do it in public, though. My father wants a message sent, but it’s not a public message. It’s private. Gino’s eyes only. So I’m pretty sure Julian will do it here, at their home.

And I happen to know that Gino is out tonight, off in Vegas having meetings with some asshole about a jewelry job.

So here I am outside their house, parked in a car that smells faintly like someone took a shit in the trunk, watching the windows for any sign of activity. The street is quiet and peaceful, only the occasional barking dog or far-away siren to break the peace. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.

It’s coming up on two a.m.

I take another shot of coffee from the thermos I brought with me, and keep myself entertained by imagining all the ways I could make Julian Castellani beg for mercy.

But nothing stirs. No lights turn on or off, no shadows pass by the windows. I’ve patched into their security cameras, too, so I can check the back yard and even inside the house. The only thing that changes is the time—two-fifteen, two-thirty, three a.m.—and I start to think that nothing will happen tonight.

But then I see it.

A shadowy figure slides over the gate and drops down into the back yard, darting straight to the back door.

That motherfucker.

I grab my gun, get out of the car and take off around the side gate. Roxy must have heard something too, because there’s a soft glow coming from the bedroom window. I go right on into the house, because the back door is open, and holler at the top of my voice: “Julian, you son of a bitch! I fucking warned you!”

I hear a scuffle coming from the bedroom, and I run towards it, kicking the door wide. The whole place is covered in blood—too late—

But Roxy is standing right there, eyes wide, holding a handful of underwear over a suitcase on the end of the bed.

She’s…packing?

And lounging on the bed, a bored expression on his gorgeous, stupid face, is Julian Castellani. And he doesn’t look surprised to see me.

“Oh, Leo,” he sighs. “Why do you have to complicateeverything?”

Roxy backs away, her eyes on my gun. I came prepared with a silencer, and I don’t hesitate now, raising my arm and taking two quick shots at Julian.

Roxy screams, but Julian is like a fucking cat; he’s already down behind the bed, and duck feathers snow gently back onto the bed from the expensive pillow I just killed.

“Leo,stop!” Roxy shrieks, but I push her back against the blood-smeared wall.

“Just stay there,” I snap at her. “Get out of here, Julian or I swear to God, I will blow your fucking head off!”

Julian slowly peeks over the bed. “Look, Leo—“ he starts to say, but Roxy cuts him off.

“Leo, you don’t understand!”

“No,youdon’t understand,” I growl. “Whatever story this asshole told you, he means to kill you.”

Julian rises cautiously, hands raised in surrender. “Leo, my dear,” he says, “you have aterriblesense of timing.”

“Middle of the room,” I bark at him. I don’t want him accessing anything he could use as a weapon.

Julian sighs but obeys. He walks slowly to the middle of the room and turns to face me. His face is blank—no fear or anger or surprise. It’s like he knew I’d be coming for him all along.

Roxy looks between us nervously. “Um, is this part of the whole—“

“No,” Julian says. “No, I’m afraid Leo just has a bad habit of inserting himself into places he really shouldn’t.”

I don’t know if that’s a dig at our time in Romeo’s Room, but I don’t like it either way. “You and I are gonna take a drive, Julian,” I tell him. “Move.”

But before he can respond to that, something cracks over the back of my head, and I pitch forward, dizzy. A kick in my lower back sends me sprawling on the carpet, and the gun falls from my hand.

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