AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You can’t go home.”
I blink slowly in disbelief. “And you didn’t tell me this before now because…”
Having been discharged from Brant Hamilton Memorial Hospital less than an hour ago, I had planned on making my way across town to Levi at NYU, but when Detective Fratelli offered me a ride and an update on the case, I’d jumped at the chance.
The news that I can’t return to my own space puts me more than a little on edge.
Fratelli ignores me as he pulls into a parking space, shifting around in his seat to face me head-on. “Miss Caputo, I think it’s safer for you to stay with someone your parents would trust implicitly, and because of that—”
“My Uncle Anthony has a penthouse here in the city. He’ll be back in a couple of days.”
I’d made the hard call to not inform my uncle of Mom’s disappearance over the phone. He’d worked long and hard on the business deal he was currently closing in Abu Dhabi, and I wouldn’t be the one to mess it up for him.
“You can’t stay alone, Miss Ca—”
“I’ll call my friend, Matt. I can stay at his place for the next—”
“That won’t work either, Miss Cap—”
I cut him off with a haughty snarl. “I’m a grownwomanof twenty years old, Detective, and you won’t—”
“Now listen here, Wren.” The mild-mannered detective disappears before my very eyes as an intense Joseph Fratelli leans formidably closer. “I didn’t want to frighten you, but you’ve left me no choice. You need to understand that there’s a very real possibility that whoever hurt you might come back to finish the job.”
I blink owlishly, his words taking their sweet time to sink in, and once they do, the hair on the back of my neck stands tall. All I can do is nod numbly before mumbling, “So, where do you propose I stay instead?
“There.”
He points across the street, my eyes following the motion to land on the unmistakable deep purple sign for the infamous Rogue, home of the man who had begun my fixation with black suits.
I would never have known that the owner of a rumored sex club was the man from my Nonna’s funeral had I not seen Vaughn Burton featured in the gossip pages alongside the soon-to-be wife of my other massive crush, Caden North, several years ago. But once I laid eyes on the man in black, I knew immediately that they were the same person.
“I don’t understand, Detective. Why would my parents trust Vaughn Burton?”
Fratelli’s forehead bunches in confusion. “Have you never met him before?”
When I shake my head, he scratches his. “That’s odd. He and your father were joined at the hip. Not to mention, he was practically adopted by your nonna.”
My mind races at his words, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest.
Breath catching in my throat, I force out the question I need to ask. “Vaughn Burton is the same Vaughn that my Nonna Julia fostered?”
I blink slowly as Fratelli nods.
His being at the graveyard the day of her funeral makes complete sense now. Butwhydid I not know this previously? Why would my mother keep him a secret?
Even the devil was once an angel.
Those often-pondered words wander through my thoughts once more, and as always, I’m none the wiser as to what he meant by them.
“I’ve spoken to him, and he’s in agreement to having you stay with him for a while.”
“I—I can’t. I have work. I can’t just—"
The detective's voice is kind but firm when he cuts me off. “I’ve spoken to Delilah Porter. Your job is perfectly secure and will be waiting for you once this is all over. You need to do as I say, Miss Caputo. I promise I’ll keep in touch with you regarding the case, and in staying here, you won’t have to be alone.”
He leans closer with a self-satisfied smile. “Plus, Burton is meticulous when it comes to security. I’ve known him for a long time. You’ll be safe with him. Trust me.”
As I sit there, digesting this newfound information whilst simultaneously wondering why it’s news to me—and how disgusted I am to have spent years hero-worshipping someone who’s practically my uncle—Fratelli pulls out his cell as he slides out of the car.
