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Because this fucking masked wonder sounds like someone Nadie knows. And it’s also meant to.
But Nadie frowns. “Why not? You have to. Did they threaten you if you said something?”
“No,” I say gently, “because it’s me.”
* * *
Nadia is beyond furious, even after we get to her place. Thank fuck I took the bike, in the fucking suit.
Because the ride gave me room to think.
History repeating itself. I was taking the place of her father because he’d hired a big guy to do his dirty work beyond what I’d do.
I can smell a fucking set up, and this reeks.
The guy around my height, build, and a mask? Sounds like a pure fucking coward. Sounds like Nadie’s fucking ex.
But if Josie even mentions that guy—who she knew wasn’t me and it makes me wonder at her life before the non-sweary, hippy-like teacher—she knows enough that to do that would mean me hauled in on all kinds of charges. And not by the brainless duo, either.
People up the food chain, probably corrupt, and in the culprit’s pocket.
There are De Luca lawyers who’d be handing them all their asses in shreds and smiling about it if I called. Push comes to anything, I will.
So, when I find Nadie’s door locked and I have to knock, her taking her sweet damn time answering, scream just how pissed she is with me.
“What was that all about, Diego?” She opens the door, steps away and starts pacing, a burning fuse connected to a bomb that might self-detonate any second. “It’s you? Come on.”
I swatch her closely as I close the door, and solely focus on her. “Not me fucking me, Nadie. Meant to be me.” I shove a hand through my hair and pull off my tie.
Nadia halts her pacing and twists on her heels to face off with me, hands planting themselves on those hips. “So, you’re taking that? Or are you planning something?”
“I don’t know yet.” I hedge it because there are things in my head. I need to go deeper beyond everything.
There’s too much at stake. All of it seeming to be centered around this town. This area. It’s not too far, but far enough from the border. It’s the simple place where girls can be taken to before disappearing altogether.
What the fuck is douche doing hiring ex-criminals, hell, according to Tizio and Nicolo some are active. The kind we don’t ever play with, and the only dealing is putting them back in their place far away from our jurisdiction or in the ground.
“How long’s the douche been working with the mayor?”
“Ex-mayor . . . I think he wants to run again . . . is it important? He doesn’t play sport anymore, and he turned from coaching to investing family money in local businesses.”
“Parragon of fucking virtue right there, Nadie.”
She stares at me like I slapped her, and I feel like a heel. “I didn’t say that. I—”
“Shit.” I cross to her and take her face in my hands. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but try and keep out of his way.”
Nadie attempts to pull away, but I don’t let her go. “You said all this stuff about him and now I don’t know what to think. About me, him, all of it. Is he a monster, and I didn’t notice?”
“I don’t think he’s going around assaulting women in his spare time.” Unless, of course, he’s in the trafficking and drug trade to make a little extra on the side. What a good way to control and use most of the gangs than by placing yourself above them in the criminal hierarchy.
Whether the fucker’s doing that, I don’t know.
I’ll find out.
“Nadie . . . no excuses, but the college shit wasn’t just him, and his career slid because of that. Lawyers buried it.”
“He raped someone?”’
