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Something between a flustered huff and a scoff makes it out of her mouth. “You’re definitely imagining things.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
“I do.”
Silence falls for a few seconds. Afternoon sunlight streams in through the windows, hitting the spines of the books on the shelves and making the ones that have metallic foil on the titles glitter.
“Well?” I prompt.
“Well what?”
“Are you free tonight?”
“I’m about to head into town for an errand.”
“Good. I’ll come with you.”
“No.”
“I’ll meet you afterwards then.”
She is silent for a while. I can almost picture her scrunching up her brows as she tries to figure out how she can talk her way out of this. Then she heaves a deep sigh, as if she realizes how futile that is.
“Fine.” That tone of mock outrage mixed with amusement returns to her voice as she adds, “But if I see even a hint of handcuffs, I’m leaving.”
I chuckle. “Deal.”
After we arrange a meeting time and location, we hang up. I let my head fall back over the backrest. Staring up at the ceiling, I blow out a long breath.
I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.
My plan was to get Isabella to like me and to trust me enough to tell me the truth. But I know, and I always have known, that she never will. No matter what I do, she will never willingly tell me the truth about her. About us. Our past together. I knew it from the moment Jace suggested that I try to seduce her instead of bullying her into doing what I want.
So why did I still go along with the plan?
Why am I still spending time with Isabella like this?
My grandfather is searching day and night for the people who killed my parents. And here I am, eating waffles and going on dates with one of them. I should just hand her over to Federico. Or I should at least do something drastic to force her to spill the truth tome.
I should…
But first, I just want to carve out one more real night in my otherwise fake life. One more night with someone who understands everything I’m feeling. Someone who feels it too.
25
ISABELLA
Ihalf expected him to have me followed. But to my surprise, there were no mafia men tailing me as I drove into town and walked to my secret stash of supplies. However, I still cast another quick look up and down the alley as I at last reach the door.
When I’m sure that no one has magically appeared out of thin air in the last twenty seconds or so, I pick the lock on the door and then slip inside.
The abandoned building looks exactly the same as it does every time I come here to check my encrypted phone. Broken planks and discarded tools are strewn across the dirty floor. I step over them as I make my way towards the metal box by the wall. Crouching down, I unlock it and then lift the lid.
My black duffel bag is still in there. Undisturbed. Just the way I left it. I unzip it. Several guns, a half dozen passports, and multiple stacks of cash remain neatly piled next to my clothes and the rest of my supplies. But I only reach for the cellphone that I now keep at the top of the bag.
I turn it on and then unlock it with my fingerprint and password.
There is a notification on our dedicated messenger app. While praying to gods I don’t believe in that it’s the same ‘no signs yet’ message I have been receiving all other times I’ve come here, I tap to open the app.
