Page 13 of Dario DeLuca

“Bye, Carmela.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Love you. Bye, Rafael.”

With that, my sister ends the call, and I drop the device on the desk and let out a deep exhale. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s the same ole Carmela. What were you able to find out?” I ask as he sits down in front of me.

Rafael digs into the large manila envelope and pulls out pages of printed still-frame images. He sets them on the desk and spreads them out for me.

“I ran the serial numbers on the back of the prints we got from the mayor and figured out what printer was used.”

“That’s it.”

“Not quite. So, the serial number records not just the printer type but also specific locations or offices. For example, one of the printing services at an office supply or a pharmacy. Once I figured out the printer, I had to search for places that still use those printers today. Considering that everything is via smartphones and shit now.”

“That was my thought process as well. Why would you use a regular printer these days?”

Rafael tilts his head. “My thoughts exactly. It was strategic.”

“They wanted us to be able to figure it out?”

“Yeah.” He points with a nod and continues his spiel. “So I figured out what facilities still offered self-service printing and had to narrow it down to the place in the city. One of those places is just a few blocks from Mia’s content studio.”

“What the fuck is a content studio?” I blurt out.

“You’re about to marry this woman and don’t know shit about her, do you?”

I give him a pointed gaze, and he shakes his head.

“Finish telling me what you’ve found.”

“I started with the location near her studio. Considering this person has been following her, that would be most likely where he’s been.”

“Keep the friends of your enemies close.”

“Exactly. It took some convincing, but I got access to the security footage and used the date from these photos as a guide, and this is what I found.”

Rafael points to one of the images of a man dressed in dark clothing. His face isn’t visible as he’s wearing a hood and ensuring that only his back is in the camera. But the spot under my cousin’s finger catches my attention the most. I snatch up the blurry piece of paper to examine it closer.

With a frown, I stare at a symbol I haven’t seen since I was a teen.

“You remember that crest, too?” he asks, awaiting my response.

“That can’t be possible.”

“My thoughts exactly. But more importantly, what’s the mayor gotten us into?”

As the words slip out of my mouth, my phone dings and the mayor’s name flashes across the screen. I open the message with Rafael craning his neck to read it as well.

Mayor Gordon: She ran.

When I pick up the phone, I let out an aggravated breath. Already, this woman is causing me problems. I key in my message and snatch up my things.

Me: I’ll find her.

SIX

MIA

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