Page 40 of King of Omen

‘Boss?’

I grasped onto his hesitation.

It was nine p.m., after all.

‘I know it’s late, but I’m getting chaotic in this hotel room. Have some pity on me, brother.’

My voice edged with a restlessness that appeared to mirror the turmoil in my thoughts.

He paused for a beat, gauging my unruly disposition and the hint of stubborn steel lacing my words. ‘Alright, padrone. I’ll be right with you.’

He was in the room across mine and was at my door in minutes.

‘Let’s go,’ I growled the second he knocked, yanking open the door and striding out before common sense changed my mind.

Mauri nodded, his expression unreadable in the lamp-lit hallway of the hotel.

We made our way to the underground parking lot, where we prowled towards a sleek black SUV Mauri had procured soon after our arrival.

‘Where to?’ Mauri murmured as he slid behind the wheel.

In the front passenger seat, I inclined and punched the address into the car’s navigation system.

From the driver’s spot, Mauri’s eyes searched mine for an explanation.

I shrugged.

He swung his eyes to the map and stared at it for a beat, and I leaned back, unwilling to meet his gaze. My jaw clenched, lost in a ‘fuck it’ mood, without a care for what might happen next.

I was one-woman-obsessed, needing to scratch this incessant, all-encompassing itch or be swamped by the longing crawling over me with unceasing urgency.

Mauri jerked his chin, knowing well enough when to shut up, and pulled out onto the darkened avenues of Sydney.

We drove through the streets, the engine’s hum and the blur of passing lights a backdrop to my turbulent thoughts.

Mauri glanced at me on occasion as if waiting to see whether I’d divulge my motives for this impromptu late-night drive.

I ignored him and kept my gaze fixed ahead, the image of Mia’s face burning bright in my mind like a beacon.

We slowed at the edges of the Inner West, where the urban sprawl gave way to quieter lane ways lined with residential homes.

We arrived at the address in minutes, a nondescript four-in-one apartment block nestled in a quiet row.

‘Pull up here,’ I told Mauri. He stopped under a leafy large tree a hundred metres from Mia’s home.

I didn’t want to get any closer or not want to draw attention to our presence.

Silence fell in the car, and I realised I had no idea what to do next.

There was no way I’d go to her door this late, knock, and announce myself.

That was a whole other level of crazy.

I circled back to my earlier idea of waiting until I caught a glimpse of her.

Studying the facade from a safe distance, my hands clenched into fists, fixating on the probable image of Mia’s life behind the closed blinds.

Not quite knowing my play, I lingered, my fingers stroking her envelope in my pocket as if willing it to provide some answers.

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