Page 7 of Dirty Delivery

She crosses her arms tighter, her expression hardening. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting,” I fire back, my tone sharper and more incredulous than I meant.

Savannah flinches and guilt immediately twists in my gut. Before I can apologize, she shakes her head, disappointment flickering across her face, and takes a step toward the door.

“You know what? I don’t care. I’m going home,” she says, reaching for the handle.

“No, you’re not.” The words are out before I can stop them, and she freezes, turning to glare at me.

“Excuse me?” she says, her voice dangerously low.

“It’s not safe,” I say, standing my ground. “Your house isn’t secure at the moment, and we need to make sure any evidence of that guy being there is gone.

Her eyes narrow. “I’m sure everything will be fine. What aren’t you telling me?”

Before I can answer, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, relieved for the interruption—until I see the name on the screen. Declan.

“I have to take this,” I say, holding up a hand to keep her from protesting. I swipe to answer and bring the phone to my ear. “What is it?”

Declan’s voice is sharp, urgent. “Vinny Castillo’s gone missing.”

My stomach drops. “What?”

“He went radio silent last night,” Declan continues. “His brother says the last thing Vinny told him was that he was goingto see ‘some hot teacher chick to get his dick wet.’ Now the Castillo family’s out for blood. They think we had something to do with it.”

The pieces click into place and a chill slips through my veins. Vinny Castillo. The heir to the Castillo Famiglia. My family’s biggest rival. And the man who attacked Savannah last night.

“Fuck,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “They’re calling a war?”

“Not yet,” Declan says grimly. “But they’re close. If we don’t figure out what happened to Vinny, this is going to get ugly fast.”

I glance at Savannah, who’s watching me with a mix of confusion and suspicion. She has no idea how deep this goes. No idea what she’s unknowingly been swept into.

“I’ll handle it,” I say, ending the call before Declan can argue.

Savannah steps closer, her arms still crossed. “What’s going on?” she asks, her tone demanding but worry underlines her words.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I say with a forced calm in my voice.

Her eyes narrow again. “Rylan . . .”

“I said I’ll handle it,” I snap, the edge I just fought to keep out of my voice returning.

She stares at me for a long moment, and I can see the battle in her eyes. She wants answers, but she also knows I’m not going to give them. Not yet. Not until I figure out how to keep her safe.

“Fine,” she says finally, her voice cold. “But if you think I’m just going to sit here and wait for you to decide what I need to know, you’ve got another thing coming.”

I watch as she storms off to the en-suite bathroom and slams the door behind her. The sound echoes through the house, but it’s the least of my concerns.

Because now, I have a much bigger problem.

Vinny Castillo is dead, and his family thinks we killed him. The joke’s on them though, I know exactly who did.

Me.

The silence that follows her departure feels heavier than it should. My pulse thrums in my ears, the weight of everything crashing down on me. I let out a shaky breath and sit down, my head in my hands. This isn’t just a mess; it’s a fucking disaster.

I should’ve known this would happen the second I decided to step in for her. The second I let myself get close. But now, it’s too late for regrets. The Castillos are sniffing at our heels, and if they find Savannah, she’ll be the one to pay the price. I won’t let that happen.

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