Page 24 of The Italian Reckoning
“I can speak to the captain about a transfer, maybe send her back to Montana?”
“No.” He straightens up and his lips become a thin line. “What kind of message does that send? That you can step ontomyterritory and cause a bunch of shit, then get shipped back home? No. I want her gone.”
For a man who cares so little about Belle’s death, he cares an awful lot about making sure Sarah suffers. His anger feels misplaced, but considering how hard he works to forget that Noah even existed, I shouldn’t be surprised.
“You want herdead.” The words taste sour on my tongue, and something about the thought of harm coming to Sarah makes my gut twist like writhing snakes. If I think of cocky, angry Sarah who glares daggers every time she speaks, then sure, maybe we could do without her.
But that’s not all she is.
I haven’t been able to get her happy, drunk smile or laugh out of my head since that night in the parking lot. That’s the Sarah my father wants dead and I don’t think I can do it.
“Do you need me to spell it out for you? You’d think the bitch would have learned her lesson after dealing with Cormac.” Matteo snorts. “Or what happened at the gala, at least.”
“She saved my life, remember?” I say, absentmindedly folding my sweaty towel into a square. “Doesn’t that earn her a relocation?”
“She saved you from a situation you never should have been in with those fucking Russians.” My father turns his back and strides away. “A cop sniffing around is bad for business. I want her gone.”
The flowers liningthe path up to Gio’s front door lack the vibrant color they had back in March when I was here last. Despite the May sun beating down with alarming intensity, dried leaves and brown petals litter the once finely kept garden.It’s a sorry sight and a pulse of sadness warms my chest. Gio hasn’t been returning my calls, but I’ve tried not to push. I can’t fathom the pain he and his wife must be going through, but the arrest warrant is a development that requires me to talk to him in person.
I’ve barely knocked on the door when it’s wrenched open and Gio stands before me, panting. His eyes are wide and wild, and a threadbare shirt hangs off his thin shoulders. “Oh,” he remarks flatly. “It’s you.”
“Expecting someone?”
Gio shrugs one shoulder. “What do you want?”
“I’m here to see you, Gio. See how you’re doing.”
“Well, my niece is still fucking dead, Rocky. How the fuck do you think I’m doing?” He glares at me, then slumps back into his home, leaving the door open for me to follow.
Stepping inside is like stepping into a time capsule. The curtains are still drawn, the doors are still closed, and the house is shrouded in the same darkness that covered it all those weeks ago. Only this time, there’s a sharp stink of stale food and waste in the air. Closing the door, I find Gio in the living room where a cloud of smoke clings to the ceiling and several hundred cigarette butts spill out of an ashtray next to Gio’s chair.
Shit. I should have come sooner.
“Gio—”
“The next words out of your mouth had better beI’ve found Belle’s killer,” he mutters, lighting up another cigarette. The flare from the flame amplifies his sunken eye sockets and my heart squeezes like a fist has punched through my chest. He looks terrible.
I’ve been a terrible friend.
“I’m sorry.” Perching on the chair across from him, I bounce one leg and clasp my hands in my lap. “I don’t have that answer yet.”
“Then why the fuck are you even here?”
“You’re my friend. I’m worried about you and Mia.”
“Mia went to her mother's.” Gio drags long and hard on his cigarette. “Couldn’t stand being so close to Belle’s room.”
My heart goes out to him. In my attempts to find the killer and chase Sarah, Gio’s been left all alone in his grief. So why the hell does Sarah want an arrest warrant out on him?
“Gio, is there something you want to tell me?”
His empty eyes flick up to me. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Honesty is best, right? “The cops applied for an arrest warrant for you. My father stopped it as soon as it reached a judge, but why would they do that?”
Gio doesn’t look surprised. “Suppose it’s ’cause I won’t talk to them. Some woman keeps calling.”
It has to be Sarah.
