Page 38 of The Diávolos: Part Two
A while later, I'm sitting in my car in front of Angelica’s building.
I unlock my phone and absentmindedly open the security camera app. I don’t know why I feel the need to watch her right now when I’m about to show up at her door, but curiosity gets the best of me.
I have cameras all over the building, in front of her entrance and in her apartment. She doesn’t know that I’ve been watching her this whole time, although, she shouldn’t be surprised.
I pass a hand through my hair as I observe Angelica navigate through her place. She seems to be hunting for something. She’s lifting pillows, looking under her couch, going in and out of the bathroom, searching through drawers in her bedroom. She’s antsy, and I wonder what the hell she misplaced.
After a few minutes of zooming through each room in her house like the Road Runner, her chest deflates as she lets out a large breath, holding up the missing item. My eyes squint to take a better look. It’s the pendant necklace I got her with a picture of her mother inside a small locket shaped like angel wings. A sense of satisfaction invades me as I watch her put it around her neck. She’s never left the house without it since I gifted it to her.
I lock my phone and open the glove box, reaching for my ski mask on instinct. But this is not one of those moments, so I put it back.
I make it to Angelica’s door in record speed, knocking twice. I hear shuffling on the other side and see the peephole cover slide open.
Seconds later, the door opens, but only a fraction, the inside chain still engaged.
I remember when Angelica first installed that lock, thinking it would keep me out of her apartment. Little did she know, I’m an expert at getting into places. Plus, I was trained by the best lock picker I know. Xander.
She eyes me through the crack. “What are you doing here?”
“We have to talk,” I reply with nonchalance.
“Can it wait until later? I have to go.”
“Mickey can wait a few minutes.”
Angelica looks at me, dumbfounded, as if surprised that I know her schedule. I knoweverythingabout her.
She sighs, closes the door for a moment to remove the chain, and swings it open, gesturing for me to come inside. “Five minutes.”
“Five minutes,” I repeat, entertaining her bossiness. “I’ll get straight to it then.”
If I’m being honest, being in Angelica’s apartment, this close to her, makes me want to force her to skip her boxing session altogether and letmework her out instead. “We need to plan our wedding ASAP. I have to get back to Cebrene.”
I guess she senses the urgency in my tone as she asks, “What happened?”
“Your father burned down my club.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “I’m so sorry, Evan. I know how important that place is to you.” Her apology seems genuine. And she’s right. Academia was the first place I bought for myself. My first business. And now it’s gone, courtesy of Peter fucking Kouvalakis.
“It’s fine.”It’s not. But I don’t want to worry her any more than she already is. “The quicker we get back to Cebrene, the quicker he can be dealt with.” She winces. “I see you still haven’t gotten used to the idea.”
“No, I haven’t. I’m not like you, Evander. The idea of killing someone, especially my father, doesn’t exactlythrillme.”
I can’t argue with that. Not everyone is as bloodthirsty as me.
“Even knowing how much pain he’s caused? Not only to you, but to your mother and all the little girls that were abducted to be fuckingsold.” She flinches. It’s harsh, I know, but Angelica needs to come to terms with her father dying, sooner rather than later. Because when I get my hands on Peter, I’m showing him no mercy. This isn’t just about me anymore. It’s about my uncle, Angelica’s mistreatment as a child, and the disgusting business her father still carries.
Her shoulders slump forward. “I know you expect me to be accepting of this, but…I can’t. God knows I won’t be able to convince you not to go through with it, but I still need time to come to terms with the idea.”
I lift her head, my fingers on her chin. “Take all the time you need for that, but this wedding can’t wait.”
Angelica nods. “I’ll call Aria and start the preparations.” She already sounds defeated, probably because of the already present stress of planning a whole wedding in such a short timeframe—as well as the small matter of the imminent murder of her father, I imagine.
“Can you ask Eldora to help you?”
Her father’s housekeeper has been an important presence in Angelica’s life since she was born. I’m not sure where the woman’s loyalty lies, but she has always had a soft spot for Angelica.
She ponders that for a few seconds. “I’m not sure, but it’s not a bad idea. I’ll ask Aria to talk to her in private.”
