Page 13 of Salvatore

It’s early. Barely 6 AM. But that’s not what makes bile creep up my throat.

There’s a message on the lock screen, from someone calledPadre. I’m guessing it’s about me.

Get rid of the girl. She links you to the restaurant.

The message is pretty clear. Whoever sent it wants me dead. I’m a loose end. Something that could see Salvatore imprisoned if the cops track me down. Which they might do if more witnesses are needed.

I feel like I’m going to vomit but I force myself to calm down. Salvatore is asleep,deeplyasleep, so I’m safe for the moment. If I can get as far away as possible, I’ll be safe. It’s not like I have a permanent job here. Or much of a life. Mom’s gone. My college course finished last year, leaving me with fuck-ton of debt and a useless degree. I planned on leaving in the summer anyway, so going a few months early makes no difference.

There’s no point going to the apartment. All I have there is some clothes and a couple of books. What I do need, though, is my phone and my purse, which are probably still in the locker at the restaurant. If I swing by there now, while it’s early, I should be able to get in and out before anyone notices.

My mind made up, I leave Salvatore asleep in the bedroom and quickly pull some clothes on in the living room, soI don’t wake him. I dare not use the bathroom, even though my bladder is full. It can wait.

As I hurry toward the exit door, I spot Salvatore’s wallet, discarded on a small table. I’m going to need cash. As much as it pains me to take something that doesn’t belong to me, he kind of owes me. Besides, he’s clearly not short of money. Ignoring the little voice in my head that screams theft is wrong, I pocket $200. It’s not much but it will pay for a bus ticket out of town. Hell, he probably blows more than that on pizza.

There is a small, very sharp knife next to a whiskey decanter. I grab it and place it carefully in my jacket pocket. Just in case. As Grandma Lopez loved to remind me, it’s better to be prepared. OK, so she was talking about how important it was to always wear clean undergarments in the event I got run over on the way to school, but the principle still applies.

Before I can second-guess my next step, I open the apartment door. There are no guards in sight, so I head down the corridor toward the stairs.

Chapter Twelve

Salvatore

I’m alone in bed when I wake. The sheet beside me is cold, so Thalia must have been up a while. Which is a shame because my cock is aching and I really need to do something about it. Maybe she’s in the shower? If so, I can join her. But when I listen, I can’t hear the sound of running water. Perhaps she’s watching TV? The apartment is silent though.

I frown. Surely she’s not gone walkabout? I fucking hope not. The last thing I need is one of my asshole cousins making a move on her. Romano has the apartment below mine and I know he’s home because we had a family meeting last night to figure out how to handle Declan fucking O’Connor. If Romano so much as looks funny at Thalia he’s dead. I trust Christiano, but not Romano. The fucker is way too charming and he knows it.

I pull some sweatpants on and go looking for Thalia. A quick check reveals she’s not in the apartment, but I can’t figure out why she would leave. It makes no sense. She was perfectly fine when I crawled into bed in the early hours, so what’s changed?

Maybe the cameras will show me where she’s gone. I grab my phone from the bedroom and see Dad’s message. My heart stutters in my chest.

Get rid of the girl. She links you to the restaurant.

If Thalia saw the message, she’d assume the worst. Of course she would. I killed a man in front of her. She knows who our family is. It’s not hard to put two and two together and think we want rid of her. She probably assumes I brought her here, to my apartment, so I couldget rid of herwith zero fuss.

Fuck!I feel like smashing everything in my fucking apartment. How could I have been so stupid! I should have woken her up last night and told her how I felt. Instead, she thinks I’m a psychopath and has run for the hills.

Think, Salvatore.

We have cameras everywhere in the building. It should be easy enough to trace her steps. I open the security app and start scanning the cameras as I jog downstairs to speak to the night security guys.

There’s no sign of her anywhere. A toxic mix of anxiety and rage floods my system just as Rico strolls across the lobby with a coffee cup in his hand.

“Sir,” he says respectfully, standing a little taller as he waits for my instructions.

“My girl, she’s gone. Have you seen her?”

He frowns. “No? I’ve not seen anyone since I got here an hour ago.”

My jaw clenches. How the fuck could she leave without one of the guards seeing her? This is a massive security breach. If she can slip out unnoticed, someone could easily slip in. Heads are going to roll.

I must be telegraphing my fury because Rico looks like he’s about to shit himself, despite being 6 foot 6 and built like a truck.

“I’ll check the camera feeds for the last few hours,” he says quickly, shoving his coffee aside. I nod. While he’s pulling the footage, I’ll speak to the other guys. Surely one of them has seen something.

Five minutes later, I punch a wall, leaving a crater in the drywall. Mom will be mad but I don’t give a fuck. Not one of our handsomely paid security team saw a fucking thing. It’s like she’s a fucking ghost. I can’t decide whether I’m impressed or I want to spank her ass until it’s red raw. Probably the latter, if I’m honest.

“I got her,” Rico yells from the tech room. “She left the building two hours ago.”

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