Page 79 of Angelic Vengeance

I’d never been good at lying – not because I couldn’t have if I really wanted to, but because I neverneededto. If I had to slit someone’s throat, I did it. No hesitation or dragging it along. This might’ve been the first time I didn’t kill someone within a thirty-minute window.

“So what do you know about her?”

Trevor leaned back against his couch, probably confused as to why I wanted to know so much about Maria. “Maria Pérez. Twenty-one. PuertoRican immigrant. From the Bronx. Foster care. Didn’t go to college. Good friends with Kali, Natalia and Francesca. Works atRenato.”

Anger blossomed in my chest like wildfire. Kali was Trevor’s goddamn sister. Francesca was Gìo and Tony’s. We were all members atRenato, yet I never went. Never really been my scene. She was right under my nose this whole time…

Was this some sick fucking game to her?

“Look into her.” I sat on the couch opposite to him, elbows resting on my knees.Dark locks fell over my forehead, from running my hand through my hair, slightly obstructing my view.

He gave me a weird look but opened his laptop nonetheless. We were good friends. He’d always help me; even when I was being a dick.

After about twenty minutes of typing, he looked up, a deep frown on his face.

“What?”

Trevor looked at the laptop again and ran a hand over his mouth.

“Spit it the fuck out already,” I snarled.

Trevor looked back at me, an undecipherable look on his face. “There’s nothing.”

“Fuck you mean there’s nothing? There’s alwayssomething.”

“She doesn’t exist.” He spoke as if he was somewhat impressed, and smirked like a dumbass.

“Care to share what’s so fucking funny?” I was sure there was fume coming out of my ears.

“She’s the one that tried to kill you, right?”

I hadn’t said it out loud yet, but Trevor always seemed to fucking know everything.I should have never fucking told him about what happened in Mexico.My face signaled I was thinking about crushing his skull if he kept laughing.

“This could be bad.” He got more serious, but the smile was still on his face. “She’s been around for some time–”

“I thought that too, but it’s not it. She doesn’t remember me.” The last words tasted like acid on my tongue. I remembered everything I could about her fromthat night – her scent, height, voice, eyes. I’d spent two fucking years obsessing over her and she couldn’t have given less of a shit about me. I was just another target to her – nothing special.

Trevor looked at my face for a moment before his head fell back with laughter.

I stared at him blankly.

“She thinks you’re dead?”

My jaw flexed. “Yes.”

Deep laughter filled the room again.This fucking guy.

“Dig deeper. There’s gotta be something.”

He gave me another weird look. I was the type to shoot first, and never ask questions. This was, to say the least, bizarre behavior on my part.

Trevor indulged me. After five minutes, his brows dipped in a frown before he turned the laptop to me. “Guess you’re right. There’s always something…”

No hospital bills. No police charges. No internet footprint. No license…

When I finally saw it, my face twisted with confusion. The blurry, black-and-white words from the photocopied official government records didn’t make sense.

DECEASED.