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Sterling leaves us alone for a few days after body three appears. We let the FBI check the recordings on the outside cameras, and when Emeric snorted and didn’t know how to give them access to a copy we had our tech guy Russell handle it. He does plenty of work with the security cameras at the club, and after checking the recordings Sterling only called once to relay the videos. I guess we could’ve watched it ourselves, and part of me thinks Vinny did when I was napping, but listening to Sterling relay the news was easier.
The killer definitely knew where each camera was, which unsettles me. The drop vehicle is a small car in the video that Sterling mentioned belonging to the victim, and the body is hauled out with the culprit keeping his back turned the entire time. He’s tall, narrow shoulders with a slight build, and dragged the body a little clumsily to the drop spot. When Sterling asked if either of us had an idea who it might be, he was unsurprised to learn we had no damn idea. He even sent over a still from the video, and staring at the strangers back in the dark did nothing for me. I have no idea who it is, but having Xeno’s men out on the street watching all the time makes me feel a little bit better.
The downtime makes our trip in Florida drag on, which just gives me time to fret about what comes next. I have a short conversation with Emeric that Vinny ends up taking over, because he mentions a list partway through and Ilovelists.
My eyes flicker out the front window again. Xeno was over for a short while, and he spoke with Vinny outside while I chattered with Emeric. I was happy when my husband took over the call, because once Emeric started asking about my mom’s grave I was over it. I don’t need to go see her grave to confirm to myself that she’s really dead, I already know that.
But outside on the other side of the street is a black nondescript car, and I know for a fact that it arrived the same time that Xeno did. Vinny vaguely mentioned this morning, two mornings after my terrible nightmare, that for a couple days some of Xeno’s friends were going to help keep an eye on us.
I know that’s just code formy brother brought over two hired killers in case the serial killers shows up here, because they kill for money so that can’t be as bad as killing for fun.There’s irony everywhere, and I just shake my head and look down again. I personally think if we fight fire with fire, or knives with guns, this will turn into an even bigger mess.
“It could be worse,” Vinny tells me, sitting down on the other side of the couch now that his call is over. “Your cousin could choose to work remotely instead of going into the club at all.”
“I swear my uncle broke her brain,” I say with a scoff. “Poor thing needs to be able to embrace her sexuality, not hide from it. I mean did you see the list Serenity made for the club? It’s impressive but she spent way too much time putting it together.”
“Emeric mentioned that,” he says with a shrug. “Anyone promising? Or funny?”
I smirk. “A couple. Some of these are definitely aliases. I mean C. Harrowths and Linette T. He Fox are definitely people just fucking around. Those can’t be real, and it looks like their background checks didn’t get approved anyway. People can be so weird sometimes about clubs checking them out. Does no one respect safety anymore?”
Vinny shrugs, glancing at his phone again. I scoot closer and lean in to peer at the screen, and he turns the phone so I can see. Surprise shoots through me. “Echo?”
“Yeah. Xeno gave me hell for not talking to her. He gave me her number… I thought I’d try and talk to her.”
I look at the screen again. “Pretending to love me ten years too late doesn’t mean shit, big bro.”
He winces when I read off the text. “Yeah she’s a little bitter. Rightfully so. I didn’t tell her we were back in Florida.”
I scoff. “You didn’t tell your sister?”
“Technically I didn’t tell my parents either. I did tell Xeno when our plane touched down, but we maintained distance between us until it was necessary to see each other.”
I wrinkle my nose. Vinny has the kind of family I wish I did - one with siblings. Even Alastair had a foster brother before he fucked everything up, but it was always just my mother and I. Without her I’m all alone. I know having parents like Gloria and Massimo made growing up a different experience for him, but my heart clenches at the idea that he’s so unattached to his family.
It’s probably my fault, at least in part. After Alastair’s attack, I wanted out of Citrus Grove like we originally planned. Vinny promised he would take care of me, and he did. He took us away to Colorado like we planned, and I did college for a year online before quitting. It wasn’t meant for me, and I do so much better managing our club than I ever did taking classes.
“It’s okay, darling,” he says, tracing my chin with a finger. “Our family was raised to protect each other, not to be close.”
“My mom raised me to be better than others,” I say, frowning. “She wanted me to never depend on a man.”
Vinny nods, and I know I’ve told him this before. Still, it always feels like I’m secretly telling him I don’t want him whenever I do, and that isn’t the case. He doesn’t take it that way, but I’ve never understood why Mom was so insistent about that either. I’m capable on my own, but I do better with him. Having my husband is a benefit not a downside.
He reaches out and lifts my hand, kissing the back of it as he watches me. It’s comforting and I feel the sudden tension in my shoulders ease again. He continues to kiss my skin, and I feel the relaxation give way to a flush across my cheeks, and Vinny kisses up my hand, to my neck, and I let all my troubles drift away as I sink into the feel of him.
Chapter 14
As the first week of March bleeds away, I run out of patience for the FBI’s grand plan. Sterling put too much stock into how Alastair would feel about us after all these years. I doubt he said shit to the person who’s out there killing with his M.O. and the copycat probably just did a lot of research to learn the things he knows. The longer we’re in Florida the worse off Jo becomes, and the nightmares that haven’t plagued her for years return with a vengeance.
I refuse to watch the dark memories destroy her mind again, and if Sterling is through threatening to send agents to our club to find us and uproot our way of life, I’m finished playing this game.
I’ve looked up flights from the nearest airport and let Emeric know we might be back soon. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to have us back, which is a nice change from last month when he kept asking if we wanted to add another manager to the mix to help him get Serenity to relax. If we end up back home soon maybe we can see how that spectacle is going.
My phone goes off again, and I glance over to see the new messages. There’s very little holding my attention here in Florida, but my family is one of the only reasons we haven’t hopped on a plane yet.
That, and Jo is hung up on Alastair. I don’t blame her, we both had a lot tied up into him, but she’s my priority. Everything else has to fall in order around her.
So texting my sister, who isn’t a big fan of my wife to begin with, makes me question what the point of all of it is. If she can’t even try to warm up to Jo after all these years there’s no hope. Jo didn’t really meet her when we were in high school, and we left soon after to begin our lives in Colorado. At least now my sister Echo is willing to speak with me, and hearing from her again so soon is fantastic.
VINNY