Page 43 of Bound to a Killer

Toxic fumes waft over as I step out of the car, carried by a sharp breeze slicing through the air. Antonio and his partner match our pace, the four of us converging in the center of the open lot.

I slip a hand into my leather pocket and smooth my thumb over the sturdy handle of my pocketknife, letting it ground me.

“Wilson.” Antonio lets out a brisk laugh, the corners of his mouth tugging his aging skin and deepening the creases around his eyes. He tilts his head toward Tanner. “Scott, nice to see you two on time.”

“Antonio,” I greet with a slight dip of my chin. “To what do we owe the pleasure of this surprise meeting?”

His easy smile settles me, but only the slightest bit, and I roll back my shoulders to shake off the tension.

There’s nothing to worry about.

“Let’s get right to it, shall we?” he says, clasping his hands like he means business.

The bodyguard to his right doesn’t share his grin. His dark, beady eyes stay trained on me. Antonio isn’t exactly known for his stature, but he appears even smaller next to his partner’s towering frame, his army green flight jacket stretched tight across a chest nearly as wide as he is tall.

I glance away from the Hulk-like bodyguard and back to Antonio. He clicks his tongue, eyes ping-ponging between Tanner and me. He’s really dragging this out.

To keep myself composed, I count five steady seconds between each breath, forcing myself not to slip back into doubt before he speaks.

“I wasn’t sure how I’d bring this up, but I’ll go ahead and come out with it.” He drops his smile. “Hope you don’t mind my new companion. I know you two aren’t well acquainted. It’s because he usually works for me undercover.”

Hulk over there grunts. That’s the only contribution we get from him.

“I brought him along today for security reasons.” He lowers his voice, raising a hand to cup the side of his mouth, like he’s telling a secret. “There’s a deceiver among us.”

A chilling silence falls over us momentarily. My fingers clamp harder around my pocketknife, but I don’t whip it out. Not yet.

“In our circle, trust and loyalty are valued above all else,” Antonio says, pausing to glance at Tanner.

Tanner sputters in a moment of panic, uncomfortable with the long stare. “Of course, we’re nothing if not loyal to you and The Ringer.”

Antonio narrows his eyes, a low hum vibrating deep in his throat. “Well, I’m sure you’ve seen the news. The girl…What’s her name?” He glances over his shoulder at the hulking man beside him.

My heart leaps, but I don’t let it show.

Tanner stiffens next to me, and I can practically hear thepanic in his silence, the accusation sitting on his tongue. There’s no need to panic, though.

“Ah,” he exclaims, fingers snapping. “Aria Wayne, that’s right. She’s tied to the case. A liability.”

He turns to Tanner. “You told me you buried her, correct?”

“Yeah, well—actually,” Tanner stammers, his voice hoarse.

For fuck's sake. AndI’mthe problem?

Fucking idiot.

“I think there was a miscommunication,” I interject before he can sputter out something else brilliant. This shit isn’t about to fall apart because of his anxious ramblings. Antonio snaps his attention away from Tanner and locks it on me, holding mine hostage. “Couldn’t risk someone stumbling across her corpse, so I burned it to a crisp.”

Tanner whips his head toward me, his feet resuming the awkward shuffling that he’s been doing since we got here.

Antonio hums. “How convenient.”

There’s no proof I’m lying. If he had anything on me, he would’ve used it by now. He’s stalling, watching to see if I slip.

I don’t need to convince him forever, just enough to get out of here. This ruse only has to hold through this meeting. After that, we’ll be long gone.

After a long pause, he cracks a smile, baring his teeth in a way that says he knows I’m bluffing.