Page 109 of The Enforcer's Revenge

Carina glanced to Brianna with wide eyes, both of them clearly understanding his confusion now. There wasn’t asomethingmissing from the details—there was asomeone.

Carmen looked at them too and then rubbed at the back of her neck from her spot sitting on the edge of the tub.

Dr. Acciai was doing a very good job of trying to be invisible while holding the bag of fluids above Nova’s head.

Nova swallowed hard again and tilted his head to stare at Carina in silent question.

“He got out,” Carina whispered.

Nova looked back at the ashtray, still rolling the joint against the bottom of the glass while keeping it lit like he needed something to do with his hands. “How long?”

“We lost him when Tino called and told us you were shot.” Carina shrugged. “So, whenever that was.”

Nova lifted his head and blinked a few more times. “What day is it?”

“It’s the eighth of July,” Dr. Acciai answered. “About nine o’clock in the evening.”

“That’s two days.” Nova still sounded like he was talking to himself, but now there was a dangerous edge to his voice. “When did the Brambino compound burn?”

“I’m not sure.” Brianna flinched when she said it. “I guess sometime this morning.”

Nova was quiet once more, and something about the silence was terrifying. His gaze looked less foggy, like reality was seeping in past the rum and morphine cocktail.

A knock echoed in the basement, and they all jumped.

“Hey, Zu!” Gino called out. “I got your burger!”

Everyone in the basement breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Carina ran upstairs to grab Nova’s burger and fries.

“I need a television and my phone. Not that one,” Nova grunted when Brianna held out his burner. “My real one. It was in the pocket of the white pants I was wearing when I got here.”

“We burned those, bello,” Carmen said softly. “Everything’s gone.”

“I didn’t see a phone,” Dr. Acciai agreed.

“Then it’s in my car.” Nova tapped his joint against the ashtray before he sighed with frustration. “My car’s gone too, isn’t it?”

Brianna nodded. “Tino must’ve left with it.”

Carina had unwrapped his burger on the way down the stairs. She held it out to him as she walked back into the bathroom.

Nova looked genuinely disgusted at the idea of eating it.

Carina put it in his face. “You know I’m right.”

Nova must’ve agreed because he took the burger and handed her the joint.

Carina took a long drag while Nova worked on the burger.

Both of them looked positively ill.

“You can’t hate me over this,” Carina started in a sudden rush, like she had been mentally practicing for a long time. “Because if you hadn’t gotten shot, then Tino wouldn’t have called Brianna and usedaiutoon her and?—”

“I need a television,” Nova repeated again, his voice icy.

“This is your fault!” Carina said passionately. “’Cause your dumbputtaniereass went and got shot!” Then her dark gazenarrowed like she knew things. “So, I really hope it’s worth it, boss. Maybe it’ll be extra tight for you this time.”