Page 123 of The Fates We Tame

I reach my hand for Theo. Iwasa neat freak. The last time I visited my apartment, everything was neat as a pin. I took photographs so I could learn the layout of my belongings.

“I’d like to see my things,” I say.

Once Paulie has shown us to a large unit, he tries to hang around.

“We can take it from here,” Bates says, blocking my view of Paulie.

When he disappears, I turn to Theo. “The last time I went to my apartment, it was spotless. There wasn’t a thing out of place. I was a neat freak.”

“You think someone went through your stuff?” Theo says.

“I’m not sure what I think, just that the mess doesn’t sound like me. I just…” I glance over my shoulder to see where the others are standing. I know Niro could hear me if I speak normally, and I don’t trust him with this information. I drop my voice to a whisper. “The call with Alessio. Maybe my father does know that I knew something. Do you think I could have had the evidence in my apartment?”

“We don’t have time for a full search,” Bates says.

I didn’t hear him come up behind me. “That was a private conversation.”

Bates looks at me indifferently. “It affects one of us, it affects all of us. You dragging my brother into some internal shit in La Cosa Nostra could have implications for the club. Now isn’t the time for secrets.”

“You’re right,” I admit. “I’m sorry.”

Spark looks at his watch. “We have two hours. We can search through as much stuff as we can.”

Theo leads us into the large storage area, and I take in my belongings. They are all out of order from how they were in my apartment. Kitchen appliances mingle with books from my living room. Clothes sit on rails covered in clear plastic.

“I don’t know where to start.”

“If there’s possibly evidence in here that might lead you to better understand what’s going on in your family and how at risk you are, we should go through it with a fine-tooth comb. It’s unlikely anything is going to obviously trigger a memory,” Theo says.

“Please be gentle with my things.” I take a deep breath to bite down on the overwhelming feeling of panic enveloping me. “I have no idea what’s important or not, but I’d hate to break or ruin things I might want to keep.”

“Do we have any clue what we’re looking for?” Vex asks.

“I have a feeling it’s some information about Cosa Nostra business or my father. I have no clue what form it will take, but I’d look out for reports, paperwork, a laptop, maybe.”

We spend the next two hours rearranging the storage space. We go one item at a time. Opening books. Digging in pockets of clothes. Poking through jewelry to see if we find any mysterious keys to a security box.

Anything.

It turns up nothing.

I start a small pile near the door of things to take to Theo’s. Winter clothes. Cashmere sweaters. Some thick-soled boots and a long champagne-colored parka.

“Maybe they found what they were looking for,” Niro says. “If all your stuff was already searched.”

“Anything is possible,” I say. “But it strikes me that if my father had found out that Alessio and I knew something, say my father was stealing from the family for example, he?—”

“Your father was stealing from the Cosa Nostra?” Spark asks.

I shake my head. “No. Well, maybe. Like, if you think it through, I held a position with financial responsibility regarding real estate. My brother told me I was looking into some financial data and was up to my neck in spreadsheets. Doesn’t it make sense it was financial irregularity? Oh, but, please, you can’t mention it outside of this room.”

Theo squeezes my hand. “You can trust every man here.”

Niro laughs. “It’s like you don’t even know me.”

Spark throws his arm over Niro’s shoulders. “Don’t put yourself down. You’re doing so much better.”

“Can you tell that to Rae?” Niro asks.