Page 172 of The Fractured

“Well, I hope so. It would be unfortunate if he were buried alive at the funeral,” she said with mild sarcasm.

“Sorry for your loss,” Lily said gently, smiling slightly at Julia’s dark humor.

“Thank you, hon.”

I tried to relax. And tried Lily’s approach of being more understanding. “How are you? With everything?”

“I’m coping. Antonio left behind a lot of unfinished business, which is the reason I’m here.” She seemed to brace herself for what she had to say next. “Antonio had plans in place for if the worst should happen to him. He left me in charge, but he also wanted me to have a trusted business partner… The only person he ever truly trusted was you, Dean.”

I had betrayed Antonio’s trust by working with the cops — he knew this because of his mystery informant — but he was okay with that?

“He always said you reminded him a lot of himself — putting your loved ones first above all else. He respected that about you, despite what you did… I have made some changes to his plans, though. While he didn’t leave it open for discussion, I want you to know you have a choice in this; take the offer and pick up where Antonio left off, or leave it.”

When the initial shock wore off, I looked at Lily. There was a fine crease between her eyebrows, and she was subtly picking at her fingernails. Her eyes came to me and were filled with uncertainty.

She had been seeing Doctor Hamdan for the past five months, and slowly but surely, it was working for her trauma. If I went back to that life, what would it do to her?

The decision was easy.

“No.”

The crease between Lily’s eyebrows faded.

I pulled my attention off her as I continued. “Today was the last favor from him. I’m out.”

Julia’s smile was almost proud before she joked, “I don’t think anyone ever truly leavesthe family, but I respect your decision… Which is why I also have this. Not a bribe but a gift.”

She popped open her clutch and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me.

I hesitated but tore the envelope open and tipped the contents into my palm: a key and a bank check.

“Antonio wanted to give you that after your mother’s funeral, but that wasn’t possible,” Julia explained.

“That’s a check for a million dollars,” Lily whispered with her eyes on the piece of paper.

“That’show much Antonio made off Dean’s fights,” Julia grinned. “And then some.”

I scoffed in amazement. “That’s more than some… But what’s the key for?”

“Address is in the letter in the envelope.” She sighed to herself, before that warm smile was back. “I should get a move on. My brother is waiting… Good luck, you two.”

The fact that I didn’t know she had a brother was the least of my worries as we watched her walk down the secluded corridor to a back exit, where a man stepped out from an alcove and greeted Julia with a smile.

He wore sunglasses, casual clothes, and a baseball cap, but I recognized him immediately from my many visits to Mark’s office.

Detective Dante Riccardo.

Or Dante Ricci, Julia’s brother.

It was easy to figure out who Antonio’s new informant had been.

He pushed the exit door open for his sister, sending one last look our way before they left the building, bringing with them the weight that once sat on my shoulders.

My attention drifted to the envelope again, and I pulled out the letter within it while Lily watched.

True to Antonio’s style, there wasn’t much detail. Just an address for a place in Park Slope, Brooklyn, scrawled neatly across the middle of the page.

Chapter 60