Page 29 of The Italian Reckoning (A New York Criminal Empire #3)

SARAH

“ I feel like I should start with one hell of an apology.”

Rocky takes the offered seat on the couch and tucks one leg underneath himself, then he accepts the glass of wine I press into his hand. Iris streaks through the lounge and disappears under the table, growling softly in Rocky’s direction.

“Cute cat.”

“Thanks. But hold on, why are you apologizing?” My limbs feel loose and easy.

I’m more relaxed than I have been in weeks, although I can’t pinpoint whether it’s Rocky’s presence or the fact that he just railed me on the kitchen table.

Sitting at the opposite end of the couch, I pour my own glass of wine while watching Rocky sip his.

“Six weeks is a long time. I should have called. Should have done something to?—”

“Let me stop you right there.” Setting the bottle aside, I stretch out one leg until my foot is resting against Rocky’s thigh.

“That morning when your father turned up… I was terrified. Not just for me but for you too. Everything I thought I knew about him and how your world worked just went out the window when he broke your arm.” My stomach tightens.

“I can still hear it when I close my eyes. When he dumped me by the side of the road, I was so scared that I’d never see you alive again.

” The wine does nothing to calm the rising tingling in my throat as if bile is trying to claw its way up my throat.

“And then I got a message from Evelyn a week later and I knew you were alive.”

Rocky remains silent for a few minutes, his eyes on me as if studying every detail of my emotions that I’m too tired to hide. “He… would it make you feel better if I told you he’d always been like that?”

“No!” I lean forward and nudge him with my toes. “That’s awful.”

“That’s life.” He shrugs. “Although that’s the first time he personally broke a bone.

” Rocky lifts his arm and slowly flexes his elbow.

“I suppose that was my wake up call. I knew things were bad. For the past year or so, I’ve been watching him pull us further and further away from everyone.

Our world only works if the people under him give us the respect we need.

And usually, they do out of fear or loyalty, but my father has been ruling on fear long enough that people aren’t scared anymore.

So I’ve been trying to fix that by building relationships, but all he sees is me fucking around. ”

There he is, the real Rocky Barati laid bare.

On the surface, he does strike me as a man who wouldn’t know responsibility unless it jumped up and bit him on the ass, and I did think he was some kind of playboy, but deep down, he’s not.

He’s a man who cares and uses his laid back attitude to make people feel at ease so they let him in and trust him to do what’s right.

“But your arm,” I say softly, my voice low. “He did that to you and you stayed?”

Rocky shrugs one shoulder and drinks. “He’s my family at the end of the day.

I needed time to recover and make sure he wouldn’t put a bullet between my eyes, and then I thought I could get him to really see what I was up to.

But he’s so stuck in his ways that anything I suggest comes across as a threat.

Even his adviser, Domenico, is having a hard time. ”

“Who?”

“Domenico Del Prete.”

“Wait, the Del Prete Brewery guy?”

Rocky chuckles. “I forgot that’s how you’d know him. But yes.”

“And he’s your father’s adviser?”

“Anyone in charge has one, if they’re smart.

To the people, it makes it look like they have someone to keep them in line, but in truth it’s just a way to get things done when you can’t show your face everywhere.

Domenico’s sort of like a second father to me.

At least he showed me more affection than my real father ever has.

He’s spent years being the shore my father beats against. He came back from Italy over a month ago to try and rein in my father, but things have been…

” Rocky trails off and shakes his head. “He’s fighting a losing battle.

And if I’m not careful, there’s not going to be much of a family left for me.

But that’s not the only reason I’m here, because I really do want to apologize. ”

“And I said it’s not necessary.” I can’t expect an apology when Rocky’s own father will go as far as breaking his limbs to keep him in line.

That kind of monster can’t be appeased with words.

“Not that I’m not over the moon to see you, which is totally the wine talking, but I don’t want you hurt because of me. ”

“This is my choice.” Rocky’s warm hand rests on my ankle and he massages gently. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the casino and I kept worrying that too much time had passed. That some other stranger had whisked you away.”

“No sexy bikers have stopped to save my life recently, if that’s what you mean.” I chuckle softly, and the fizzing tension in my chest gives way to the warmth of affection. “So, you snuck out to see me?”

“Mmhmm.” Rocky drains his glass and sighs, smacking his lips together. “One, because I needed to see you before I exploded. And two… the murders.”

Oh. Right. “I’m not on that case anymore.”

“What?”

“My captain kicked me off. Belle’s case is closed.” I lean forward. “No one told you?”

Rocky shakes his head. “I don’t give a shit what they say. It’s not closed on our end. How can it be when there was a second murder?”

“I was too close to the case and the uhm… the killer called me again.”

“What?”

“A lot, actually. He checks in to make sure I’m still on edge. That’s why I had my gun ready.”

“You thought I was him coming to get you?”

A dry, papery laugh escapes me. “You have no idea. Anyway, my captain kicked me off the case and closed it because my involvement would prevent a conviction.”

“Because you worked on it back in Montana too?”

“Something like that. So my way is a dead end, I’m sorry. I don’t know how much help I can be.”

“But you haven’t given up,” Rocky says. “I know you. This is important to you. There’s no way you’d give up. You said you needed to make up for your mistake and get justice for his last victim back in Montana. There’s no way you’d just walk away, right?”

“Am I that obvious?” I laugh softly.

“I’d say passionate.” Rocky smiles warmly.

“But my father… I tried to make him see sense, but he refuses to enter the 21st Century so I’ve decided I’m going to do this myself.

I’ll solve the case, I’ll get justice for Gio, and I’ll show all the families under us that I care.

Fuck my father. So if you’re of the same mindset, maybe we could…

” His smile turns a little cocky and he lightly squeezes my ankle.

How can I say no?

“Come on.” Climbing from the couch, I motion for Rocky to follow me. He does after darting around Iris who still hisses sharply at his presence. She’s never been good with strangers.

Rocky follows me through to my small study where every single detail of the case is spread out on the walls and the floors, with everything from Montana to New York.

“You’re right,” I sigh. “I can’t give up.”

“Holy shit…” Rocky sets his empty glass down on a paper-laden table and moves toward the wall. “This is everything?”

“Everything I could get my hands on. Every victim, every location, every bit of evidence he left behind. Every picture of the makeup masks he left for us. The lives of all his victims… everything.”

“What a fucking psychopath. I’ve seen some shit in my time,” Rocky murmurs.

“The Mafia draws in twisted minds to an extent, but this?” He cautiously reaches out to touch a few of the pictures and follows a few red threads between clues, but his movements are hesitant.

As if his very presence could disturb how carefully I have everything set up.

A heavy silence falls as Rocky pieces things together in his mind while slowly walking around the room.

Iris joins us and she hops up onto the window sill, watching Rocky with her thick tail swishing back and forth.

Rocky drinks in every drop of information until he reaches a row of pictures taped in a straight line. “Who are these?”

“Every detective who worked the case back in Montana.”

“You had seventeen cops on this?”

“Detectives,” I correct. “And yeah. It was a huge case. Technically still is.”

“Then why is he so obsessed with you? The killer, I mean. Out of everyone, why did he follow you across the country?” Rocky glances at me over his shoulder with his brows pinch together. “Is it because of your mistake?”

My secret hangs on the tip of my tongue. With a rush of adrenaline, my heart begins to pound like a powerful drum against my ribs and blood rushes so fast to my head that a flush of dizziness overtakes me. I lean against the bench and nod slowly.

“Yeah.”

The hoarse tightness of my voice makes Rocky spin to face me, concern spreading across his eyes. “Sarah?”

“I… he’s obsessed with me because of what I did.”

“What did you do?” Rocky takes a step closer until I hold up my hand, forcing him back.

“I escaped,” I whisper tightly. “I was his last victim. The p–person I want justice for is me.”