Page 89 of Twisted Trust

“Mmhmm. Seven and a half grand.”

“He’s here. In Vegas. Says he’s come to collect.”

“You need me to get her?”

I shake my head. “Mom’s entire squad is there. She’s fine, and I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill. Can you check that he got paid?”

Chip nods and while his fingers fly over the keyboard, I watch Scott shove his head into the bowl and lick up the remaining ice cream. It pulls an unexpected affectionate smile to my face as I watch until Chip touches my arm.

“It bounced.”

“What?” Together, we stare at the screen. “How does it bounce?”

“Looks like the account we sent it to was closed before payment reached so it came right back to us.”

“Why would he close the account when he knew he was getting seventy-five hundred?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Put his face out there. I want everyone on the lookout for him.”

“Understood.” Chip starts typing away until a pop-up takes over the screen and he groans.

“What’s this?” Leaning over his shoulder, I study the pictures flashing on screen. “Is this from the dinner?”

“Yeah. Your mother thought Elio looked his best that night and she wants that suit to be what he’s buried in.” Chip’s voice softens slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t think it would pop up like that.”

I can’t speak. One picture is of my mother and father arm in arm laughing at something off camera and they look so peaceful and happy. It’s strange. When I try to picture him, all I see is shadows and blood. It’s like his features have melted from my mind due to the intensity of the pain in my chest every time I think about him.

“It’s fine.” My voice is tight and an uncomfortable heat prickles my skin. “She’s right. It was a good suit.”

“Uncle Cameron!” Scott suddenly pipes up in utter delight from where he’s escaped his seat and wriggled in between me and the table.

“What?” My heart jumps.

“Uncle Cameron! You found him!” Scott’s cheers of delight cut through me like an ice blade as I study the picture on the laptop. Chip does an even worse job of hiding his alarm.

“You see Uncle Cameron?” Chip asks.

“Yeah, duh! Right there!” Scott stretches up his arm and points, but he can’t quite reach the screen. “Does Mommy know? She didn’t tell me!”

I scoop Scott up with both arms as my entire body trembles faintly. “Scott, can you point him out to Chip?”

“Sure!” Scott leans out of my arms and points at the screen. “That’s Uncle Cameron!”

His finger lands directly on a face in the background.

The face of my cousin, Antony.

32

MAEVE

Elio Gallo’s funeral is a spectacle.

It’s as if the entire city of New York turned up to say goodbye to a legend. While the funeral itself was an intimate affair with just Levi, Marcella, me, and a few close friends and guards, the entire perimeter was filled with well-wishers and people eager to offer sympathy. I’d never seen such a huge volume of people outside of a concert and it was eye-opening to the sheer influence families like the Gallos have over the world.

Career criminals, the Mafia is more loved and more feared than any other organization in the world and being on the inside is somehow more alarming. I stay by Levi’s side throughout the whole thing.