“That’s all I’ll say.” Mrs. Rostelli waits until Ben steps back and then closes the door in his face.
Ben turns away grumbling under his breath.
“She’s a real peach,” I say falling one step behind him down the ratty front porch steps.
“The Rostelli people have run shady businesses for generations. They think they get to pick and choose when the police should help them.”
I wait until we’re both sitting in the car and buckled before I ask my next question. “Do you think the same guys who burned down her store are the ones I didn’t see?”
“I don’t know, Amanda. I just try to put the bad guys away. The Rostellis received a hefty settlement check from the insurance company to cover the damage to the back room. When you’re working with criminals, you never quite get the full story.”
He’s got that right. I hate that right now I’m one of those criminals he can’t trust.
At least with Mrs. Rostelli he knows she’s not trustworthy. Of the two of us I’m worse.
“I wish I could help, but I’m not sure what else I could say.” Besides the truth.
Ben pats me on the leg and turns out of the neighborhood. “Don’t worry. You’re doing everything you can. We’ll figure this out.”
Except he’s wrong. I’m not doing everything I should. And I worry he is going to figure it out. My stomach rumbles and Ben makes a joke about missing dinner, but it has nothing to do with my lack of food. I can’t fix this right now, but as soon as I get home I’m going to sit Hudson down in the living room and explain the whole story. I can’t do this anymore. I’ve lied enough. I’m done.
I’ll tell him everything. Lay the truth out there and then get on my hands and knees and beg for his forgiveness.
Then together — as long as he forgives me — we’ll come to Ben and tell him what happened. The only hope I keep lies in my friends’ easy forgiveness.
I don’t want to be a snitch and I don’t want to lose a friend, but I must get these lies out. They are eating me away inside.
“Here we are. Do you want me to walk you inside or text Hudson to come and get you,” Ben asks, pulling up next to the curb by my building.
I roll my eyes, but off to the sides so he can’t see. “I can manage walking into my apartment, Ben.”
Plus, I don’t want these two together. I’m ready to burst, so I need to get out of this cop car and see Hudson as soon as possible. It’s too much to spill my guts to both of them at the same time.
My head is lowered and I’m determined to run up to the fourth floor as quickly as possible. There’re truths to tell. My steps are lights as I walk into the building and I turn back to wave goodbye to Ben.
For the first time in weeks I feel good about one of the decisions I’m making. Definitely the right choice. Even if Hudson never speaks to me again, at least I’ll no longer lie to my friends. From here out I will work to be better.
No more lies.
“Amanda!” a male voice yells through the stone lobby, and I flinch, getting ready to duck in case it’s Richie’s shooter come for me. I suck in a breath and then stop breathing.
I turn on my heel ready to run out the front doors when my steps are stalled with the face of my youngest brother.
“Alex! What are you doing here?”
“I came to spend time with my favorite sister,” he says throwing a large duffel bag over his shoulder and walking up to me.
We hug and I step back noticing he’s still a good six inches taller. I’m the only one the family who didn’t get the tall gene.
I know his excuse of being here to see me is complete bullshit. He’s up to something. Alex is always up to something.
12
The first-floor lobby is full of windows and I check around hesitantly. Damn, living with Hudson is wearing on me. Now he’s got me looking for potential gunmen on the streets.
“Come on, Alex. Let’s go upstairs.” My brother in my apartment is not the smartest decision. It would be much better if I could keep him here and away from the mysterious man who is currently sitting in my living room. I’ll have to answer a lot of questions, but it’ll be easier to do it this way than if I wait too long and Hudson comes to search for me. A tall lumbering man running down the steps with his gun drawn is not a sight my brother needs to see today.
The four flights of steps go by too fast as I spend them internally debating whether I interrogate my brother about why he’s here or come up with a good cover story for Hudson and me. There’s absolutely no way, not one in 1,000,001 chance I’m going to tell my brother I witnessed a shooting and now have a full-time bodyguard until the guy wakes up in the hospital. I might an adult, but that’d get me a one-way ticket back home. Or worse my entire family would end up here. Either way it wouldn’t end well for me. And while my brother and I share a sibling bond, this isn’t like asking him to not tell anyone I’m sneaking out for an after-prom party. Alex has never been tightlipped to begin with. There’s no way to keep something this big a secret. He’d burst.
