And again.
And again.
Others around me flinch as scarlet flecks coat them, as the crack of bones breaking sounds in the musty air around us.
My heart pounds in the same rhythm, even as I try not to think of her.
But she invades my thoughts anyway, images of her face and Bea’s crossing, merging, until I can’t tell one battered face from the other.
Cat.
Cat.
Cat.
Hands on my arm, pulling me back. Laughter, low and delighted.
“Just look at you.”
Glee- so muchgleein those drawled words.
“Perfect, Rossi. I knew you would be.”
I am not perfect.
I am broken.
Numb.
Gone.
Day 30 – Dante
Find her.
The bright lights of the strip flicker outside the window of our twelfth-floor meeting room.
Behind me, someone clears their throat. “Sir?”
Ignoring them, I stare mindlessly out of the glass. Stare at the dots far below me. Walking. Laughing. Seeing the sights of Vegas.
Enjoyingthemselves.
But my thoughts are far away from Las Vegas.
“Dante.” Vito’s voice is low, careful enough to draw me out of my silent observation.
When I turn, nobody meets my eyes. “We have nothing else?”
The flatness of my tone leaves no mistake over my reaction to the lack of information. Vito is the only one brave enough to respond, his arms crossed as he leans back in the leather seat. Lines of grief are still etched into his face, lines that weren’t there four weeks ago. “We’ve tried every avenue we have. Everycontact. But given the requirement for secrecy, it’s not that easy.”
His voice lowers further. “We’re trying, Dante. Everyone is trying.”
“It’s not enough.”
Stalking to the table, I slap my hand down against the large blueprint that covers the long table. The others in the room, the small number of people I trust to help me with this, look away.
Rocco speaks up next. “We have the outline, at least. It’s a start.”
