“I’m surprised you didn’t ask Tori to join us,” Rosalie said after the server had left us. “You guys are close.”
The panic began to rise in my chest, but Katia cut in before I needed an excuse. “She’s probably busy trying to get Chastity up to speed.”
“What’s she like?” I asked, hoping we could steer away from the fact that Vittoria was absent. “I saw her with Gabe after Christmas, but I didn’t get the chance to speak to her.” Chas had disappeared along with Gabe and I hadn’t seen either of them at the ball.
The conversation took a momentary pause as coffee was brought to the table. Once we were left alone again, Rosalie’s tone was hushed as she said, “Chas is a little... strange.” She settled on a word eventually.
“She’s a Perkins. Strange is a kind way of putting it.” Katia scoffed.
“You’ll have to fill me in,” I said, taking a drink from my cappuccino. My dependence on coffee had significantly increased since becoming a mother. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to the family.”
“No surprise.” Katia surveyed me over the top of her latte. “Luc’s not going to want you anywhere near that mess.”
My brow furrowed in confusion, and Rosalie clarified for me. “Silas murdered his wife when Chas was just a kid.”
I felt like I might be sick at the revelation. “That can’t be true.”
“She’s not here anymore, God rest her soul,” Katia said. “He was never convicted but let’s face it, we’re not known for doing a messy job. Chas has been flighty ever since. Everyone thinks college was her way of getting away from him for a bit.”
If that was the case, then why had Chas thrown herself into the thick of it with Gabriel? She may not have known that he was about to slip into the top spot, but Chas would have known the Moretti name. In a search for answers, I’d come up with more questions.
“I’m surprised Gabe brought her into the fold considering her family history,” Katia mused. “No one will do business with a Perkins anymore. No invites. No visits. Silas stopped coming to church. As if anything would be able to save his soul.”
“Katia,” Rosalie hissed, but Katia just shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m sure Gabe has his reasons,” I muttered, taking another drink.
“Whatever the reasons, let’s just leave them to it.” Rosalie pushed the conversation away from Chas and her family, less eager to revel in gossip than Katia.
Coffee drained and my tolerance for socialising well and truly maxed out, I watched as they both left me. Katia planted a kiss on both of my cheeks before walking away with a wiggle of her slender fingers.
“Ready to go?” Dom asked, coming over to the table.
“Mhm.” I hummed, fully prepared to head home to Luc, Link and whatever mess they’d caused. “Let me just grab the bill.”
Once it was settled, I joined Dom and Franco at the front of the café. Through the glass pane of the door, I could see that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Rain came down in large, fat droplets, bouncing off the sidewalk and people hurried to find cover. January was in an awful mood and I craved the milder, better behaved summer months.
As I opened up my bag, Dom said, “I’ll bring the car around.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking up at him while my hand searched for an umbrella I was sure I’d packed. “You’ll get soaked.”
“I’ll be five minutes. Are you good to stay with Franco?”
I nodded my head and Dom opened the door to the café, inviting in the bitter January weather before running off down the street.
My hand hit the umbrella at the bottom of my bag. Plucking it out, I wrenched open the door to call after Dom so he could try and save himself from becoming completely drenched.
“Mia,” Franco warned me. His steps were on my heels as we left the shelter and warmth and stepped out onto the street.
The rain hit my skin and made me shiver. Dom’s stride hadn’t rounded the corner yet and I called his name. “Dom!” He turned around and I waved the umbrella at him. Dom shot me a smile and walked back towards me. As I went to extend the umbrella, a shot rang clear and the glass panel in the door we’d just walked through shattered from the impact.
“Mia!” Dom’s cry was clear over the traffic and the panic that erupted from people nearby.
Another shot cut through the noise, I was shoved roughly, and my body slammed against the concrete, umbrella straying from my hand as pain consumed me. Dom’s feet came into view and I pushed myself to look at him, panic coiling itself in my chest. “Are you okay?” I asked him. He nodded his head, and I turned my attention to Franco to check on him, and my blood ran cold.
Franco was doubled over, leaning against the brick wall of the building, hands clasped over the side of his abdomen. From the floor, I watched as he peeled his hands away from himself to reveal the unmistakable red stains of blood.
Chapter Two
