Mateo Ricci
I’m beginning to hate this place when she’s not in it. Which is more often than not. How is it that after so little time together, I simply can’t imagine a life without her?
“Goddammit!” I mutter, resisting the urge to fling something, as I pace around my empty apartment. I thrust my fingers into my hair, wishing I didn’t feel so fucking helpless. When my phone rings abruptly, I almost take my frustration out on that…until I see the number.
“Matt?” Reed says as I answer the call.
“Got any news for me?” I respond.
“That was going to be my first question.”
I rub my eyes. “What do you want, Reed?”
“That shitfest at the Whitlock place last night…”
“Yeah? What of it?”Fuck.He’s going to make my life hell over this.
“I don’t suppose you had anything to do with it?”
I heave a sigh. There’s no sense in denying it. I’d taken off that ridiculous mask before leaving the place, and I’m pretty sure there were cameras everywhere.
“So what if I did?”
“For fuck’s sakes, Matt!” It sounds like he’s clenching his teeth. “You were supposed to tell me before you got involved in anything!”
“It all happened too quickly,” I lie. “I spotted her, Reed. Andy… And she was there with Whitlock. I had to go in. I wasn’t going to stick around waiting for backup.”
There’s a rough rasp as he exhales heavily.
“Goddammit.” He pauses, then continues, “At least tell me you weren’t stupid enough to go in there with the Caraldi kid.”
“Who? Raoul?” I keep my tone even. The last time I’d seen him in the club, his face had still been obscured. I’m pretty sure he’d have been smart enough to keep his identity hidden.
“Well, the older brother’s back in Vegas, so yeah, Raoul,” Reed says.
“Nope. Haven’t seen him in days.” No way I’m telling him Raoul was involved. I know he’s full of shit, but I couldn’t have made it this far without his help. He’s not the man I pegged him as. Sure, I wouldn’t trust him around my daughter if I had one. But he had my back last night. To a degree.
“You sure about that?” Reed isn’t buying it.
“Absolutely. You’d be the first person I’d call if I thought the Caraldi brothers were involved in this gig. Besides, as I told you, I saw her and went straight in.”
“And how did you know where to look for her?” He doesn’t seem to be convinced.
“I spotted her earlier in the day. Stayed on her tail. When Whitlock popped out of the woodwork, I knew she was in trouble. Especially in that place.”
Reed gives a wry chuckle. “Sex club, I hear?”
I feel a swirl of relief as the intensity of his tone seems to ease.
“Yeah. Regular fuck palace. You don’t even want to know what was going down in there.” My mind goes back to the pounding music, the dim red lights, and the pervasive smell of sex. Not like the wild scent of Andy that still saturates my bedsheets. That place was a pit.
“Went down!” he smirks. “I can imagine. Then what?” Reed pushes on. “You went in with guns blazing? There was a fucking firefight, Matt.”
I rub my forehead, knowing he’s going to expect a solid story. And he’s not going to swallow it without checking it out. I have to get my facts straight.
“Andy was with Whitlock all right, but I’m not sure what he had planned for her. Maybe just parading her around or some shit.”
“So how the fuck did that escalate into a gun battle? There were bodies, Matt! People died!”
