Boy, was I right. The minute I shut the door behind us, she threw her purse at me. I caught it, which only pissed her off more.
“How dare you do that in front of my friend?” she hissed.
“You didn’t leave me any choice, sneaking out like that. What are you, twelve?”
The vein in her neck bulged. “Maybe I act like that because I’mtreatedthat way.”
I was pissed that she’d ditched me, yet I could understand why she was so upset. The woman had done everything she could to break free of her father, and somehow his shit still blew back on her. I spoke with a calm voice. “I get it. I really do. But my priority is keeping you safe, even if doing so also happens to make you miserable.”
“Tell me what’s going on. Why are we on lockdown?”
Vince had never instructed me to keep her in the dark, and I sort of thought she had a right to know anyway. “I don’t know that many details. Just that we have some extra eyes watching the house, and a guy named Sonny is a threat.”
Juliette’s face fell. “Sonny Altieri?”
I nodded. “You know him?”
All the anger was suddenly gone, and it seemed like she was on the verge of tears. She looked away. “I’m going to my room.”
***
I waited a few hours before knocking on her bedroom door. “Juliette? You okay?”
Her voice was small. “I’m fine.”
I pressed my ear to her door. “Can I come in?”
A few beats passed. “Yeah.”
She was lying in bed, curled in the fetal position, and didn’t sit up when I entered. “What happened earlier? I said a name, and you lost all your fight.”
“There’s nothing left to fight for.”
I pointed to the foot of the bed. “Can I sit down?”
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
When I did, Juliette sat up a little, leaning her back against the headboard and wrapping her arms around her knees.
“Are you scared?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’m used to lockdowns and threats.”
“Then what is it?”
“The name you mentioned. I haven’t heard it in a long time.”
I hadn’t needed Frankie to tell me to look up Sonny Altieri. I already knew he was a soldier for a rival family, one who seemed to be coated with Teflon. He’d been indicted for murder three times in the last fifteen years—and got off on every charge. Though I wasn’t sure why the mention of his name would upset Juliette, unless she was scared.
“Did he do something to you?”
She nodded. “Not directly, but to someone I loved.”
I waited for her to say more, but she just kept staring at her knees.
“One of the men he was indicted for killing?”
She shook her head. “He was never charged for killing Nick. I’m sure there’s a laundry list of other horrible things he’s gotten away with.”
