“I don’t care what you believe as long as you pay me,” he grunts.
With a sigh, I jerk open my purse before pulling out a wad of cash and handing it to him.
“Tell me you have something good.”
He swallows, eyes darting around the alleyway nervously. He’s way more on edge than he usually is, which is making me even more worried.
I really shouldn’t be here.
“The Vitale wedding. I know who took a shot at Marino.”
My eyes widen and I’m instantly on alert. “Who?”
“Dante Vitale,” he whispers. “The Shadow.”
I frown. “He shot at his brother’s father-in-law? Why?”
“That’s all I know.”
“Are you joking?”
“Afraid not. Now, I also feel like I should warn you. Things are getting heated within the Vitale family. It might be best to stay the hell away from it all. My sources tell me they’re looking into you. You’re causing them trouble and you may find yourself face to face with trouble of your own soon.”
I’m sure he’s referring to Matteo. Matteo Vitale has been a pain ever since I served him. Creating false leads and roadblocksat every angle, making it difficult to take him down. I’m sure he enjoys fucking with me.
“I can handle myself,” I state.
He shrugs, tucking the cash into the pocket of his jeans, “If you say so.”
With those words he offers me a short nod and a salute, readying to disappear once again.
“Wait,” I say, making him pause. “Who fed you the information about the warehouse? Who are you hiding from?”
He stares at me, eyes assessing and for a beat I think he won’t reply. But then he does.
“The same person who fed me the information.”
“What?” I press, confused.
“I’m hiding from the same person who fed me the information that turned out to be a trap.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re not supposed to. Try to stay away from trouble, although I don’t think you’re capable of that. I’ll see you around.”
The shadows swallow him up and then I’m left all alone in the alley. I stand still for a couple seconds, turning over the conversation in my head.
At least until I hear the small squeak of a rat and remember where I’m standing. I rush back to my car and I don’t breathe easily until I’m driving past the street. Until the darkness and the shadows fade away.
The farther I drive away from the neighborhood, the more my nerves loosen. Soon enough I’m in familiar territory. The streets become brighter and less menacing. People mill about, going about their businesses of the night.
I eventually pull up in front of my hotel. My hair flips over my neck as I step out of my car, the feeling of belonging settling deep within me once again.
For as long as I can remember, my life has been just like this. Posh hotels, expensive cars, private schools and vacations all over Europe. I grew up with a metaphorical silver spoon in my mouth, with a father who doted on me and everything I could have ever wanted at my fingertips.
And yet it’s never been enough. Trying to live a life of privilege to show you have everything you want is meaningless when you don’t have any of the things that you need.
“Welcome back, Ms. Beaumont,” the valet greets as I hand him the keys to my Lexus.
