“Okay, this has been great, but we’ll do an official meeting some other time. Prime, come on.” I tug him away from the kitchen, up the stairs, and into my old bedroom.
He doesn’t fit. The space, I mean, and he’s clearly trying not to laugh at the decorations, some left over from high school.
“Not a fucking word,” I say, looking meaningfully at my Damon Salvatore poster.
“I’ll just note that you’ve clearly always had a thing for dark haired bad boys, but really, baby. The Vampire Diaries?”
“I told you?—“
He pulls me tight against him, hugging me so hard I can’t speak, breathing in the smell of my hair. I breathe him in too and catch the sharp scent of blood and sweat. I lift my chin to kiss him as relief floods me and the adrenaline begins to burn away.
“Carbone’s not a problem anymore.” He rests his forehead against mine. “God, Deanna, I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
“Doesn’t this mean Fontana’s going to know?”
“He’ll suspect, but I’m guessing he’s got bigger problems. Really, baby, I never should’ve?—“
“Stop it. You’re going to start blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault. I should’ve gone right inside, and even if I did, Carbone could’ve just knocked on the door.”
“What if I had waited?”
“Then he would’ve waited too. Just stop it, okay? I’m safe. My parents will be fine.”
“They got a corpse in their basement. I’m not surefineapplies here.”
“Fine enough.” I kiss him again, holding him tight. “I love you. Thanks for coming back.”
“Always.”
“This means you can’t keep waiting, though.”
“No, no more bleeding them. Fontana should be weak enough.”
I nod, closing my eyes. I know what he means, and I know what he’s going to do. It kills me, but I can’t stop it. How could I take that away from him? The revenge he needs?
It won’t make him whole, but at least it’ll stop him wondering.
“Promise you’ll come home. That’s all I care about.”
“I swear, baby, no more one-way-tickets. I have a reason to look forward to tomorrow now.” He kisses me again. “I’ll come home.”
I breathe deep to steady myself before pulling away. He thumbs at my eyes and wipes the tears up. “Guess you have some cleaning to do.”
“Hell of a way to meet your parents.”
“Not ideal.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll win them over.” His smile is so charming it’s maddening. “Moms always love me.”
CHAPTER 36
PRIME
Marco Carbone’s corpse splashes into the Delaware, down south beyond where the Schuylkill dumps into the tidal reaches. It bobs once, briefly, before sinking beneath the dark water, in the deepest part of the river, far from anywhere he might be found.
“Hope you fucking rot in hell,” I murmur, all the ceremony Carbone will ever get.
The sun begins to rise as I boat back to my launch off Kelly Drive. It’s a beautiful view, a crisp morning, a good time to wash myself of this fresh hell. I think about Deanna, the terror in her eyes, her family beaten half to death. Anger flares, but not so bright. Carbone’s already drifting away toward the ocean. He got what he deserved.
