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His gaze flicks to the gun in Storm’s hand and he takes another step back as he turns back to me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play stupid,” Storm growls and Luca’s face hardens, all the false bravado he can muster making his chest puff out.
“You seriously think I’m going to tell you that?” He laughs. “You guys are so out of your fucking league.”
“Who is it?’ I snarl, eyeing the burner phone on the counter to my left. If I can distract him long enough, I might be able to swipe it. I’m sure Streak would love to get his hands on it and see who Luca has been communicating with. Luca takes a step toward me, his eyes gleaming, and Storm flicks the safety off on his pistol, stopping the little shit in his tracks. He flashes me a smile.
“Your little cunt is as good as dead whether I’m the one that kills her or he sends someone else to do it.”
It’s all the excuse I need and I cock my arm back, slamming it into his stupid face with all the power and rage I can muster. He goes down hard, smacking his head on the floor and while he’s distracted, I swipe the phone off the counter, slipping it into my pocket. Once it’s secured, I stalk toward him and plant my feet on either side of his body as I grab his shirt and haul him up.
“That is not going to happen and if I ever see your face again, I will take you out into the woods and blood eagle your stupid ass. You know what that is?”
He shakes his head and I grin.
“I’d start by slicing your skin all along your spine before peeling the flesh back to reveal your ribs. Then, I’d use an axe to separate your ribs from your spine and pull them away so they protrude from your back…”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay. I fucking get it.”
“Good,” I snap, dropping him back onto the floor and walking back over to Storm who is watching him with disgust. “Between me and your pissed off boss, I’d think about getting out of town, Luca.”
He doesn’t say anything else, flashing me a snarl that I meet with a grin. During this entire investigation, I have felt like we were treading water but for the first time, things are moving forward and I know I will do whatever it takes to put an end to this so Izzy and I can start our lives together. Leaving him on the floor, Storm and I walk out of the apartment and down the stairs to the front door. Once we step outside, he turns to me and shakes his head.
“Where in the fuck did you hear about that blood eagle thing?”
I grin, shrugging as we walk back to our bikes. “Izzy and I have been watching Vikings to pass the time.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I think he was about to piss himself when you were describing that.”
“That was kind of the point.”
He nods. “I suppose. You think it’ll work?”
“Probably not but it doesn’t matter,” I answer as I pull the stolen phone out of my pocket and show it to him. He laughs.
“Oh, so that’s what you jacked off the counter.”
“Yep,” I answer, slipping the phone back into my pocket as we reach the bikes. “I figure Streak is going to have a lot of fun with that.”
As he swings his leg over his bike, he snorts out a laugh and rolls his eyes. “You’re probably going to make him cream in his pants when you show him that.”
“On second thought, maybe you should give it to him.”
“Not a fucking chance, asshole,” he quips, shaking his head and I laugh as I climb on my bike. The engine fires to life beneath me and a thrill skates up my spine, bringing a smile to my face. Things are finally looking up and for the first time in years, it feels like I can finally look forward to the future without any fear or reservations. Now, I just have to get Izzy to that place, too.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Isabelle
My hands are shaking and there is an aching emptiness in the pit of my stomach. Staring out at the city from the passenger seat of Diego’s truck, my mind spins, trying to come up with the perfect way to say what I need to say to him, the correct way to frame it and explain myself but nothing feels quite right. It’s why, over the past ten days, I’ve hyped myself up and talked my wary heart into having this conversation with him so many times, only to change my mind and back out at the last minute. But I’m so tired of having this hanging over us. Saying what I need to say to him is going to suck and it’s going to hurt like hell but I just need to get it over with. I’m not doing either one of us any favors by keeping it to myself and when it’s done, we can decide how we want to move forward.
“Take the next right,” I instruct, pointing to the street coming up. My voice sounds weird, like me but also not like me at all and I rub my hands down my skirt as I take a deep breath. Diego glances over at me as he turns, his brow furrowed and worry etched into his expression.
“What the hell is going on, Iz? Where are we going?”
I point to the open space up ahead, nestled in between rundown apartment buildings. “It’s just up there.”
“Mama, I don’t know if it’s safe to be out here,” he warns, scanning the street and I nod. One good thing about all my freaking out is that I haven’t had the mental capacity to focus on Luca or what he might be up to which has been a relief. Diego informs me of the progress they’re making with the case but things haven’t been moving as quickly as he would like and all seems to be quiet at the moment so it hasn’t been able to hold my focus.
