“Yeah, okay,” I said. “What do you want me to do?”
“She has to know,” Aldo said. “My son is in a hospital bed right now. We started talking about the kid before the fight and the gunshot. He was drunk as anything, almost weeping, feeling embarrassed that he hurt the bloodline. But the thing is, Tripp, all that shit is for the movies. It’s a guideline. And with Endo in a coma, that child is my only blood now. So I guess you could say there’s a provision.”
“You think Winter knows where she is?”
Aldo nodded. “Nobody just gives it up like that. That woman always has a motive. And I’m sure Endo knows, but he’s not waking up. And I’m not waiting any longer. Someone out there is my blood. Do you realize what that means to me?”
“No, I don’t, Aldo. I don’t know much about you. My job has been to fight and win you money.”
Aldo laughed. He crept forward and patted my cheek. “Too bad you’re the wrong blood. Bunch of Irishmen. Wild things. Can’t have that too close to me. Tripp, you’ve gone above and you need to keep going. Winter’s life is in danger, yes. But it’s going to be me who makes the call on her life. I want my granddaughter.”
Jesus Christ… I swallowed hard again. I forced myself to nod.
“You know, we talked,” I said. “She opened up.”
“Legs?”
“Her fucking heart,” I yelled. “She told me all she knows. Endo paid for the pregnancy to be hidden. He paid for her to deliver the baby and had everything arranged for the baby to be taken. That’s the last she knew. Endo left her hanging.”
“You really believe all that shit,” Aldo said. “Pull your head out of her pussy for a second.”
“Fine. The other thing I know about is Skull X. That’s where the answers are going to be.”
“Then find them.”
“Why can’t you?” I asked. “You have power.”
“The bloodline,” Aldo said. “This is touchy still. I can’t just run around like a damn fool.” Aldo came closer. “So here’s what you’re going to do. First, you’re going to keep your dick to yourself. No more fucking Winter. It’s done. Second, you’re going to go back to her with the assumption that she knows more than she’s been telling you. Remember who she is. A fucking stripper. She got paid to do that. Then she won over Endo. Then she won over Rocky. Put it all together for a second, Tripp.”
That was the problem. My mind was putting it together. And I hated that it made some kind of sense.
“Do you understand me?” Aldo asked.
“Sure.”
“You’re on your own from here. I want answers and I want my granddaughter.”
I thought for a second. “Aldo, if this Skull X group is serious… they killed Rocky. They went after Endo too. Do you understand that? If they…”
Aldo put a hand to my shoulder. He kissed my cheek. “Don’t fuck this up, Tripp. You’re still owed a bullet to the head. It’s just a matter of time and what you can do for me. As far as Rocky goes, I had to do something to bring this to life. Okay?”
For a second I thought my heart stopped.
Aldo killed Rocky.
“Now if you don’t mind, I have to go visit my son,” Aldo said.
Aldo left the room.
I stood there alone.
Everything I knew was a fucking lie.
Typical.
22.
(Winter)
I did as I was told.
I parked the car. I rushed inside. I locked the doors. I kept the lights off. I sat at the side of the bed, waiting. The silence was horrible. Staring at the clock didn’t help at all. The minutes were going too slow. I had no idea how long I was supposed to wait for Tripp to come back, if he did come back.
What if he was killed?
What was I supposed to do then?
I hugged my knees and fought back tears.
It was hard to explain, but Tripp meant everything to me. Whatever circumstances brought us together didn’t matter. When he was near me, holding me, touching me, loving me, it gave me a reason to look forward to tomorrow. The hell of darkness had been lifted.
Until now.
I was stuck in a room, in darkness, waiting. Hiding. Hoping nobody came to get me.
My mind went back in time, too.
I never meant to get pregnant. I never expected to give up my child. It was the hardest decision I had to face and yet my decision didn’t matter. Either way I was going to lose Autumn.
I knew who she was with.
That part I didn’t tell Tripp about. Yet. Not that it mattered. I hadn’t been in contact with Andrea for a long time. The last I heard from Andrea was that Autumn had teeth cutting through her little gums…
That’s when I finally broke down.
I cried like I would never cry again.
I gripped my knees. I grabbed for the carpet. I ran my hands through my hair. I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something.
When I couldn’t calm down, I stood up. I turned and flicked on the lamp.
Fuck the light.
Fuck getting caught.