“Mother! I know it was him!”
My eyes narrow as I track her gaze. It darts across the floor to the staircase.
I go perfectly still, a cold calm washing over me as I read her expression. “He’s killed before, hasn’t he?”
“There’s no proof,” she mutters. “And your father would never allow it.”
“But you suspect he has.”
Her expression is pained, her silence loud and obvious.
I raise my chin, clenching my jaw as rage surges through me. “He’s not going to get away with it again.”
Her eyes flash back to me, rounding wide with panic. “What are you going to do?”
“Go to the police. Tell them the truth.”
“No! Ana, you mustn’t… Not for that boy.”
I flick her hand off my shoulder as soon as she places it there. Stumbling back, I crash into the wall. “How can you say that? You condone this?”
“Of course not! But Marco is your father’s brother. You would see him go to jail?”
“If he’s guilty of the crime, yes!”
“No.” She points her finger at me. It’s shaking. “You are a Sorrentino. We stick together.”
“By keeping dark secrets?”
Her face flushes with color while my eyes narrow into thin slits.
“I won’t do it.” I shake my head. “I will not turn my back on this.”
“You cannot betray your family.” Mom’s voice shakes. “They are blood.”
“I don’t want them as my blood! He’s a criminal!”
“The risk is too high. The consequences…” Mom’s cheeks pale. “Please,” she whispers. “Please, stay silent.”
“I couldn’t,” I choke into the trash can. “I’m innocent. He’s guilty! It has to end with me, Mom. It has to.”
Tears swarm my vision.
My family has lived in the shadows for too long. I’ve suspected dodgy dealings for years—dirty money, theft, smuggling. Our house is too secure. Our lifestyle too lavish. There are too many meetings behind closed doors, and secret smiles at parties.
I don’t know how my father and uncle provide for us. I’ve never wanted to. It was easy to turn my back on it all…until Robbie died.
My father would never condone murder. He might steal and lie, but he wouldn’t kill. He’s only protecting Marco out of loyalty, trying to clean up my stupid uncle’s mess.
I don’t have that same conviction.
And now I have even more reason to feel this way. I didn’t kill Robbie. And I don’t care what kind of beef is going on between the two families.
All I know is that Robbie and I weren’t doing anything wrong.
Uncle Marco is the devil. He deserves to go to prison.
Slumping back against my desk, I pull my knees to my chest and whimper.
I’ve betrayed my family for justice. To put an end to it.
But now I’m scared that I won’t have stopped anything but my own life.
#16:
Unbidden
Trey
Kade grabs my sleeve and tries to pull me back as we race each other up the stairs. I laugh and shove his shoulder. He has to grab the railing so he doesn’t fall but it motivates him to charge double-time up the stairs. We reach the door at the same moment and jostle through it.
Yes, we’re acting like five-year-olds, but it’s fun and so we do it.
We fly down the corridor and skid to a stop outside our door, Kade giving me one final shove to make it through first. I let him have it.
“Yes!” He raises his hands above his head. “Champion!”
I roll my eyes and dump my bag at the foot of my bed. Riley’s hunched over his desk with a dark look on his face.
“You okay, Ry?” I shrug out of my jacket and start loosening my tie.
He turns to scowl at me and that’s when I see it. The welt on his cheek.
Dammit!
“What happened?” My voice is tight, snappy.
Memories flood me. Riley with a bloody nose, a wedgie, a split lip. The list goes on. Ivan and his buddies made an art form of torturing him freshman year and he never said a word. That’s why I stepped in and served up my own form of justice.
“You touch him again, you’re dead.” I growled the words in Ivan’s ear before spitting on his face and stalking away.
Strike one. I was on kitchen duty for an entire semester.
It’d been worth it.
Riley came to help me of his own accord and we became best buds while we scrubbed those foul pots and pans. I put it down to fate.
Ivan hadn’t come near either of us again.
Until now.
Looks like I’m about to get kicked out of Eton.
“Where is he? I’m gonna kick his ass.”
Kade plants his feet beside me, crossing his arms. “Not before I do.”
“It wasn’t Ivan,” Riley mutters and rolls his eyes.
My face asks for more while my lips bunch into a tight line.
Riley doesn’t want to say. He never does.
“Spit it out.”
Gently fingering his puffy cheek, he murmurs, “Chris got shitty and threw his big-ass flashlight at me when I wasn’t looking.”
Kade snickers. “What?”