My forehead pulsed with a dull ache.
“Bruno…” I bit off my excuses. Anita had invited Merissa to stay at the dinner party; that was insult enough to Bruno. But when Lanton had walked into the room, I’d almost choked. Lanton knew it too, sauntering over with a winner’s smile ready, his handshake pinching mine. A threat, a warning, a sadistic game to a twisted fuck. I’d wanted to lay him out on the floor right there. Tear his throat out and leave him choking on his blood.
But Bruno didn’t know that. He’d seen me making room for Lanton and Merissa at the head of the table, at my right side, and indulging in conversation that half the room heard because Lanton didn’t have a filter or volume control. The guards who had let him in without verifying his invitation had been dismissed. My head hadn’t been on straight. So many things had flown right by me.
“He killed my sister. A good woman, a loyal woman. A rarity in this cesspit of a city. When she found the photos of those girls, she took them straight to Matteo. She trusted he would make sure Lanton received justice. But he didn’t, and his reticence left my sister vulnerable. He protected a sadistic murderer, and she paid the price. Diane didn’t deserve it, Romeo. And if she hadn’t been smart enough to send me her proof, I never would have known.”
My stomach soured, intestines twisting at his plaintive tone. I knew all of this. I’d seen the photos Diane had swiped that showed exactly what Lanton was capable of. It hurt me thatDiane had found such graphic, violent evidence, and my father had done nothing about it. But Lanton had talked his way out of it; he’d tied up all the loose ends. It didn’t mean his depravities stopped. He’d all but proved it by flaunting his quick marriage to Merissa. Bruno carded his hand through his hair.
“He wasn’t invited.” I reached out to placate my friend, but he snatched his arm out of length with a snort.
“I had to watch him snivel in the front pew at her funeral, making a performance of dabbing at his eyes. Not a month later, he’d remarried to that little bitch.” Grief and anger helped the curses roll off. I let him get the toxicity out. He wanted justice for Diane and for every woman Lanton had twisted into pieces. Merissa was a victim like them, but Bruno couldn’t spare any compassion for her. Not when she wore Diane’s ring and sat in her place. It was too much to ask him to spare the girl his anger. She didn’t deserve it, but I was still furious she’d come to the house. Desperate people make mistakes, and I couldn’t afford any more of those.
“Nothing has changed.” I flicked my gaze to the closed double door. I swore I heard a creak. Bruno charged onwards, his frustrated exhale blocking out any other noise. He pointed a shaking finger at me.
“It’s been months. He’s not content with his wife. Matteo might not give a damn, but I do, and I keep tabs on all the missing persons in Greenich Bay. Two more blondes this month, gone without a trace. He’s gotten better at hiding the bodies. Whatever is left of them. So, I’ll ask again, how much longer until you make Lanton pay?”
I pushed up from my chair, pacing the room. Underneath the door, a shadow shifted, and I forced myself to whisper through clenched teeth.
“I will get justice for Diane. For all those poor girls. You can trust me.”
Bruno’s jaw clenched, and his fingers picked at the table.
“I want to believe you, Romeo, but I won’t let an Orazio spill pretty lies and fall for it again.”
His words mirrored what Anita had spat at me last night when Merissa lied about being pregnant with my child. My nostrils flared hot, and I started to pace. There was a weight I couldn’t shift in my stomach, and it made my feet drag.
I was useless.
I couldn’t get a meet with The Gardener. His wares had been the solution to Bruno’s voracious desire for revenge. A rabid need twisted my insides as well. I wanted Lanton Vani dead. But he was entwined with my dad who didn’t see past the boisterous buffoonery to the calculating evil underneath. Lanton had to be dealt with carefully, removed naturally. I didn’t know how to do that. I didn’t shoot people in the back. Those who crossed me knew it was me taking their life. This plan took a nuance that stalled me, and Bruno was right to feel frustrated.
“How long have we been friends?”
Bruno’s ire froze, dwindling slightly. He threw his hands up and for a moment, I thought he would say we were friends no longer.
“Too damn long. I never thought I’d live to see you happily married, but here we are.” His eyebrows arched. “I’ve known you too long to give you blind respect. I’m always going to speak my mind, to tell you when a situation is wrong.”
I slowed, and my hands clenched at my sides. The curtains billowed, bringing with it more noise from outside.
“I don’t want you to. You’ve been bossing me around since I tried to take the last chocolate milk in grade three. I promise you, Bruno, I am doing everything I can to make that man disappear. Don’t do anything stupid and let it be traced back to you. You want to avenge your sister, but all she would want was for you to be happy.”
Bruno rubbed his throat, letting out a wet cough.
“Alright, enough. I didn’t realize you’d turned into a sap.” His sleeve coasted over his glossy eyes. I looked toward the door again. The shadow was gone, but my unease didn’t disappear. My staff knew better than to hover at doorways. They knew what I was capable of.
But my wife didn’t.
Was she listening at the door? I hoped not. She was too pure to know the truth about Lanton Vani. I wanted to keep her safe, untouched by the horrors my life welcomed. Her father might have been a guard for the Orazios, but she lived as all the women did in this world. Safe, sheltered and protected. I thought about how carefully my dad protected my mom. Our house was her castle and there had been an invisible moat around it. He kept it free of work and danger. But the memory of kissing Anita sparked down my spine. My blood mingled with the taste of her. I would let her ravage me eternally. But even with her bravado, she wouldn’t be able to handle the knowledge about Lanton Vani. She didn’t need to know how dangerous he was to both of us. He was using Greenich Bay as a macabre playground and my dad refused to stop him, but I wouldn’t stop until he was put down. I didn’t want Anita caught up in what could be a vicious battle. She was my wife, and we were joined. The thought settled over me like a blanket, coating me in delicious warmth. She was mine, and I would protect her. She might not care for me very much right now, and I didn’t have the time to beg or explain. Not without giving too much away.
“Perhaps marriage has changed me.” I twisted my wedding ring.
There were only two things I needed in the world right now.
Lanton Vani dead and Anita’s forgiveness. I wouldn’t stop until I earned both.
5
Age 15
