AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have a gun?” Kaylin asked, her eyes wide.
“Old habits die hard.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s been a shooting. On the edge of town, not close by, but we need to stay inside and stay alert.”
“You think it could be Cesare?”
“I doubt it. It’s far more likely to be a local disagreement—the family in question has been somewhat volatile lately. Why don’t we make coffee, order something sweet from room service, and wait to see what develops? Don’t forget we have twenty-four-hour security here.”
Finally, Kaylin nodded. “Okay.”
One more siren sped past while Nico was making lattes, and a waiter brought over a selection of petite fours, nothing heavy seeing as it was past midnight. And after the caffeine kicked in, Nico realised that Kaylin had divulged a rather interesting snippet of information earlier.
“You said that Cesare blocked off a street with a deliberate accident?”
Which was something of an oxymoron, when Nico thought about it.
“He was a psycho. You don’t need to tell me that.”
“Do you know the specifics? The building in question, the date, the people involved?”
“Some of it? It happened over a year ago, and he did so many bad things that I can’t remember the exact date. Why? Does it matter?”
“It might. Emmy’s team is still quietly investigating the Manassas incident, but if they can’t find enough evidence to prove your innocence, she mentioned making a deal with the authorities—information in exchange for immunity.”
“I…uh…” Kaylin lost focus, and her gaze wandered downward. “Uh, could you put a shirt on? Your chest is distracting.”
Distracting? What was that supposed to mean? Nico obliged and tugged on a plain white T-shirt, and he decided to take the comment as a compliment.
Distracting.
Kaylin had begun pacing now. “I know things. Of course I know things. Cesare had a phone voice, and that voice was loud. I could hear him talking in his office, even if the door was closed. And he used to invite his brothers over to watch baseball, and his cousins, and his friends, and I was meant to keep Matty quiet and serve chips and beer and stay out of the way. And they talked too. More like bragged, really. You shoulda been there—when Eddie Locatelli’s head hit the sidewalk, it cracked like a fuckin’ egg. But if I took a deal, then wouldn’t that mean admitting guilt? I didn’t run that officer down.”
“I know you didn’t, zolottse. But knowing it and proving it are two different beasts.”
“And if I spoke to the police, or the FBI, or whoever, that would mean coming out of hiding. If things went wrong, then I’d end up in jail. Or worse, Cesare’s men could get to me. He owns cops, Nico. High-up cops.”
Nico caught her hand as she passed. “Don’t be upset. It was only an idea.”
“I hate it. I just want to live quietly under the radar and hope they forget me.”
The chances of that happening were slim, in Nico’s opinion. About as likely as finding the evidence that proved her innocence. Forgetting Kaylin La Rocca was impossible, but he wasn’t dumb enough to say so.
“Then we’ll focus on building your new life. You just need to decide what you want the future to look like, okay?”
“Okay.”
She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder, and heaven help him, but he wanted that new life to be right here in Baldwin’s Shore.
* * *
“Do I look okay?” Kaylin asked.
“You look perfect.”
It was no lie. They’d made another trip to Coquille yesterday, and Kaylin had added to her wardrobe. Tonight, she’d picked out dark blue jeans, fur-lined boots, a tight pale-pink top, and a chunky cardigan. It wasn’t the kind of outfit she’d worn in New York, but she seemed more comfortable in it.
