AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turned the corner, the familiar area coming into view. We were officially in the uncontested and neutral territory between the three families. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, the wind rushing in my ear.
“Extra?” I asked, lifting my eyebrow.
“This is it.” She pointed to the hotel on the left.
Like,thehotel. My heart sunk, my flesh running cold. Hotel Santora.
I stared at her, wide eyed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Let me walk you in.”
“It’s okay. Security knows me.” She smiled politely, rummaging through her bag.
“Do you come here often…or?” I asked, the stress growing.
“Something like that,” she said, pulling lipstick from her purse.
I idled in the valet drive, staring at the Santora Hotel—but no one ever referred to it as that. The Santora family was neutral ever since the treaty. They cater to all, and all the organizations pay penance to them.
Mr. Antonio Santora, before my time, had stopped an all-out war between the major families in the town. Liam’s grandfather, the Skorpios patriarch, and the Mare’s grandfather were ready to drown the beaches in blood, whether innocent or not.
Antonio stopped them. They found a way to separate the town into sections evenly enough that each of the families agreed. An agreement that has stood for three generations now. The Santora’s became the families’ mediators, the neutral party that kept everyone in line.
I glanced at Audry, adjusting her makeup so nonchalantly. “Are you a Santora?” I asked blankly.
She froze, her lipstick smudged outside the edge of her lips. “Yes. It’s uh, it’s something I don’t really like to discuss,” she muttered, her cheeks flushing.
Shit just got a lot more fucked,I thought. My mind raced for an explanation I could give to Liam.
“Thank you for the ride,” she whispered hesitantly.
Hell, I didn’t even know what to say to her.
“Of course, anytime,” I said stupidly.
Did she know who her family was? Did she know who she’d killed? The questions sat on the edge of my lips, threatening the very existence of order that kept this city in check.
Instead of saying anything, we both sat there staring at one another, the silence heavy. That was until her phone began buzzing incessantly.
“I need to get going,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Then she disappeared inside the hotel, leaving me confused and reeling.
The drive home was a blur. A singular blur of nothingness. I couldn’t tell you if I ran a red light or hit a pedestrian—I was on autopilot.
“What’s up?” Logan said, jutting his chin at me from his lounging position on the couch. Liam had moved some furniture into the house a few months ago as we continued renovating it for sale.
“Where’s Liam?” I asked, sitting on the staircase, my head in my hands.
“Upstairs.” Logan shot up, coming over with concern on his face. He shouted for Liam to come down, the thundering steps indicating that Liam had listened.
“What’s messed up now?” Liam asked, the scent of bourbon thick on his breath.
“Audry,” I muttered, glancing up.
“What other trouble could she have possibly gotten into in less than five hours?” Logan asked, leaning against the wall, his arm crossed.
