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"Your mom betrayed the family and now she's dead. You do the same and you will be too."
I'm not sure if that's enough but he looks like he's about to strike me so I have to get out of here, but there's one more confession I need from him.
"Did you kill Renzo's dad?"
His fist strikes my cheek. I stumble back and double over as the sting spreads through my head. "He killed Ricky."
The next punch knocks me to the floor, but I brace myself with my forearms. "You need to stop asking questions, Milana. You should hate Renzo too and get his confession. But you won't, will you? You stupid rebellious bitch."
The kick is coming next. No. He'll never kick me again.
Before his foot makes contact, I'm scrambling from the floor and running to the door. I make sure I have my purse clutched tight in my grip.
He grabs my hair, but I fling the door open and slam it against his face. I keep running. The pain sears my scalp, but as long as I run, I'll be okay. I have what I need on the recording. Now I'm in the hallway and there's other businesses out here. He won't beat me in public.
"Milana. Come back here. Come back!"
As I race down the stairwell, I catch a glimpse of long strands of my hair between his fingers. He killed my mother for disobeying him and he'll kill me too if I don't get out of here. I have no doubt now.
I'm slipping and sliding down the steps, taking them two at a time. The handrail is the only thing holding me up. I pass two men on the way down. Good. More witnesses.
I make it out to the street and run for my life. My heart batters a frenzied beat against my ribcage. The cold wind stings my eyes. I'm a fast runner. I can run away from here and he'll never catch me.
My Jetta is already packed and loaded. I have the map, my figurines, my lights, my bracelet, and Foster's jacket. I have a plan. Boston first, then California.
I'm never coming back to him. Ever. Goodbye, Dad.
I hope to God he's lying about killing Foster. If he's dead, it's my fault.
Chapter 24 Shotgun
Lachlan Cutlass is an extremely nice man and seems like a good detective. He took all my information and offered to protect me while he looks into it all. I told him no, I'm going somewhere I'll be safe. I gave him the number to the phone Foster gave me and flew out here to California.
Now I'm trying to follow the map Henry gave me. I have to use the odometer on my rental car to estimate how far "about two miles" is. Sure enough, when my meter clicks over, there's an old fence and a dirt road that veers off to the right. There's a gnarly tree, but they all seem gnarly. Brown pine needles cover the area, but faint tire tracks show a path.
My heart beats so fast, it causes pain in my chest. A cabin comes into view at the top of a hill. The location matches the large X on the map. There's no cars in front, but the porch light flickers yellow. I park and exhale. I hope this is it. I feel like I've journeyed a thousand miles. I guess I have. I'm over 3,000 miles from home in a strange forest with towering ancient trees. I have no idea what creatures are out there. Do they have grizzly bears here? My throat tightens and my white knuckles refuse to let go of their grip on the wheel.
I gasp when my phone buzzes in the seat next to me. It's Lachlan, the FBI detective.
"Hello?"
"Mila. We got the indictments and made the arrests." His voice is high-pitched like he's excited.
"Oh my gosh, really? That fast? It hasn't even been twenty-four hours." This is scary and exciting at the same time. My family knows now I've betrayed them. I have to be strong and keep moving forward.
"We'd been working on the case a long time. The info you brought was what we needed to make the arrests."
"So my dad and Donnie are in jail?"
He clears his throat and his pitch lowers. "Uh, Donnie Bianchi is in custody. Vaughn is still at large."
"At large? You mean you don't know where he is?"
"We're working on finding him as soon as possible." I don't like the worry I hear in his voice.
"Okay." My voice drops off.
"You sure you're safe where you are?" Lachlan Cutlass is a good guy. He kept his word and he's following through with me. "You did the right thing."
