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“Yep. I took the liberty of ordering some. You guys need to eat,” Angela said. She helped the men deposit the food on the table, giving them one box to share as a thank you.
“Thanks, Angel.” Roman smiled at her, already lifting a lid. “It’s from Sorrento’s!” He sounded like a boy at Christmas.
“It’s your favorite,” she told him easily. He kissed her, tasting of pizza sauce thanks to the bite he’d already taken. She didn’t mind.
Claire sat beside her, and they caught up over pepperoni, discussing ideas for The Ark. It was nice to focus on something else, if only for a minute. The reprieve was short-lived, though, as Luca jumped up and shouted. It was very loud, and she almost dropped her slice.
“You found something?” Roman was already striding over to him.
“You bet your ass I did.” Luca’s smile was tight-lipped but satisfied. “It took a lot of work, but I got an angle from a storefront that the pickup passed when it was fleeing. The traffic cams only showed the guy covered in black through the tinted windows. But thanks to a combination of the sun, a reflection, and the new angle, I picked up a new detail.”
When he paused, Morrigan hurried him along. “Well, what is it? Don’t leave us hanging here, Luca.”
“I’m just sending the image to the projector so you can all see,” Luca said, pressing more buttons. “There’s a small patch of exposed skin between the driver’s gloves and his sleeve. I can make out a tattoo.”
“A tattoo?” Angela repeated, staring at the blank wall in anticipation.
“Partially,” Luca corrected. He plugged the projector into his laptop. “I don’t think it’s enough to identify the driver, but maybe you’ll recognize it from someone Godfrey worked with. That would prove he’s lying.”
“It was such a long time ago. Anyone working with him then would be getting on in years,” Abel pointed out.
Luca sighed. “I know. But it’s worth a shot. Anything is at this point. Besides, maybe one of you will recognize the tattoo. This guy may have been hired locally for the job.”
Just then, a grainy image popped up on the wall. Roman squinted at it. “The skin is white. That’s new information at the very least. Good job, Luca.”
Luca glowed under his brother’s praise. “The resolution is a bit crap, but it’s the best I could do.”
“You’re incredible, Spiderman,” Salvatore crooned, pulling Luca into his arms. Luca giggled endearingly until his fiancé kissed him breathless.
It was sweet, but Angela was more focused on the image. It was black and gray, and she thought she could make out some knuckles, perhaps a triangle. She wasn’t sure what the tattoo was. There wasn’t enough of it exposed. But one thing she was positive of was that she didn’t recognize it.
“It’s not familiar to me,” she revealed, disappointed. Roman, Abel, Sal, and Morrigan confirmed they didn’t recognize it either. “Damnit, it could still be anyone.”
“It’s more than we had ten minutes ago,” Roman stated. “Luca, can you run a reverse image search? See if you get a match?”
“Way ahead of you, bro. It’s already running,” Luca responded.
“Don’t bother.”
They all looked at Claire. Roman frowned. “Why wouldn’t we bother?”
“Because I recognize it. See those there? Those are the tips of a star. And that’s a fist.” Her voice was flat, and she was very pale. “Robert has a tattoo like that.”
Angela’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
Abel jumped to his feet. His what was more of a bellow. “Your ex-boyfriend, Robert?”
Claire had to clear her throat before she could answer. “Yes.”
“Why would your ex try to run Angela over?” Roman demanded. “You all said the truck was aiming straight for her.”
“Claire was walking to Angela when it happened. Maybe it wasn’t aiming for her. Maybe it was aiming for Claire,” Morrigan suggested.
Roman planted his hands on his hips, glowering at Claire. “Great, just what we need. Your psychotic ex. As if we don’t have enough to deal with.”
“I’m sorry,” Claire whispered, hunching her shoulders.
Angela got up and stood behind Claire’s chair, placing her hands gently on Claire’s trembling shoulders. “Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault. Way to be sensitive, Roman.” Angel shot him a disgruntled look.
