Page 123 of Ruined

The bastard was like smoke. Every lead I followed vanished when I got close. I’d spent weeks combing through dark web forums, calling in favors, even tracking down people who owed me nothing but would do anything to avoid the Bratva.

As long as he was out there, I’d never feel safe with Dominic. Alexei knew what would break me. He’d done it before, back when I was just a kid.

The memory hit hard: Alexei standing over Yuri, his smile cold and sharp as he pulled the trigger. A man who begged for mercy, who bled out on the floor while I stood frozen.

My phone buzzed, snapping me out of it.

Santino

You’ve got this, Luca.

Dom hadn’t answered my texts. Not a single one. I needed to let him go. Texting him over and over made me feel pathetic. Like that asshole Frank. Dominic had made it clear he was done with me, but there was nothing left without him.

I smoked in the yard. The nicotine hit my lungs, a dull warmth that didn’t do shit to ease the knot in my chest.

“Luca?”

I glanced to the right. Mrs. Peretti stood in her backyard, wearing a thick robe.

I stubbed out the cigarette. “Hey, Mrs. P.”

She squinted at me. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks. Just what I needed to hear.”

Her gaze softened. “Where’s that handsome friend of yours? The one with the nice suits and the fancy car?”

My throat tightened. “He… left.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You have a fight?”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

Mrs. Peretti tutted. “That’s a shame. He seemed good for you, Luca. Kept you out of trouble.”

“Yeah, well. I wasn’t so good for him.”

“Was he your boyfriend?”

I froze. “What?”

She gave me a knowing look. “The way you two looked at each other, honey. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“He’s a friend.”

“Uh-huh.”

I swallowed hard, my chest aching. Even my neighbor had pieced together the truth.

She sighed. “You know, I’ve lived a long time, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people come and go. But the ones who leave a hole in your heart? They’re worth fighting for.”

I stared down at the stub of my cigarette. “He wants nothing to do with me.”

“You sure about that?”

I blinked. “He’s made it pretty clear.”

“Did he? Or did you convince yourself of that because it’s easier than trying?”