Page 44 of Devil's Thirst
I place a kiss on her cheek and walk away without another word. I don’t want to stay and say something I’ll regret. I already have enough regrets to last a lifetime.
“Someone knowshow to make an entrance. My phone hasn’t blown up like that since my father passed away.” Renzo stands athis front door, having opened it before I finished walking up the steps to his brownstone home.
Renzo is my cousin and the boss of the Moretti crime family. All the men in my family have been part of the organization, and if I stay in the city, I’ll need his acceptance to return to the fold. He’d be entirely in his right to refuse me for a number of reasons, most prominently being concerns about my loyalty. I’ve spent four years as part of another organization. The fact that Renzo is the one who sent me there is irrelevant. I stayed longer than expected. He has good reason to be wary.
“Word got around,” I say in an even tone. “Sounds like the method was effective.”
“Effective, if not a tad dramatic.”
Tension coils in my shoulders. Renzo is a master at cloaking his emotions, and I’ve been gone long enough that reading his tells is a challenge.
“Wasn’t my intent. I’m not the same kid I was when I left.” I decide to cut to the chase, not sure if he’s giving me a hard time or genuinely concerned I’m still trouble.
“I can see that. Didn’t mean to imply you were.” He takes a step backward out of the doorway. “Why don’t you come in? I figure we have plenty to catch up on.”
Not an outright rejection.
I take it as a good sign and follow him inside, scanning the unusual style of the front entry. He bought the place right before I left, so I never got a chance to see it. It's not what I expected from him, but it’s not terrible. A little rustic for my taste.
Renzo takes me back to his office and pours us each a drink.
“Would it be a safe bet to assume with you back in town that my brother is here, too?” He hands me a glass, his steely gaze monitoring my every minute movement. His vigilance is unnecessary. I have nothing to hide. When I decided to announce my return, I spoke to Tommy first so that I’d knowhow he wanted his own homecoming to unfold. I knew this exact situation was unavoidable.
“He’s here. I asked him to lay low until I had a chance to come by. He should be reaching out later today.”
His shoulders relax a fraction when he exhales—a movement that’s hardly noticeable to the naked eye but a surprising show of relief coming from him.
“I started to doubt you two were ever coming home. You planning to stick around, or is this a temporary visit?”
“I suppose that depends on a number of things.”
“One of those being me?”
I nod. “Obviously, you have the ultimate say on whether I’m welcome here.”
“You were never unwelcome, Sante. Hope you know that I didn’t want to send you away. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You don’t have to explain anything. I get it. I needed a fresh start, and you had a lot on your plate. I’m not sitting on some kind of childish grudge. I told you, I’m not that person anymore.” Finally saying those words to him is a brick off my chest. I mean every bit of it, though that wasn’t always the case.
My cousin studies me, and I hate that I’m tempted to fidget. It’s amazing how we regress to former behaviors when around people present in our youth.
“Alright, then,” he finally responds. “If we don’t need to talk about why you left, how about you tell me what brought you back. I assume there’s a reason you’ve returned after four years away.”
“I’m back for Amelie Brooks.” A simple statement for a simple fact.
I note the tiniest twitch under his right eye. I’ve managed to surprise him.
“Lina Byrne’s little sister?” he asks in a curious tone.
“That’s right.”
“Did you two stay in contact while you were away?”
“No.” I don’t offer more of an explanation. I’ll give it if he asks, but I’m not one to spill my guts for no reason.
He nods slowly. “How’s she feel about you being back?”
“It’s … complicated.”