Page 99 of Virtuous Lies
I nod. “Trixie looked at her funny, too. Stared for a few seconds longer than comfortable. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I assumed it was because Gabbi got in her face. But now that I think about it, there was something deeper to it.”
“You think they were friends?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“What then?”
I scowl at Enzo, the bluntness in his tone flaring my temper. “I don’t fucking know. I’m just telling you what I observed.”
Vincent moves between us. Enzo opens his mouth to speak, but the elevator doors open, and they both lift their guns.
“Fuck,” Leo startles. “Stop aiming your fucking guns at me.”
twenty-three
“Who was the Delaney bitch you were asking about?” Enzo asks, his voice carrying up the stairs.
Andre’s body was collected. Zipped into a black bag that signified an ending he didn’t deserve. My legs gave out, and I sobbed so hard that I couldn’t see. Enzo and Leo made themselves scarce while Vincent attempted to console me. In the end, he gave up on words. He picked me up, cradled me to his chest, and took us back to our apartment. In our bedroom, he laid me on our bed and told me to rest. I don’t know how he expected me to sleep when I was being choked by guilt. Closing my eyes would only welcome nightmares of Andre’s dead body. The promise of life in his eyes making me want to believe he was still alive. As if Andre’s death wasn’t traumatic enough, I couldn’t wipe the footage of Gabriella being dragged out of the building by a gun-wielding liar.
After endless discussions, Enzo, Leo, and Vincent all agreed to pull the police into searching for Gabriella. The more people who looked for her, the more likely they were to find her. Evidently, certain information was held back on a need-to-know basis. NamelywhoGabriella is to the family.
I’d showered in the hope of removing the stench and culpability of death from my skin. It was in vain. The more I scrubbed, the more exposed I felt. I cried until I was so dehydrated my eyes ached with aridity.
I pulled on a pair of sweats and a bulky hoodie, wanting to disappear into the cumbersome material. I couldn’t bring myself to crawl back into bed, so I moved to the stairs leading down to our living room.
Vincent, Leo, and Enzo are standing between our dining table and the lounge. I can’t see them, but I can hear them well enough. Likely, my presence is known, but no one has commented on my eavesdropping.
“Gabriella had her name scribbled down by her phone,” Leo answers. “My guy is looking into it.”
A phone rings. “That might be him now,” Leo murmurs. “Mikey,” he greets. “You’re on speaker.”
“Okay. This shit was a fucking maze to sort out. Don’t rush me as I speak, got it? I’m only telling you shit of substance.”
“Understood.”
I shift closer to the banister, arching my neck to move my ear closer to listen.
“Krista Delaney is a detective working in organized crime. She also assisted in moving Rita Romano into witness protection. Rita maintained her silence on the child’s paternity. It’s still unknown. Krista was a fucking pit bull with the situation, pushing Rita to testify against her husband, Joey Romano. With me?”
“Mm,” Leo confirms.
“I’ve sent you a picture of Delaney. Look at it.”
I stand, moving down the stairs, not caring that I’m overstepping.
Leo slides his thumb over his screen, pulling up his messages.
“Trixie,” Vincent curses.
“What?” I push past, taking Leo’s phone.
I stare at the photo of Trixie.Krista. Her official FBI photo staring up at me with intention and drive.
“One and the same,” Mikey responds. “When Rita wouldn’t give in to Delaney’s demands to sell her ex-husband down the river, she went undercover. Enter Trixie Castlemaine.”
I thrust Leo’s phone back into his hand, stepping back from the three men.
“Why has she got such a hard-on for the family?” Enzo muses.