“Chloe, we need to get to your car.” Elle grabbed Chloe’s jacket and started running. “Now!”
* * *
Fuck-Fuck-Fuck-Fuck-Fuck-Fuck. Fuck!
Nero stared at Elle’s poster. She had written a poem on every page in excellent handwriting of all different sizes. Then she had glued them as a mosaic. The whole thing was white paper, filled with black words. It was cool to see which word stuck out at you. Nero had tried to read them, but Elle was embarrassed, saying they weren’t any good. He had caught glimpses and read a few while she was working on them, yet he had never been able to read all of them together until now.
Nero went up to the poster and ripped off a piece. She had seen them.
Nero handed the paper over to Amo and then ran his hands through his hair.
Amo quickly read the paper. “Shit.”
Vincent snatched it from Amo’s hands. “Fuck, man. What are you going to do?”
Nero grabbed the paper from Vincent, folded it up, and put it in his pocket. “I need to meet with my father. I’ll need you guys to stay with Elle. She’s eighteen now, and I don’t trust him not to make the call.”
Nero and Vincent nodded.
“Let’s go.”
When Nero got to the wall, Elle and Chloe weren’t there, and he started to worry.
“Where the hell are they?” Elle said she would be right here.
“Uh, Nero?” Vincent said quietly.
“What?” Nero turned around to look at Vincent and saw him pointing through the glass. “Fuck!”
* * *
“Chloe, could you please drive faster?”
“No, I can’t, not when I don’t know what we’re running from,” Chloe ridiculed.
Elle tried to calm her voice. “I told you; I can’t tell you.”
“Well then, I can’t drive faster. I could get a speeding ticket.”
“Your dad is the mayor, for Christ’s sake; who the fuck cares!” Shit.
Elle saw Chloe’s face and immediately wanted to take it back. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”
Elle sank into the seat and just let Chloe drive the way she wanted to. It doesn’t matter; I’m dead anyway. Elle tried not to think about Nero, but it wasn’t working in the silent car. All the fucking lies.
Elle held her chest. She had fallen in love with Nero only for it all to be one big lie. She couldn’t help thinking about all the times they’d spent together. Yeah, like last night.
A tear rolled down her cheek. She had given Nero a part of her she could never get back. She thought what they had shared was real, but she didn’t even know who the real Nero was. The saddest part was it had been right in front of her face the whole time; she had simply been too blinded by love to see it.
Chloe passed Elle’s neighbors’ house, and that was when she saw a dark car in her driveway with Amo and Vincent on the hood.
Elle’s nerves started to return. She had to get Chloe safely away. She was a goner anyway.
“Chloe, listen to me. As soon as I get out of the car, I need you to drive off and go straight home. Do not go anywhere.”
“Elle—”
“This is not a joke. Do it!” Elle ordered her.
“O-okay.” Chloe stopped the car for Elle to get out.
Elle took a deep breath before she opened the door and jumped out. “Go!” She slammed the door.
When she heard Chloe drive off, Elle contemplated running; however, they had seen that and covered the distance.
Elle held her hands up. “Chloe doesn’t know anything. I never told her, I swear.”
Vincent took a deep breath. “Get in the car, Elle.”
Elle looked at the two people she’d thought were her friends. “Promise me you won’t hurt her.”
Vincent grabbed Elle’s arm and tugged her to the car. “Come on, sweetheart.”
* * *
Nero knocked on the door and a second later, Lucca answered. He came in to his father’s home office and took a seat right in front of him.
Dante leaned back in his chair. “Time’s up, son.”
Nero pulled the folded piece of paper out of his pocket and threw it onto his father’s desk. He watched his father read the paper and then lay it down. He could have sworn he was almost frowning.
“She saw us.”
She did. Nero nodded in agreement.
Dante looked up at his son. “Congratulations, son. You finished the job.”
“Well, I couldn’t have done it without Amo and Vincent.”
Dante gave a quick nod. “We’ll plan for the Omertà.”
Even though Nero hadn’t spoken his vows, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. “I want to get something straight first. We both know she isn’t going to talk, so you’re not going to kill her.” Nero shrugged. “If you do, then I’ll tell Maria and Leo you slit Elle’s throat. You’ll have no real fucking family left.” Nero’s eyes didn’t waiver after he’d said his peace.
Dante looked over at Lucca, who was standing in the corner.
Lucca walked over and took the paper off his father’s desk. “I like her.”
Nero watched his father’s mouth twist up into a smile.
“I think it’s time I met her.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Made Men
Elle tried to stop her body from shivering as she walked up to Nero’s house. Vincent and Amo had to push her along to even keep her feet moving. When the front door opened and she walked in, Nero appeared in the foyer. Elle turned her face away as if she had been lashed in the face. I was.