Packing Heat(15)

“Relax,” he said. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

I let out a breath.

“For now, at least,” he added. “But you need to make some promises.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Stop looking into this story,” he said. “Hell, stop looking into anything that could be remotely connected with the mob. Don’t call the cops. Don’t leave the city. Lie low and don’t make any sudden moves.”

“Okay,” I said. “Fine. I can do that.”

“I mean it, Cassidy. Don’t do a damn thing without checking with me first. And no more fucking lies.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding. I had no clue why he seemed like he was helping me, but if it meant not getting killed or tortured, I was going to go along with it. “I’ll do whatever you need. Just don’t hurt me.”

He sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you. Okay? I promise. But the men I work for, they fucking might, so you need to listen to me.”

“I will,” I said softly.

“If you go to the cops, you’ll die. If you leave town, you’ll die. If you do anything remotely stupid, you’ll die. So sit tight and do nothing.” He stood up and finished his drink. “Thanks for the whisky.”

“Sure,” I said, my mind a buzzing blank.

He walked over to the door, and I stood up to watch him go. As he pulled it open, he looked back at me.

“It’ll be fine. Just do what I say.”

“Okay.”

He gave me a short look and then disappeared back out into the hallway.

I stared at the closed door and then ran over to it. I locked every lock and then collapsed onto the floor, unable to stop the fear from overwhelming me.

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to be some blubbering idiot who needed to be rescued.

But then again, I did need to be rescued. The mob wanted me dead, all because I had poked my nose where it didn’t belong. I’d thought I could help save the city, but instead I put myself in danger.

I had no clue why Rafa seemed to be helping me. He had clearly been sent to my apartment to hurt me, but he didn’t want to. Maybe it was because of what had happened between us. Or maybe he was just scaring me until I told him everything I knew.

I had no clue what his endgame was, or if there even was an endgame. All I knew was that I wanted to survive this. Getting killed over a story had never been part of my plan.

I felt numb and confused. I was just a normal girl trying to do some good in the world. Now I’d been thrust into something way bigger than me, something I could barely understand.

I felt cast adrift, and I hoped Rafa could keep me from drowning.





8





Rafa





I kept seeing the fear in Cassidy’s eyes as I paced the plush hallways.

The compound was the center of the Barone family’s power. It was a large mansion situated on an enormous plot of land, with everything from horse stables to swimming pools. It was the absolute peak of opulence and power, and everything in it screamed riches and wealth. The hallway I was pacing down was carpeted in rich, plush red over deep walnut hardwood floors. Expensive paintings lined the walls.

I didn’t see any of that, though. I was pacing the hallway outside my boss’s office, trying to get my shit together, trying to figure out how I was going to play this.

Vince didn’t need this girl dead. I knew he wouldn’t care. But Ernesto was going to be a problem sooner or later. It all depended on what that girl Dasha told them, if it was useful or not. If it was good information, they’d likely forget about Cassidy. But if it was bad, well, they’d need someone else to pump for information.

I couldn’t let her get tortured. I didn’t know why I was drawing such a hard line for this girl. I barely knew her. I hadn’t even known her real name. She’d been playing me from the start, or at least she had been trying to play me. I’d seen through her pretty easily, but still. It pissed me off that she was a journalist and I had gotten sucked into her shit.

She didn’t seem like a callous user, though. She struck me as pretty naïve, especially after last night.

I had seen the real fear in her eyes. I hadn’t exactly come out and told her what I was there for, but she clearly had figured that out. The girl wasn’t stupid, and we both knew she was in a shit position.

I couldn’t tell if she was a real threat to the organization or not. She didn’t seem to know much about Dasha or the Spiders, though I hadn’t pressed her too hard. My gut was telling me that she was just a girl in over her head, and my gut was right more often than not.

The problem was going to be trying to convince the others. I had some power in the mafia, but I wasn’t the highest ranking guy. I was close, but Ernesto could order me or one of his guys to kill the girl, and I’d have to listen.