31. Tomas
31
TOMAS
S he’s seriously out of it. Her head is lolling back, and she looks like she’s slipping into unconsciousness. I pick her up and gently set her down on the nearest bench.
My first call is to our doctor, Matteo. I quickly describe Ali’s symptoms. “She’s passed out on the bench,” I say, resisting the urge to shout and rage. “I need you to look at her.”
“Where are you?”
“Castello.”
“And you said she threw up? That’s a good sign. Take her home and put her to bed. Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thanks, Matteo.”
He doesn’t sound too worried. He doesn’t insist I take her to the nearest hospital. I make myself take a calming breath and look around. Shit. The dock is a mess. The collision I caused took out a support, broke the decking, and wrecked half of the railings. The structure looks like it’s minutes from sinking into the water.
And then there’s the dead guy lying a foot away from me. Plus, the one I threw into the canal.
In situations like this, there’s a protocol to be followed. I’m supposed to call Leo and let him sort it out. Or, if he’s unavailable, Joao.
But it’s late at night, and Leo is newly engaged. I don’t want to bother him with my mess, so I call Joao instead.
“Tomas,” he booms. There’s loud music playing in the background, and he’s almost having to scream into the phone to be heard over it. “What’s up?”
“I need a cleaner.”
“One sec.” The line goes silent as he puts me on mute. When he returns, the music is much softer. “Did I hear you right?” he asks sharply. “You need a cleaner?”
Cleaner is code. “Yes,” I reply. “Book her for two hours.” Two hours equals two bodies. I seriously doubt anyone is listening to our phone calls, but it’s always a good idea to take precautions. “It’s a bit of a mess.”
“Send me your location. I’ll be there.”
I do that and turn back to Ali. She’s half-sitting, half-lying on the bench. I sit next to her in my sock-clad feet—the loafers are covered in blood and vomit and are a write-off—and put her head in my lap. The kidnappers chose this point to abduct Alina because the surrounding buildings are warehouses, abandoned at this time of the night. Had we been in a residential neighborhood… That would have been a much messier situation.
I got lucky. Really lucky.
Who would want to abduct Alina, and why? It doesn’t make any sense. It’s not Groff—Leo has a surveillance team on the man, and I know he’s in London, trying to con some Russian heiress into investing in his nightclub venture. Could it be Ciro del Barba? That seems extremely unlikely. Del Barba might not like paying out a hundred grand, but he’s not going to commit a crime in Antonio Moretti’s city for something that’s pocket change for a man as rich as he is.
So who could it be?
I’m still trying to puzzle it out when Joao shows up. He made really good time—it’s been less than fifteen minutes since I called him. He’s not alone, either. Paulina is with him, as are a couple of her cleaners. She takes one look at the scene and gets to work.
Joao surveys the carnage with expressionless eyes. “Is she okay?” he asks me, gesturing to Alina.
“I think so.” The adrenaline drains out of me. The last time I killed someone was four years ago, when Leo needed backup during a gunfight, and I was the only person available. “Matteo is going to meet me in my apartment to make sure.”
“Good. You should take her home. What happened here?”
“Two men were trying to abduct Alina.” I nod in the direction of the man sprawled on the dock. “That’s one of them. The other is in the canal.”
“Why were they trying to abduct her?”
“I don’t know.”
“You should have left one of them alive for questioning,” Joao says, stating the obvious.
“I wasn’t thinking straight.”
A smile twitches at the corner of his lips. “Clearly,” he agrees, looking like he’s trying not to laugh at me.
I ignore his mirth. “I don’t think anyone heard anything.” I look around at the surrounding buildings. “Nobody turned on a light.”
“Don’t worry—Paulina and I will handle the situation. Go take care of your woman. Dante wants to talk to you in the morning, by the way. He said the padrino will want a debrief.”
I nod soberly. I killed two men tonight, and bodies are inconvenient. I’m going to have some explaining to do.