Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
OLIVIA
T heo went to the Feds? That asshole is a dead man.
Halfway to the ground floor, I froze on the stairs. I’d been on my way down to have breakfast, hoping to catch Gabriel before he left for the day. Waking up after such a wonderful night, I couldn’t wait to see him again.
But that was before I heard his voice bubbling over with pure rage.
I covered my mouth with my hands as I scooted back against the wall, pressing my spine flat and praying that no one looked up the staircase and spotted me.
I wasn’t afraid Gabriel would be angry at me for eavesdropping. I was scared he’d stop talking.
Because the longer the conversation went on, the clearer it became that I needed to hear every single word.
Apparently, my idiot brother had done the one thing I’d begged him not to do. He’d gone to the authorities.
And now he was going to die.
A slow, icy chill crept up my spine as I listened to Gabriel’s man on the phone explain Theo’s plan to save himself with the help of the FBI and the Witness Relocation Program. It didn’t surprise me that Theo thought he could escape his problems, but it stung to realize that he wasn’t looking to save anyone else.
It sounded like he was the only one who had come to New York. There was no mention of our mom and dad or how they would escape the D’Angelo’s wrath. Just like there was no talk of what would happen to me if Gabriel was arrested.
I didn’t think he was knowingly sacrificing us as part of some massive black-hearted scheme. My brother simply wasn’t that smart.
But he was selfish. I doubt it ever occurred to him to think of what might happen to anyone else.
But I wasn’t like him.
And so I strained to listen as the man on the phone gave the address...not that I had any idea what to do with the information.
Since coming to live with Gabriel, I hadn’t left the house once without him. I didn’t have much cash, just a few bills in my wallet from the morning of our meeting. But even if I pulled every last penny of my savings out of the bank, I still wouldn’t be able to get Theo somewhere safe.
Money could buy train or plane tickets, but those things weren’t anonymous. Theo would have to show ID at the airport or border. The minute that happened, he’d be back on everyone’s radar.
My mind spun.
Damn it, I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t a criminal mastermind.
But I had been living with one for a while now, I reminded myself as I crept back up the stairs to the bedroom. Every day and night for weeks, I’d been surrounded by some of the most notorious criminals in the country.
Surely, some of their expertise must have rubbed off on me.
I closed the bedroom door and paced the floor, praying that Gabriel didn’t come back upstairs. I knew that if he did, all it would take was one look in those dark eyes, and I’d crack, begging for Theo’s life—the one thing I knew he couldn’t give me.
And once Theo was gone, everything would be over between us. Even though I understood Gabriel’s reasoning, there was no coming back from something like that.
I could care so deeply for the man that it made my heart hurt. I could even love him. But if he killed my brother, I couldn’t stay with him.
I knew that now.
Which made it even more important to find another way.
And even though it took me a whole damn day of trudging back and forth and wringing my hands, I eventually came up with a plan.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I carefully rapped my knuckles against the apartment door—not too light to cause suspicion and not too hard to cause concern. Then, I waited.
And waited.
After a dozen seconds or so, my heart began to pound hard in my chest. Had something gone wrong? A kaleidoscope of doomsday scenarios played in my head.
What if I had the wrong address? What if the FBI had caught wind that the D’Angelos knew about Theo, so they’d moved him? Or, worst of all, what if I was too late and Gabriel’s brother had already paid a visit?
Don’t go down that road , I scolded myself. Just stick to the plan .
I was raising my hand, ready to knock one more time, when the knob began to jiggle. I held my breath as the door opened just a sliver.
But a sliver was all I needed.
I let out a sigh of relief as I saw my brother on the other side, the flimsy-looking chain lock stretched tight between us.
“Theo,” I breathed.
Instantly, his eyes widened, and his nostrils flared. “Don’t say my name,” he hissed.
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn’t have the time. “Thank God I found you before it was too late. Let me in.”
His whole body tightened up as he gave his head a tight shake. “Can’t do that. I’m not allowed to let anyone in,” he said. “I wasn’t even supposed to open the door, but then I saw it was through the peephole. How did you know I was here?”
“The D’Angelos have informants in the FBI,” I explained. “I overheard someone giving Gabriel your address. He’s sending someone over tonight to permanently shut you up.”
Theo’s face went white.
“That can’t be true,” he said, shaking his head in denial. “You’re lying.”
Oh, for fucks sake .
“Why would I lie?” I asked him. “Just think about it for half a second, and you’ll know it’s true. How else would I have known where to find you?”
Theo’s eyes flashed back and forth. I could practically see the panicked thoughts spinning in his brain. “What the hell am I going to do?”
Fortunately, that was a question I could answer.
“You’re going to come with me,” I told him. “And I’m going to get you out of this city.”
“But…but…” he stammered.
“ Now , Theo!” I did my best to channel Gabriel’s commanding tone. And even though it paled in comparison, it still did what I needed it to do.
Theo stopped freaking out long enough to undo the chain lock and open the door all the way.
“Give me a minute,” he said. “I need to get my stuff.”
I grabbed his arm before he could take a single step. “What part of someone is on his way here to kill you are you not grasping?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot, Liv,” Theo shouted.
“Then stop acting like one,” I shot back. “We don’t have time to argue. We have to leave now .”
“But what about Agent Dougherty?”
I threw up my hands? “Who the hell is that?”
“The FBI agent protecting me tonight,” Theo explained. “He went out about fifteen minutes ago to pick up some dinner, but he should be back soon.”
Now, I did roll my eyes. How the hell had Theo managed to survive on his own this long?
“FBI agents don’t just leave someone they’re protecting because they get a craving for fried chicken,” I told him. “This agent is probably Gabriel’s mole, and he left you alone for the hitman to find.”
I didn’t think any more color could drain from my brother’s face, but I was wrong.
“Holy shit.” Theo’s voice trembled as he finally relented and let me pull him out the door.
I made a beeline for the elevators, pressing the button and praying as I listened to the mechanism inside whir to life.
Please let the car be empty. Please let the car be empty.
For once, someone up above appeared to be listening to me. No one was inside the elevator when the doors finally opened. Even better, no one who looked vaguely like a D’Angelo was hanging out in the lobby when we reached the ground floor.
Still, I wasn’t about to risk breathing a sigh of relief. I knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
I handed Theo a baseball cap I’d bought from a souvenir shop on my way over and told him to pull it down low. As we hit the door, I slipped the hood of my sweatshirt up to obscure my face.
Even in a city as crowded as New York, two curly redheads stood out.
“Where are we going?” Theo asked as we stepped out into the warm summer night.
“Down to the piers,” I told him. “From there, we’ll get you on a ship that can take you all the way to Canada.”
“You got me cruise tickets?” His eyes lit up again at the idea of another good time.
“Not exactly,” I said. Not even close. “There are some small, independent cargo vessels down there. For the right price, their captains can be talked into smuggling contraband over the border.”
Theo shot me a confused look out of the corner of his eye as we kept up a brutal pace toward the water down the dark sidewalk. “Are you saying I’m the contraband?”
“Exactly. Now, keep your head down,” I told him. “It took me all day to come up with this plan, but it’s not going to work if you get recognized before we make it to the waterfront.”
“But I can’t hide out in some nasty, cramped dinghy all the way to Canada.”
I really wasn’t in the mood to listen to his complaints. “If that’s how you feel, then go back to the safe house and try your luck there.”
“No, thank you,” he whined. “I’m just saying there has to be a more comfortable way to get me out of the country. If not a cruise ship, then maybe a ferry or a private speed boat.”
That was it.
I stopped short. Spinning around on the street, I looked up from my hood just far enough to pierce my brother with an angry stare.
“I don’t know what you think is happening, Theo, but this isn’t a joke. I am out here risking my life trying to save your sorry ass,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I know, Liv,” he said. “I just?—“
“You know ?” I cut him off, confronting him head-on. “Not sorry , or please forgive me ? Just I know ?”
“Liv, I?—“
“Of course, you knew.” Stepping up, I poked my finger hard against the dead center of his chest. “From the first moment you and Mom sent me out here to ‘negotiate with the creditors,’ you knew what kind of danger you were sending me into. You just didn’t care.”
“Come on, Liv,” Theo said with his usual devil-may-care shrug—the one that had allowed him to charm his way out of all kinds of trouble before. “You’re fine. I knew what I was doing. Gabriel D’Angelo may be tough, but he isn’t the kind of guy who would hurt an innocent woman.”
Heat filled my face as anger burned hot in my blood.
“Don’t you dare tell me what kind of man Gabriel is,” I said, my low and biting. “You don’t know the first thing about him.”
“Maybe not, but you can stop acting like the victim,” Theo said, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t forget, I’ve listened to the recording of your meeting, Liv. I’ve heard just how well you know the guy.”
My jaw tensed. For the first time, I seriously considered turning around and leaving the asshole here on the street to fend for himself.
But that wouldn’t help anything.
Come morning, he’d be dead, and even as livid as I was, I still wouldn’t be able to forgive Gabriel for doing it.
So, instead, I shook my head and stared my brother in the eye.
“We’re going down to the piers now, Theo. And you’re going to take the mountain of jewelry I’ve stuffed in this bag and trade it for a ride to Canada,” I told him. “After that, you’re going to disappear. Forever. Because if I ever see you or even hear whispers about you coming back to this city again, not only will I refuse to help you—I’ll kill you myself.”
Before he could reply, I started walking again. The rest of the way down to the piers I refused to even to turn around and see if he was following me.
He was, of course. That much became apparent when we finally arrived at the pier I’d heard Tony talking about earlier in the week, and Theo stepped in front of me, looking almost repentant.
Almost .
“Here. Take this.” I slipped the bag off my shoulder and handed it over to him. “One of these captains will be willing to trade you a ride out of the city for a couple of the necklaces in there. You can pawn the rest of the jewels once you’re out of the country. Don’t go wild with the cash, though. You’re going to need it to last.”
A twinge of sadness broke through my temper, piercing my heart at the sight of the defeat and contrition in my brother’s eyes.
“So, I guess this is goodbye,” he said, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
“I guess so.”
He let out a sigh. One that didn’t sound completely performative.
“I really am sorry, Liv,” he said. “For everything.”
“I know.”
Because, in his own way, I knew that he was—at least, the closest thing to sorry that someone like him could ever be.
“I wish things could’ve been different,” he said, opening his arms and inviting me in for a hug.
And since I knew this was the last time I would ever see him again, I didn’t refuse. I stepped into his embrace, saying, “Me too.”
It was a good hug. The first real one I’d shared with my brother for a long time
For a moment, I allowed myself to stand there and soak in the feel of his arms around me, wishing that this could have been what our relationship had been like all along.
Until, after a couple a seconds, the sound of tires turning from the pavement onto the pier sounded behind me, and Theo and I were bathed in twin headlights.
I closed my eyes, somehow knowing what it meant even before I heard a car door open and a familiar voice called out, “Step away from your sister, Theo. Neither of us wants her to get caught in the middle of what happens next.”
I let out a long breath, sagging slightly in my brother’s arms.
My plan hadn’t worked.
Gabriel had caught up with us.
And now my whole life was about to come crashing down around me.