Entrapment (Morelli Family 7.5)

“I’m sure a lot of things,” I say, smiling faintly.

“You wanted to call them off yesterday, before your asshole brother got in your head.”

“Things change.”

“You’re punishing her for going back to Vince.”

That draws a frown out of me. I check Leroy. He should be dead, but I don’t feel like going over there and checking. He’s lying unconscious in a pool of blood; I’m pretty much done with him. I’m not as satisfied as I hoped I’d be, though. I glance at my knuckles, red from the couple times I hit him, but it wasn’t enough. I thought he’d put up more of a physical fight than he did. I need to hit someone else.

I need to hit Vince.

Drawing my phone out of my pocket, I tap out a quick text to let him know I expect to see him at the gym this morning. I’m gonna make him spar with me so I can punch him in the fucking face and let him know I’m watching, and if he doesn’t leave Mia alone and let her heal for a few days, I’m going to hang him up on a meat hook.

It’s not what I would do, but he’s not me. He can’t do what I can do for Mia. He’s not powerful enough to command her demons.

Fucking Vince.

Adrian shoves me. I scowl at him, unsure why.

“Don’t fucking ignore me.”

I wasn’t ignoring him, I just got distracted. Ordinarily he understands that, but now he’s being a pain in the ass. I shove him right back. “I wasn’t ignoring you.”

“Her loyalty wasn’t yours. She wasn’t yours. Don’t punish her. She hasn’t betrayed you.”

“She probably will.”

“She doesn’t owe you anything,” he states. “Is it really a betrayal?”

“You know how it works, Adrian.” I double check that my message sent. It hasn’t been read yet since he’s still asleep. Mia is probably curled up in his arms the way she was curled up in mine two nights ago.

“Just put it off one week. Let her catch her breath from all the shit you guys have done to her, then throw her to the wolves if you still have something to prove.”

“I can’t,” I state, less patiently. “I can’t have her under my roof anymore. It was a mistake to move her in. All of this has been a mistake. I should’ve killed her in front of Vince the day I found out about her. Bastard would’ve thought twice before keeping another secret from me with that memory lodged in his brain.”

“You didn’t think it was a mistake yesterday,” he states.

That’s exactly why it was a mistake. I didn’t think it was a mistake yesterday. Just yesterday I fooled myself into thinking I could have her. Then at the first opportunity, she left.

At the next opportunity, she’ll talk.

I’ve been down this road before. I memorized the roadside signs and I recall all too clearly the destination.

That’s one mistake I won’t be making twice.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Vince responded, “Fuck you.”

I crack a smile and put my phone away without texting back.

He’ll show up. He may balk and rage, but the little bastard will be in the gym, right where I told him to be.

Alec comes back in, glancing at the twisted, bloody body in the floor. Turning his gaze to me, he announces, “Xander’s on his way.”

I nod my head. “You can stay here and wait for him. We’re gonna head out.”

Alec frowns. “Where are you going?”

“We’re gonna grab breakfast,” I state.

“No, we’re not,” Adrian disagrees, glancing from Leroy to Alec. “You stay in here, I’ll go outside and keep an eye out for Xander. When they get here, I’ll take you both home.”

Pressing my lips together in a knowing sort of smile, I ask, “Lose your appetite?”

“Hell of a thing,” Adrian tosses back, curtly.

Well, it was nice while it lasted, I guess.

I take one last look at Leroy, then I head for the car to wait for Adrian to drive us home.

—

Mia doesn’t talk.

I give her a few days to change her mind. A few more lonely nights spent thinking about her as I try to sleep in my own bed. I’m certainly logging more gym time right now. More surveillance time, too, though. Too much surveillance time.

I need to get her out of my house. Every night that I go to bed, I’m more and more tempted to take her back. Monday night passes and we don’t go out to dinner—she disappears with Vince instead. Tuesday comes and goes with no Mia sightings.

Wednesday I send for her.

She didn’t talk to the cops, but she didn’t tell anyone they spoke to her, either. I want to see if I can give her a little nudge. Is she keeping a door open, or is she distracted by all the bullshit we’ve put her through in the last week and she isn’t thinking about it?