“I looked and I couldn’t find the box,” I admitted first. “I…I tore my house up from top to bottom. I even…I checked the front and back porch. I…I even combed the backyard. It’s not at my house.”
Gary made a humming sound. “Did you check anywhere else?”
I nodded. “I…I had a key to Randy’s place and so…I went there to see if I could find it.”
“But you discovered that we already looked there, right?” Merrick surmised.
I nodded again. “Yeah. I…ended just leaving the key behind and going back home.”
Gary cocked his head and made another humming sound. “Is there anything else you’d like to share?”
I shook my head, nerves making me useless. “N…no,” I stuttered. “I don’t think so.”
Gary shook his head as Merrick took over. “Are you sure, hon? Nothing about being Francesca Fiore’s best friend? Nothing like that?”
NO!
My eyes widened in dread.
How could they know that?
“Wh…wha…”
Merrick tsk’ed in disappointment. “I know we get mistaken for dumb thugs all the time, but we’re not, Robbie,” he said. “We’re far from it.”
“See,” Gary began, picking up where Merrick left off, “after Ciro Mancini’s little visit to your house, we did some digging.” I started shaking my head. “Oh, no, honey,” he fussed, “we believe he was there to sleep with you.” He jerked his chin my way. “I mean, you have the bite marks to support your claim.”
“We’re upset that you lied about how you knew him,” Merrick concluded. “And, see, that little white lie did a lot to ruin the trustful relationship we once had.”
I was a stupid bitch.
Of course, it wouldn’t be hard to connect me to Frankie. She lived here for six goddamn years. She worked at the steakhouse where she ran into hundreds of people a day. Even though she hadn’t divulged who her family was, she hadn’t lived in secret. Anyone could easily make the connection, especially if there was gossip at the beauty parlor as Mona had claimed.
I did my best to salvage my error. “We used to be best friends,” I said. “She moved back to Morgan City and…her husband doesn’t let her out…much.”
Gary sniffed. “I imagine not. She’s married to The Holy Ghost.”
“I…I only lied about how I knew Ciro because I…I didn’t want you guys to think there was something more there because of my old friendship with Frankie,” I said hurriedly. “It is just sex.”
Merrick walked towards me and gave me what could pass for a smile if he weren’t a deviant. “Well, you’re going to have to earn our trust back,” he announced.
“We’ll give you one more week to find that box,” Gary added. “But we’re also going to give you some…motivation that you might not have had before.”
Before I could ask what he meant, Merrick fist crashed against my already damaged ribs. The pain was so spellbinding, I dropped onto all fours and threw up everywhere. And the heaving only intensified the pain of my cracked ribs.
Merrick grabbed me by my hair and hauled me to my feet, but the second he let go, I dropped to my knees again. I thought they were going to kill me when we came out here. I never expected this.
I heard footsteps, but I was too blinded by pain to protect myself. A foot swung underneath, and it was like I was thrown back in time to the night I tried to stop Randy from going after Frankie. I screamed, but it came out sounding like a choked wail.
I collapsed and did my best to try to get some oxygen into my lungs. My vision was fading, though and I didn’t know what was worse, seeing it coming or not knowing.
I heard Gary’s voice from above me. “We really hadn’t wanted it to come to this, Robbie,” he said, and the bastard actually sounded remorseful. “But you gave us no choice.”
“We trusted you,” Merrick added. “You shouldn’t have lied to us.”
One of them grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me to my feet again. This time, a fist struck me in my head, and I felt blood gush down my face as I felt the freshly healed would from my first beating split wide open. The flow of blood blinded my eye and I tried to focus out of my good eye. The strike should have sent me tumbling to the ground, but I was held up. When I was able to focus, I could see that it was Gary holding me up while Merrick stood in front of me.
The sick bastard smiled at me. “You’re doing really well, honey,” he praised. “We’ll do our best to hurry this along.” If I could have used my voice, I would have told him to go to hell, but the second hit to my ribs robbed me of all motor functions and ability to speak.
I wouldn’t know it with unconsciousness finally claiming me, but an hour later, I was dumped in the middle of the street in front of my house. When I finally regained consciousness at the hospital, I spoke only one word.
“Mugged.”
Chapter 19
Ciro~
Frankie sat in the chair next to the bed, quietly crying, as Nix did his best to soothe his wife.
Me? I was leaning up against the wall at the foot of the bed.
In-fucking-furiated.
After I left Robbie’s last night, I had gone straight to my sister. I told her everything from beginning to end. And I also told her how I felt about Robbie and, also, how I fucked up. Frankie had ranted and raved and ripped me a new one, but once she spent all her sibling exasperation, she had hugged me and wished me the best. She had admitted to being bias when she said she’d love to see her best friend living across the hallway from her.
This morning when she had gotten the call that Robbie was
