The clear liquid has an unusually cloudy appearance, so I take a small sip and a strong, salty flavor hits my tongue.
That motherfucker.
Rage, the likes of which I’ve never known before, rushes into my bloodstream. Instead of boiling over the way I want to, I force the heat to turn to pure ice. Ice is better because you don’t make stupid decisions.
Still, I voice my intent. “I’m going to kill him.”
“What?” Drew stares up at me, her eyes wide. “Why?”
“He fucking roofied your drink.”
33
Drew
“Then we have to go after Randi. What is he going to do to her?”
My grip on Cannon’s hand tightens as I try to drag him away from the table, but he’s become an unmovable mountain. Instead of charging after GTR and Randi, he’s practically glued to the floor.
“Please,” I say, resorting to begging. “We have to do something.”
Cannon’s expression is as warm as an iceberg when he finally meets my gaze. “Randi will be fine. GTR wouldn’t dare hurt her. Not when we watched them leave the bar together. And he’s also probably thanking God that we don’t know he tried to drug you. But he’s fucking wrong about that, and he’ll pay with his life.”
Suddenly, the man who never seemed to fit the mob profile sounds just like his father. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that he means everything he says.
He plans to kill the heir to the Rossetti crime family, right after they had a secret meeting, for this. For me.
Oh sweet Jesus. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I have to mitigate the damage. I didn’t start this investigation intending to cause a bigger rift between the Rossettis and the Cassos that could easily result in rivers of blood on the streets of New York. While it would solve my problem in a way I didn’t consider, I find that I can’t stand the thought of Cannon caught in the cross fire.
I have to protect him, even if it’s from himself.
Cannon suddenly moves away from the table, and I hurry to fall into step behind him. I don’t know where he plans on going, but I don’t trust him too far away from me right now, given what just happened.
Instead of leaving, he goes up to the bar, and it’s hard to hear him over the conversation and music playing in the background. When the bartender hands him an empty paper coffee cup and lid, things finally click into place in my brain.He’s taking the drink as evidence.We backtrack to the table, and he dumps the contents of the dirty martini into the cup and snaps the lid on it.
Finally, he turns his attention to me. “Come on. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
“What do you mean?” I blink up at him twice while I try to figure out what the hell kind of information he could possibly want from me.
Without replying, he holds out an arm, indicating that I should precede him out the door. As I move through the thickening crowd, he blocks anyone from getting close to me, but it also makes it impossible to ask any more questions.
When we reach the sidewalk again, I can’t help but scan up and down the street, looking for Randi—or Lorenzo, who was following us the night before. Beside me, Cannon is tapping something into his phone, and I assume he’s calling for a ride.
Without thinking, I pull out my phone, find Randi’s contact, and fire off a text message.
Me:Please be careful tonight. That guy seemed sketchy AF. Text me when you see this. And when you’re home safe and alone. I know you think I’m crazy, but please just do it.
Not surprisingly,Randi doesn’t reply immediately, and I don’t even want to think about what she’s doing instead.Please stay safe, Randi. I didn’t mean to drag you into my mess.Guilt whips through me, and I try to push it away.Occupational hazard, I try to tell myself, but I’ve never been in a situation like this before.
“Are you sure she’s going to be okay?” I ask quietly, watching Cannon’s serious face as his attention cuts from his phone to me.
“How many other bad decisions has she made that she’s skated away from without any problems?”
It’s a valid point, I know, because Randi isn’t the most careful with her own personal safety, and that’s based solely on what I’ve learned over the past six months from her.
“A lot.”