With a groan, I said, “Actually, that’s the last fucking thing I wanted you to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pulling out of the deal.”
Jack chuckled. “You’re joking, right?”
“No. It’s a fucked deal. It always has been. In fact, you can go ahead and start working on the listing for the casino property. And I want nothing more to do with Philly.”
“It’s your call, boss man.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go, so I can rescind the offer.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
“No problem.”
Once I hung up, I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. Immediately, Drea’s face flashed before my mind. And then it was the grainy ultrasound picture of Luca.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I slid my hands over my face.
I’d seen horrible shit in my life. Mangled limbs. Burnt flesh. Flayed skin that exposed organs.
Sometimes I’d had a part in inflicting some of that shit.
I wondered if this was karma coming around. All the physical trauma I'd caused to others was coming back emotionally to me.
I don’t know how long I sat there in a stupor. Guilio just kept driving around. I think he’d made a loop to one of the suburbs just to get us out of the city.
Since I wanted nothing more than to be out of Philly, I finally gave Guilio a destination. He frowned but didn’t say anything.
Hours after I’d stormed out of the gallery, I was returning. I knew Drea wasn’t there. I’d made sure of that by checking her tracker. It wasn't surprising to see she was in New York at Bianca’s.
Bianca’s fucking brownstone.
The site of one of the happiest nights of my life.
When I exited the SUV, I said to Guilio, “I won’t be long.”
“Yes, sir.”
I had a single focus for coming back. Shoot some photos of the interior to send to Jack. He could put the gallery on the market when he did the casino property.
After turning on the lights, I took out my phone and started taking some pictures. When I got to the back wall, I froze.
It was Submission.
Drea had blown up the sketches of me. The entire wall was of my pleasure.
It was a fucking knife to the heart.
At the sound of the tinkling bell, I turned around expecting to see Guilio. But it was Gianni instead.
“What are you doing here?”
“I tracked you.”