He flew under their radar and we’re just taking advantage of his oversight.
“You’re Wade, yeah? The comic book guy?” Massimo calls out to him. “I’ve got something rare I wanna sell. Can you check it out for me, let me know if it’s legit?”
Wade’s head jerks upward and I take a step backward.
Shit, I didn’t expect that.
The left side of his face, the side covered by his unruly hair, is swollen with assorted shades of black and blue staining his sallow skin.
I guess Massimo didn’t expect it either.
“Whoa, tough business, man?”
Wade slams his textbook shut and gets up from the bench. “I’m not in business anymore. Fuck off!” He storms away from the table, his backpack half-open. He stumbles over a thick tree root nearby and the entire contents of his Jansport bag fly out, littering the grass.
A bell rings in the distance and I exchange a look with Massimo.
He gives me a nod and barrels over to Wade, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him against the side of the building.
A quick look around confirms that we’re off-camera, which is a good thing considering the fact that Massimo has his hand around Wade’s throat right now.
“Listen very carefully, Wade, or I will make sure the rest of your body matches that face of yours. I want answers and you’re gonna give them to me,” Massimo growls. “Let’s start with the text you sent Sofia Ivankov yesterday."
His eyes widen and he stops clawing at Massimo’s hand. “I didn’t send her any texts!” he sputters.
“Don’t bullshit me.” Massimo tightens his grip. “It came from your number. She texted you to thank you for the birthday gift and you texted back that it’s almost time for the next surprise, for someone else to die.”
Wade’s face turns a scary shade of purple and he shakes his head wildly. “Fuck, no! That wasn’t me! I swear! I would never do that.”
“Then who the hell was it?” I demand, stomping toward him. “Someone was in the house that day and planted a bomb. You show up uninvited and with a backpack. Now Sofia gets that kind of a cryptic text from your phone? Why should we believe that it wasn’t you?”
“Number one, because I lost my phone at your house when I was there. It must have fallen out when I grabbed her gift out of my backpack. I didn’t want to call and ask if you’d found it after everything that happened with your parents. And number two, I’m not a fucking killer.” Wade’s chest heaves, his panicked eyes focusing on me for a long second. “You look familiar. I remember seeing you at the house the day of the party.”
“I’m Sofia’s sister,” I say, clenching my fists.
“Do you believe me?” he asks in a trembling voice. “I swear on my life that I had nothing to do with that bomb.”
I press my fingertips to my temples, a shuddering sigh escaping my lips.
I really thought we had a lead, some clue about who launched the attacks. I was ready to snap this asshole’s neck in two if he didn’t give us a name, but as it happens, he doesn’t have one to give.
And the killers are still out there with his stolen phone.
And I’m still here with my sisters, sitting freaking ducks.
“If I find out you’re lying, do you know what I will do to you?” Massimo’s gaze darkens.
“I’m not. And I’m really sorry about what happened to your parents,” he says to me. “Sofia told me she’d been close to them.”
“What happened to your eye?” Massimo asks.
Wade averts his eyes. “I fell.”
“Fell into what?”
A look of sheer panic settles into Wade’s expression. “Look, it’s fine, okay? I tripped at home and fell into a chair. Then I hit the floor and collapsed onto my wrist.” He furrows his brow and glares up at Massimo. “Who are you, anyway? I know Sofia doesn’t have a brother.”
“Let’s just say I’m a concerned friend.”
Massimo’s hand had loosened considerably as Wade recounted the story and he lets go altogether now. He smooths down Wade’s wrinkled shirt, smacking his palms against the kid’s chest and almost sending him flying back into the brick wall.
A splash of red floods Wade’s cheeks. “Are you going to tell Sofia the truth? I feel really bad about what happened and I don’t want her to think it was me texting that stuff to her.”
I nod. “Of course.”
Wade looks between us. “Are you guys finished with me? I have to get to class.”
Massimo nods without saying another word. We watch as Wade crosses the grassy knoll and heads into the school. “That kid may have been telling the truth about the phone, but his injury is a bunch of bullshit.”
“What do you mean? He said he fell.”
“There was blueish-purple bruise peeking out from his shirt sleeve and I caught another one down the side of his neck. Those were not accidents.”
“You think someone did that to him?”
He gives a swift nod. “I’d stake my life on it. I see it pretty often with the kids in Sportsocity. Some of them come into the program because of their social workers and come from abusive households.” His lips twist. “And that kid needs help because he’s got fucking deadbeat parents.”
This guy is such an enigma to me.
So dark at times, so raw and observant.
But he’s got a comedic side, too.
Is it because of something he overcame in his past?
Something he uses to camouflage pain, anger, or hardship?
Was he like Wade and those other kids in Sportsocity?
Did Massimo get abused by his own deadbeat parents?
It’s like he lets me in just enough to drive me absolutely mad and then he slams the window shut on my fingers as I’m about to climb inside.
After only a few days, I feel like I’ve seen so much of him but still can’t connect all the dots.
I want to know his secrets.
I want to know everything.
The problem is, he works for Savio.
So I can’t let myself get distracted by the red-hot desire flooding my veins every time he’s near.
Right now, nobody can be trusted fully, no matter what my body dictates.
My mind has to remain clear.
And the truth about everything needs to stay with me.
Which is why I keep my mouth shut. I’m not ignoring his challenge.
I’m just sidestepping it.
He must sense that, too, because he changes the subject before I can finish processing my thoughts. “So he really was just at the party because he’s got a thing for Sofia.”
“I’d never have thought a guy like him would turn her head.” I smile. “Maybe she’ll give him a chance though. She needs someone nice, now more than ever. Not that I’m letting her leave the house alone ever again.”
“You sound like a really overprotective mom right now.”
“I never saw myself in that role, to be honest. I never thought about kids or a family. I only thought about my career. Or at least the one I planned before everything happened.” She sighs as we walk back to my car. “But now, it’s the part I have to play.”
“It doesn’t seem like you’re playing a part. Seems like it comes pretty naturally to you.”