Mafia Legacy (Book #1 - Mafia Series)

Part 27

No new text message.

Gabriella had tried to reach out to Katie a few times. Her friend might have found out she came to school long enough to drop off an assignment, but not long enough to see her. She couldn't have Katie reaching out to her mom...

But why wasn't she replying... what else could be...

Oh fuck.

Gabriella smacked her face with her cellphone, groaning loudly. She was a fucking idiot. Her brother. Her father. Katie never said they were back. They were still missing. Else her friend would have told her about it.

Hadn't she asked Niccolo about this?

She barely had a moment to breathe since her life turned into a complete shitshow... Granted, what happened to her... there was no word to describe it but - she'd forgotten about her friend. A friend who had checked up on her.

She clutched her cellphone, guilt rippling through her as her knuckles turned white. Gabriella was - different now. And she wasn't convinced she approved of this new personality. Forgetting her friends, lying to her mother... murder.

Was this who she was now?

She shook her head, refusing to let herself dwell on this. It was a slippery slope and she didn't want to know what she'd find on the other side. It was too late to backtrack, too late to change anything.

Gabriella slipped her cellphone into her back pocket and exited the room to hunt down Niccolo. She'd focus on getting some answers and she would forget the rest. That she could handle.

She tumbled down the hallway, looking for his office. Though she'd been here a while, the layout remained confusing and she wasn't about to ask anyone for help. They might keep her from Niccolo.

Once a familiar door came into sight, she tried the handle only to find it locked. Of course. What else did she expect? She knocked on it, and then backed away, shifting her weight from her left leg to the right one.

Sounds of footsteps thumping against the wood echoed and before she knew it, the door swung open. At first, Niccolo's jaw was tensed, the vein in his neck bulging, but as his eyes roamed over her form, his features began to soften.

"Need an encore?" he asked with a smirk.

Her shoulders rose closer to her ears as tension spread throughout her body. She ran her tongue across her teeth, her left eye twitching. "Did you look into it?"

"Into what sweetheart?"

She dragged out a sigh, her chest rising and then caving in. "My friend. Her dad? Her brother?"

Gabriella watched him frown, his eyebrows knitting.

"They were missing?"

He popped his lips. "Oh, the cop. Why would I look into someone who's back home with his family?"

"W-what?"

"You going, deaf princess? Why would I waste time finding a home who's at home, probably sipping a beer on his couch?"

"But he's not."

"Yes, he is."

No, because Katie would have mentioned it. You don't tell your friend your brother and father are missing, and then never mention it again... Though...was she one to talk? What truthful thing had she shared recently? She wasn't in a position to shame anyone... still... Katie's life wasn't in shamble. Why would she not tell her?

"He isn't. I would know."

Niccolo rubbed his lips together before stepping back, opening the door for her. "Come in, Conticello."