Outsider - Book Two

Chapter 20

Cece's ears filled with a ringing sound. It echoed around in her head for a few moments before she finally pulled herself up and squinted through the deadly light.
The sun greeted her with no kindness.

She looked around and found the culprit for the ringing.

Her phone swallowed up by the quilt covers. She grabbed it and swiped to answer.

"Hello?" She spoke. Her voice croaky.
"It's Joon." The voice on the other end spoke, much more awake than her. She looked around the room. The door was shut and Vanni was nowhere to be found. Had he already left to go do something?

Maybe he was in the kitchen, though his phone was gone and so were his keys and wallet from the bedside table. Maybe he had left, leaving her to the only freedom she could grasp. Sleep.

"What's going on?"
"That guy you were asking about a while ago. Perrows?"
"Yeah?"
"Well he's dead." Cece leaned on one arm, shocked.

"What?!" She gasped.
"He died a few days ago." He answered.

It had been four days since Cece confronted Giovanni, pretty much telling him she thought he killed her father.
"I need a date Joon!" Cece demanded.

The other end of the line went quiet for a few moments.

"Three days ago." It felt like the biggest clue she had been given in forever. There was no way that was a coincidence. Vanni must have had something to do with Perrows death. He was tying up loose ends that were beginning to show to others around him.
She had confronted him and now someone who could have given her more information was dead. Though if she ever saw Perrows she would have just killed him herself.

Still, nothing painted a bigger red mark saying guilty than this.

There was no way she could confront Giovanni with this. Sooner or later she'd make too many mistakes and no matter how "close" they were she'd end up as just another loose end.

Buried right beside her father. No one ever knowing the truth. Her death would be marked an accident or suicide or straight up murder in the picture of "wrong place wrong time."

She couldn't push Giovanni anymore, he was going to push back.

"What about Giovanni?" Cece asked.
"It's empty."
"What do you mean it's empty?"
"I mean I did a spring cleaning and it's all tidy. Nothing! The guy loves the spot light but there isn't even a shadow on him. He must have someone turning off all the lights on his end. There is no way I can find anything out. I am sorry Cece, there is nothing I can do." This was killing her, she felt like she was losing everything.

"It's fine. Thanks Joon, I really apricate your help."
"Yeah, no worries. Take care okay? Call me if you need anything else."
"Thanks, same to you." She hung up the phone, feeling no more confident than when she had answered.

Did this mean that Vanni knew Joon was searching him? Looking for any speck of dirt? Did this mean Joon was in trouble? Her stomach started to knot, she wished she had never gotten him involved in the first place.
This was her mess and her mess to clean.

She got up and got dressed, not really sure where the day would lead her. She was trying to find anything she could about Vanni while literally sleeping with him. It felt too close then again this was a very personal situation.

She racked her brain trying to think of anyone else at all she could talk too.

She had already spoken to Julian and she couldn't imagine Ezra or Kaden being much help. Joon had done the best he could and that Agent Perrows was now dead, right after she confronted Giovanni.
All leads were splitting off, it hurt her brain trying to think of something.