Three minutes later, red and blue lights begin flashing through the front living room windows before the door is kicked in and four men are cuffed and dragged away, spreading unimaginable amounts of relief throughout each one of us.
But the question is, with four of Anton’s men out for the count, have we just given ourselves an actual shot of beating this or did we just anger the beast a little more?
Chapter 8
Tully was able to wait all of two minutes after the cops had dragged Anton’s thugs out of her home before she was flying out the door, desperate to get home. Noah and I ran out after her, each of us falling into her Jeep with just moments to spare before she took off down the street like a bat out of hell.
We got there in a record-breaking six minutes and both Noah and Tully flew out of the Jeep, each of them ignoring the cops surrounding their home as they went for the front door, desperate to check the devastation within.
I went to the guy who looked like he was in charge of this mess and got as many details as I could before joining the twins inside and helping them to start putting their home back together. As far as the cops were concerned, they believed it was a random break-in. Well, that is until I told him that Noah had handed in that gun only ten hours before that and there was a very strong possibility that these guys had a connection with Anton.
Cops started buzzing with murmured conversations. Some left, while others began taking a more thorough look through the house. It wasn’t until I started heading in to find Noah and Tully that I realized I might have said something wrong. The last thing I want is the cops connecting Noah to all this. I mean, it would be best if they thought it was coincidental, but I have a feeling it’s a little too late for that.
I guess it’s more of a see-what-happens kind of situation.
By seven in the morning, Tully had called her parents and told them about the break-in. However, she let on that it was random and that she didn’t know anything about it. She hung up and we got back to putting the house back together.
When they arrived home an hour and a half later, Noah took himself out the back door, not wanting to make matters worse, and patiently waited for me and Tully until it was time to head to school.
Violet and Eddison asked question after question, checking over Tully again and again, terrified that she could have been home during all this. She explained that she was lonely at home and had come to sleep at my place and lucky for us, they were far too concerned to think about questioning her or putting together the pieces of the puzzle.
With dad getting the all clear to head back to work, he had planned on heading out for an overnight job so we swung past my place, got out of our pajamas, and took Ari to school so dad could get organized. You know, after he questioned where the hell I’d been all morning.
Sitting outside of Aria’s school after watching her disappear through the gates, I turn and face Noah sitting in my driver’s seat and Tully sitting in the back right behind him. “So…I kind of had a thought,” I tell them with a cringe, remembering how the last time I brought this up went. They each wait patiently and I spit it out before that patience runs thin. “I think it’s about time we visit my mom.”
“Gina?” Tully sputters from the back as Noah raises a curious brow. “Why the hell would we want to do that? Are you forgetting that she ran a prostitution ring?”
“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten that at all,” I tell her. “I just think she might have some answers.”
“On Anton?” Noah questions.
“Possibly. I mean, he was there when I visited her last,” I remind them. “She might have some insider information on the guy. Don’t criminals all seem to run in the same circles? Surely, she would have had some ‘clients’ who worked for him or…I don’t know. Maybe I’m digging too deep.”
“It’s worth a try,” Noah murmurs. “But are you sure you’re ready to see your mom again so soon?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “If it means figuring this shit out, then yeah, I’m down for anything.”
Tully scoffs from the backseat and I sense the amusement in her tone almost immediately. “If you were down for anything then ‘Helly’ would have happened by now and we’d be living on a tropical island dodging Noah’s insistent calls and texts.”
Laughter claims me and suddenly the weight of the past twenty-four hours lifts from my shoulders and I’m finally able to see clearly. It’s as though I’m a stranger looking in. My chest is no longer aching and the fear has seeped right out of my soul.