26. Claudia

Chapter 26

Claudia

I t's a quiet night. I'm uncomfortable, especially with Angelo sitting at the bar and watching me as I dance. I practically beg Rodrigo to give me some other assignment, but he only shakes his head and says it's Tommy's orders, which means I'm stuck in the damn cage the entire night.

At one point, Angelo and Tommy have a conversation, and what I wouldn't give to be a part of that. It ends, and Angelo stays behind, still drinking and keeping an eye on me, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Part of me is grateful, but another part wishes he'd just go away. Before him, I had a good thing going. This job is terrible, but at least it pays the bills and lets me stay close to Serena. Maybe I was desperate to make something happen at first and saw this deal with Angelo as my only option—but what if I was wrong about that? What if waiting around and keeping my head down was the best path forward? Give Serena time to figure her shit out and be ready to help when she inevitably comes asking.

Now it's too late. I'm tangled in Angelo. Both in his plans, and in him.

After my shift, I head out of the club and angle toward my car. But I'm intercepted by a big shadow in the parking lot, and I nearly jump out of my skin as Angelo puts a hand on my arm.

"Easy," he says. "It's just me. Were you expecting some other man in this dark parking lot?"

"Don't be funny," I say, punching his arm. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I just want to make sure you get home okay."

"I'm fine." I unlock my car and get in. He climbs into the passenger seat. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you get home okay," he repeats and clicks on his seatbelt. He's way too big for this crappy sedan. The contrast between his expensive, sleek suit and my stained and ancient cloth seat covers is almost obscene.

"I told you I'm fine. Don't you have your own car?"

"I'll pick it up tomorrow." He leans back and lets out a long breath. "Come on, baby, let's get going. You wouldn't want to risk the wrong kind of attention."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you have a dangerous job, that's all."

I look up at the roof and close my eyes. "Wasn't dangerous before you."

"You're wrong about that."

I put the car into gear and start driving. Inwardly, I'm pissed off and struggling not to show it. "Yeah? How?"

"You've been circling around Tommy all this time, and you don't realize who that guy really is. He seems all flashy and easygoing, maybe a little too flirtatious, maybe overly aggressive, but just a guy, right? Except you don't realize Tommy's the kind of man who would cut your throat without a second thought."

I shiver and keep my eyes on the road. Angelo's wrong—I knew Tommy was dangerous from the second I saw him. "That's all the more reason I need to make sure I'm in that club if Serena ever needs me."

Angelo grunts and I can tell he doesn't want to rehash this argument. I don't either. My feet hurt, my back is exhausted, and my ears are ringing from eight hours of that awful club music. I want a hot bath, something to eat, and sweet, wonderful sleep.

I don't want to think about how much trouble my sister is in.

We stay in silence until I reach my apartment building. He gets out and follows me inside, and I'm tempted to tell him to go away, but another part of me is happy he's still here. It's late and I've been on edge, and I do feel a lot safer when Angelo's by my side, even if he sort of is the reason why I'm so worried.

"Thanks for walking me back," I say at the door. "But I'm calling it a night." I slide my key into the lock but he's not walking away. "Really, Angelo, I'm fine." I look back and his jaw is tight and I can tell he wants to say something, but I'm not in the mood to hear it.

He didn't do anything wrong. Rationally, I know that, but I had a bad reaction when he tried to keep me away from Cage, and I have a feeling he's not going to let it drop. Things are dangerous there, I get it; he came in and kicked the hornet's nest and now the pests are buzzing around ready to sting whatever moves—and I'm right in their crosshairs.

But it doesn't change anything. I'm at Cage to help Serena, whether I'm in danger or not.

"Invite me in," he says, his voice very soft.

"I can't." I look away. The man's too tempting, even if I'm mad at him. "Let's just talk tomorrow."

"Tonight." He's closer now. I open my door, but I don't disappear inside.

"What's there to say? You want me to stop going into work and I'm not going to do that. Let's skip the argument, okay?"

"I'm not here to argue. I get it, you don't want to listen to me."

"It's more than that," I say, getting frustrated, and I turn to explain that it's about Serena, it's about our shitty life, it's about trying to make something better for the two of us?—

Instead, the words die on my lips.

"Claudia!" Uncle Rodney's voice echoes down the hall. He walks toward us, looking glassy-eyed and frustrated. "Where the fuck have you been? I tried calling, and?—"

Angelo turns around to stare at my uncle, and I could just about scream. The two men size each other up for a second, and they couldn't be more different. Uncle Rodney's shorter, heavier, with an ugly scruffy beard and an alcohol gut, while Angelo's big and muscular, like he's cut from diamond.

"Not tonight, Rodney," I say and step forward before Angelo can do something stupid. "I'm heading inside."

"We gotta talk." He ignored Angelo like he's not there. "I need that money you promised. I got bills to fucking pay, and my goddamn dishwasher broke so I've been doing that shit by hand, and I need to get that shit fixed. Where the hell have you been?"

"At work," I say and hold my palms out at him. "Rodney. This isn't a good time."

"Why? You got some fucking boyfriend over? Gonna put out for him tonight, girl? That's you and your sister's fucking problem. Always thinking with your goddamn twat."

I open my mouth but Angelo's already walking past me. Rodney has enough time to make a squealing, terrified noise before Angelo smashes a fist into my uncle's face. The old man drops to the floor, groaning in pain and clutching a bloody, likely broken nose, and rolling from side to side.

"Talk to her again like that and I'll kill you," Angelo says and he sounds much calmer than I would've thought.

"Get in my apartment," I say, grabbing onto Angelo's arm. "Just get inside, okay?"

"Who is that guy?"

"It's my uncle, okay? I lived with him after my parents died and he's an alcoholic asshole, but he's still my uncle. Please, just go into my apartment."

Angelo stares down at Rodney, who's pushing himself up into a sitting position. His mouth and the front of his shirt are drenched in blood, and he spits more blood onto the carpet.

"I can drag him outside," Angelo offers.

"Please. Inside." I squeeze his arm. "I'll tell you about him later, okay? Just go inside."

"You're inviting me over now?" Angelo looks at me. "All I had to do was punch an asshole?"

"Apparently," I say, frustrated. "Just go, okay?"

Angelo doesn't look like he wants to move, but he shrugs and walks past me to the open door. It doesn't shut, and I can practically feel him lurking nearby.

I crouch down in front of Rodney, but I don't touch him. "I'd be lying if I didn't enjoy watching you get your face punched," I say very quietly.

Rodney spits again. "Who the fuck is that? What the fuck is wrong with you, girl? After all I did for you? I took you fucking in, you and your piece-of-shit sister?—"

"She told me," I say, very quietly, but he must hear the rage in my voice. I say it again. "Serena told me what you've been doing to her."

He looks so surprised he doesn't have an answer. His mouth opens and closes, and more blood spills from his nose.

My hands turn to fists. I want to beat Rodney to death. I want to kick him in the face, again and again, until his skull caves in. The bastard, the sick fucking bastard. "Get up and leave," I say, whispering, afraid that if I don't I'll start screaming in his face. "Don't ever come back here."

"I don't know what your bitch sister told you?—"

"Say something bad about Serena again and I'll call Angelo back out here."

Rodney's face pales. "Fuck you. Fuck you both."

"We trusted you." My voice trembles and tears fill my eyes. "You were supposed to take care of us, and you did that to her. You did that to my sister."

"I don't—" Rodney shoves himself away from me and uses the wall to get to his feet. "I don't know—" He's shaking his head and blood flecks splatter all over. "Fuck, I mean, I don't even?—"

He can't deny it. The sick piece of shit can't even say he didn't do it. I stand and face him. "If you come back, Angelo will kill you. Do you understand? I'm going to tell him what you did. Do you know who he is?"

"You're a liar. Serena's a liar. I don't?—"

"He's Angelo Bianco. You know that last name, right?" I feel sick, using Angelo's family like this, but I hate Rodney so much I can't help myself. "If you come back, he'll kill you."

Rodney takes two steps away and nearly trips over the carpet. He catches himself, his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide with terror, and this should feel good. I should feel better.

All I feel is empty and sad.

"You're all fucked up," he whispers.

What I think he means is, I'm sick and broken .

He turns and walks away, stumbling as he goes. Once he's gone, I feel deflated and exhausted. I barely make it back to the door, then Angelo's there, and he's pulling me into his arms. He hugs me tight, breathes my smell deep, and his arms feel so good that I forget all about our fight and let myself sink into him.

"You okay?" he asks, and I shake my head. I'm crying, damn it, I'm crying and I hate that Rodney can still make me cry like this. That bastard, that sick, abusive piece of shit.

"Just hug me for a while, okay? Then I'll tell you about my uncle, but just hug me right now."

"Alright, baby, whatever you need."