Devil’s Thirst: A Mafia Stalker Romance (The Moretti Men Book 1)
Devil’s Thirst: Chapter 33

I’m up half the night thinking about Amelie’s nightmare. My gut tells me she knows what the dream was about, but why hide it? If it was about Talbot, why not say so? And if it was about her mother, what other horrors could the woman have forced on her?

I don’t like not knowing, and I hate feeling powerless. I can’t help her if she won’t tell me what’s bothering her. All of it pisses me off. Between that and a lack of sleep, I start my Friday in a shit mood. The one silver lining is that we will make significant progress on our plans for Talbot. Today is Amelie’s last rehearsal before opening night on Sunday. She’ll be at the theater all day. I considered staying with her, but she should be safe surrounded by the entire cast, and the timing ended up perfect.

We’ve been monitoring Talbot’s work and cell phones, along with his admin’s. He’ll be in Philly all weekend. His wife primarily stays at their home in Albany, so she won’t be an issue. His Manhattan apartment will be empty. We’ve gathered everything we can via electronic means. It’s time for a hands-on search.

Once Amelie is squared away at the theater, I pick up Tommy and head to Oran’s place.

“Gentlemen,” he greets us each with a handshake once we arrive, then leads us back to his home office. “Have a seat. Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page before we do this.”

“Tommy’s assured me he can handle the security system,” I offer.

“You have quite an impressive skill set,” Oran tells my cousin. “My guys tell me your hacking abilities are top-notch.”

Tommy nods stoically. “I’m glad I can help, though I wish we’d been able to come up with more.”

Oran’s lips thin. “We’ve traced his web of contacts and collected a stash of evidence against him, not to mention all the shit he’s got on other people. Your efforts haven’t been wasted.”

No, but we haven’t found anything on Lina, or Amelie for that matter. It could be that there’s nothing to replace. His threats could be complete bullshit. But we’d all hate to have overlooked something, so we’re trying to leave no stone unturned.

“I think we’ll all feel better once we’ve gone through his place,” I say what we’re all thinking.

Oran nods. “And if need be, we’ll hit the Albany house, too. Though, I suspect he keeps the family home clean.”

“Agreed.” I look at Tommy. “Before we get moving, do you mind if I have a private word with Oran?” I don’t keep secrets from Tommy, but I want to ask Oran about his wife, and he might prefer more discretion.

Tommy’s chin dips. “I’ll take one more look through the duffel and make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”

“Thanks, man.”

Oran studies me curiously while Tommy exits. “What’s up?”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but does Lina ever have nightmares?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but I take it Amelie does?”

I grimace, leaning my elbows on my knees. “First one I’ve seen was last night. She’s never said anything, but I get the sense it’s not the first.”

He leans back in his chair with a sigh. “Girl’s been through a lot. I can only imagine the emotional scars she’d have after her mother’s betrayal, then being kidnapped on top of it and ending up with amnesia? It’s no wonder her past doesn’t haunt her more. I’d be a paranoid mess. Poor thing probably never feels safe.”

“Fuck, I didn’t even think about her being kidnapped.” I stiffen, a new horrifying realization hitting me. “Someone fucking touch her when she was kidnapped?” I hadn’t heard about anything, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Oran shakes his head. “She was taken to the hospital after being drugged, and they did a full screening. She didn’t show signs of assault. Lina made sure to ask the doctors so we’d know what we were dealing with.”

The vise around my rib cage eases. “Well, that’s something,” I say under my breath.

“Look, she’s been through more than her fair share of shit. Be patient with her.”

Fuck, he’s right.

I’ve been a dick pushing her to unload all that trauma so quickly. I merely wanted to keep her safe. I might have lost track of the fact that keeping her safe and making her feel safe are two different things.

An idea hits me. “You think you can drive? I have a few calls I need to make.”

“Not a problem. Let’s get this show on the road.”