See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(25)

I’ll be in this hellhole all by myself. Yes, a small reprieve from any Ivan bashings, but I’ll be a damn workhorse and miserable.

The halls are going to echo.

The silence will suffocate.

There’ll be nothing to distract me from obsessing over Robbie’s death.

I stop at my door and touch the door handle.

There’ll be no guys lounging in my room watching hockey games and passing me cold beers.

Okay, so they’ve only done that once, and I shouldn’t really want them to do it again, but it was actually kind of nice having them there. Listening to their banter. It made me want to be part of their little group.

A dangerous thought, but so enticing at the same time.

Shouldering my door open, I stop short when I see Riley hunched over his contraband laptop. He’s playing with his bottom lip, pinching it together, then rubbing his finger under his chin.

I roll my eyes but am secretly pleased for the company. Riley’s an intelligent guy. I don’t mind him so much. I thought I’d have to watch him, but he hasn’t asked too many questions. He sometimes looks at me a little too closely, like he’s trying to figure me out, but I’m pretty sure he does that with everyone.

He seems like a good guy and so far hasn’t sent off any warning alarms in my head.

Right now he’s too distracted watching the news to notice me anyway. The guy’s like a junior Einstein—he’s fascinated by facts and figures, reads science books for fun, likes in-depth discussions about history, hockey, anything technical. He’d rather watch the news than a movie.

And people here think I’m weird.

Dumping my bag, I mumble a hello, then go quiet as the news story catches my attention.

“Breaking news in the murder of eighteen-year-old Roberto Candella has come to light today when his parents finally spoke out about the crime. Roberto’s father, Giovanni Candella, thinks police have the wrong man and says authorities should be looking for the accused’s niece, who has reportedly been missing since the night of the murder.”

I go still, the air in my lungs liquefying as I gape at the screen.

An image of Roberto’s father pops up. The only reason I know it’s him is the graphic label beneath his name. I’ve never met the man before, but I can see the family resemblance in the dark eyebrows and chin dimple.

“When we found out Roberto was with the girl the night he died, we had to wonder if her uncle is simply covering for her. The evidence is dicey, and there’s a chance the case could be dismissed due to lack of evidence.” He wags his finger in the air. “But they’re looking at the wrong evidence! They should be hunting for proof of the girl. Roberto knew better than to spend time with a Sorrentino. He was probably telling her to leave him alone and she took offense and killed him. That’s what a Sorrentino does.”

My eyebrows wrinkle with confusion. What the hell is he talking about?

“Unbelievable.” Riley shakes his head as the anchorwoman comes back into shot.

“The Sorrentino family has refused to comment on the accusation. When asked about the whereabouts of their daughter, they simply said she’d run away. According to police, the family reported her missing over a week ago. Authorities have been looking into the case but with the note she left behind, it’s likely the girl ran away, making Mr. Candella’s claims that much more substantial. It is unlikely the police can overlook this, and the Candella family is insisting on a nationwide manhunt.”

Back to Mr. Candella, his eyes dark with rage and despair. “I’d pay good money to have her brought to justice. Please, if you have any information or you are sheltering this criminal, now is the time to speak up.”

An image pops up on the screen, and my heart stops beating.

It’s me with pale eyebrows and silky brown hair. My face is made up—plump eyelashes, glistening lipstick. I look like the perfect girl I used to be, smiling for the camera and making the average schoolgirl jealous. I used to be beautiful then.

Now I’m a scrawny boy who’s just been accused of murder.

The air in my lungs gives out.

I’m cold. Numb. Horrified.

“No way.” Riley’s eyes narrow as he stares at the screen. “Her?”

“Get out,” I croak.

Riley glances over his shoulder. “What?”

“Get out!” I practically scream, giving myself away. “Turn that shit off and get lost!”

“What the hell is your problem?” Riley’s face bunches, making his pale eyebrows wonky. “Has Ivan been at you again?” He squints, looking for bruises on my face.

I’m going to lose it in a second. My chaotic heart feels like it’s about to jump straight out of my body.

A reward. For me?

No, not me. My head. My lifeless body on a platter.

“I’ve had a shit day and I need some space,” I whisper, choking back my scream.

Crossing his arms, he stands his ground. The belligerent idiot!

“Just let me finish watching the news and—”

“Get out!” I scream. Shoving past him, I slap the laptop closed to cut off the images.

“Hey, be careful with that!” Riley jumps forward to rescue his precious hardware. He holds it carefully, checking for damage. “You are one crazy psycho.”