The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(161)

Alaine stood there, stunned and shaken, as Tino peeled out of the parking lot. She watched him disappear down the street as the smell of burned rubber on asphalt permeated the air.

Carina let out a sob and sat down in the middle of the parking lot before she whispered, “I didn’t tell him I loved him. Do you think he knows?”

“I’m sure he knows,” Alaine said miserably.

The two of them just stayed there in awkward silence for several heartbeats, before Nova called out, “Alaine?”

“Merda.” Carina groaned behind her.

Alaine turned to see Carina drop her face to her knees, as if willing the asphalt to swallow her whole.

Nova had been coming around the corner of the Cellar, but walked out into the parking lot when he spotted Alaine just standing there.

“Where were you?” Alaine asked, using it as a diversion tactic, because she did remember Tino asking her to help Carina.

“I was hiding from my life and chain-smoking,” Nova said as he walked over to her. “Are you okay? Who—” He stopped walking and looked at Carina sitting behind Alaine. “Oh my God.”

Alaine turned to see Carina lift her head and look at Nova defiantly despite her obvious hesitance to see him.

“Where is Tino?” Nova asked the two of them.

“Um—” Alaine started, because Carina didn’t seem to be volunteering information. “He, um—” She looked to the phones on the asphalt and then turned back to see Chuito walk out of the Cellar like a beacon of light. She waved him over. “Chu!”

Chuito didn’t get there in time, because Nova had spotted the cell phones on the ground. “You cunt!” he shouted so loud Alaine gasped in shock, assuming for one moment he was talking to her.

Then he jumped forward in that same quick-footed way Tino was apt to. Carina screamed, and Alaine stepped back before Nova got to her, using herself as a human shield for this woman she didn’t know.

She nearly lost her footing when Nova caught one of her arms and tried to pull her away from his sister.

“HEY!” Chuito shouted as he grabbed Nova, because it was obvious to anyone Nova was almost in a violent rage. “I know you didn’t just call Alaine a cunt.”

“No, I called her a cunt!” Nova fought Chuito’s hold and pointed to Carina. “Did you bring her to him? There are two phones on the ground!”

“Where else could I bring her?” Carina shouted back. “Who else could protect her but Tino?”

“Why didn’t you call me if she was in trouble?”

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Are you friggin’ kidding me?”

“I told you to forget Tino existed!”

“He’s my brother too. He’s been calling me, by the way. He has a burner phone. We don’t all do what you tell us to.”

“Her brother?” Chuito loosened his hold on Nova. “What?”

“This is Carina Moretti,” Alaine said lamely as she gestured to Carina behind her. “She’s Nova and Tino’s sister.”

“Carajo,” Chuito whispered in shock and then pulled Nova back. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“I don’t have a sister,” Nova said in a cold, furious voice. “I have a pain in the ass who just happened to come out of the same set of balls I did.”

“You’re disgusting, Nova,” Carina announced haughtily. “I’d rather eat a bullet than stay here with you.”

“That can be arranged,” Nova assured her.

“Hey, okay, come on.” Chuito shoved Nova back so that Alaine and Chuito stood there facing each other, with an angry Moretti behind each of them. Chuito looked to Alaine and asked, “What happened?”

“She brought Tino’s dancer to him,” Alaine said quickly. “Tino left. He said he had to go take care of something. Their grandfather tried to have her killed. I think it was her husband who was going to kill her. Brianna said something about her husband working for their grandfather and—”

“Madonn’,” Nova whispered and ran a hand through his hair, as if the full force of the situation just hit him. “You played right into his hands, Carina. You played Tino into their hands, and I can’t call him. Did he take the CL?”

“Yes,” Alaine whispered.

Nova leaned down and rested his hands on his knees as if he was on the verge of passing out. “Where did he say he was going?”

Alaine hesitated, because she didn’t really want to give the answer to that.

“Alaine—” Chuito urged. “We need to know where he went.”

She shrugged. “He said he was going to get Patrón.”

“Oh my God.” Nova sat down on the asphalt and buried his face against his knees. “It’s a trap.” Nova lifted his head and looked around the parking lot. “He’s going back to New York. We’ve got to try and catch him, ’cause if we don’t—” Nova shook his head and looked back to his sister. “I hate you, Carina. I need to just state that once and for all. I officially hate you.”

“Are y’all okay?”

They all turned to look toward the Cellar, seeing that Wyatt had walked out. None of them really had an answer for his question, so Alaine glanced from Carina to Nova, sitting on the pavement and looking so much alike they were like Italian versions of Wyatt and Jules…if they hated each other’s guts.