Slow burn PART 2

Chapter 66

        I stayed over Renzo's last night since he doesn't want me at the apartment while Rylee-Steven is around. The man now knows that we know who he is. I'm worried about what might happen now that he does. 

Nothing good will come of this. He's a cop. Renzo told me not to worry about it, but honestly the thought of the FBI looking into any of us has me really freaked out. I'm now associated with the mob. That's why Rylee targeted me, because I'm the easy obvious choice to get to Renzo. 

I don't want to be on some watch list. What if they dug deep enough and took us all down? Even me. I've killed someone.

        I think about Dante's father and how he'll be behind bars for the rest of his life. He wasn't even able to attend his own son's funeral. That's tragic. I can't go to prison. I would destroy my family. They'd be devastated. And as my parents age and life goes on I wouldn't be able to be there for them if they were sick. I couldn't attend their funerals. I couldn't see Mya grow up.

I'd be in a cage with other women who have committed just as terrible crimes, but I'm too kind for prison. I'll be killed by day one. I don't want that life for Renzo or Dante either. I don't want any of it. I just want Rylee-Steven to go away. He might ruin everything.

        I shivered at all the horrible scenarios playing out in my head. I was in the middle of my pottery class, and look where my head's at?! I shook my mind clear and focused my foot on the peddle, which controls the spinning disk the clay is on. If the clay is too dry you wet your hand in the bowl of water. If it's too wet it won't shape very well. I think I've finally made a vase that isn't ridiculous.

My pottery teacher is a man with a french-type accent I'm not 100% convinced is real. I told Abbie about it and she cracked up laughing. He's an interesting man. He's very good with clay. I'll give him that. 

Many of his pieces are displayed around the room. We use an art room in a building that rents out spaces to people like us in adult courses, or after school programs and things like that.

        "Is anyone ready to bring their piece over to the kiln?" The teacher asked the class as a whole. A few people stood up. I was still polishing the smoothness with my new little tool I've been learning how to use. We all wear aprons and still somehow all end up with a smudge of clay somewhere.

For me it's usually when I brush my hair out of my face. I usually just keep it up for class. I have too much hair and it doesn't mix well with wet clay and a turning disk.

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        When class ended I walked out of the building with Abbie as we chatted idly. She hasn't asked me about Dante, which I'm glad about because I would feel bad telling her he wasn't interested. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings because I was talking and directly after that I was looking down at my phone ordering an uber. 

Abbie waved bye and walked down to her car. She offers me rides sometimes, but for her to drive all the way to Renzo's is so out of the way for her. I waved goodbye to a few other classmates and then the teacher himself. It was after that that I caught eyes with someone. My stomach flipped.

        I paused and tried to understand what I was seeing here. My heart started pumping double time. Why is Rylee-Steven here? Is he watching me? My blood turned to ice. I started to back away as he crossed the street to get to me. He came with his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"I come in peace" were his first words to me. I was alone in front of this building and I wasn't really sure what to do about it. Do I run? I clutched my bag tighter against me and waited to see what he'd say next.