ATONEMENT | MAFIA ROMANCE | SMUT

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

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Cazale suffered blunt-force trauma to the head, which caused severe internal bleeding. He died, taking Moretti's location to the grave with him. Nate apologised for medical negligence before he transported the man's dead body to an old, abandoned warehouse, where he plans to set the corpse's soul alight.

I laid in bed all night until the sun shed light across the horizon. Sleep is unachievable without Alexa by my side. My head rested on her pillow, and I palmed the cold, empty sheet. Her sweet-scented fragrance lasted in the dimly lit room, which rekindled the nostalgic pain in my chest.

I went to our shared walk-in wardrobe, unfastened the McQueen travel bag and packed lingerie, pyjamas, cosmetics, including makeup and hair products, casual and formal clothing.

Opening the dresser drawer, I selected knee-high socks, perched them on top of the folded towels, rezipped the case and grabbed her phone from the clutch purse she discarded at Club 11.

Showered and besuited for a long day at the office, I carried the travel bag to the kitchen, poured black coffee into a mug and sent Eddie a text message.

Me: Where is Alexa?

Eddie: Mrs Warren went to the store last night with two women and returned to Pierced & Inked ten minutes later with alcohol.

Eddie: Mrs Warren has not left the building since.

Me: Jax will drive over and give you Alexa's bag. Be sure that she has it before nine o'clock.

Eddie: Of course, Sir.

Detecting heavy footsteps, I stuffed the phone in my trouser pocket, put my back to the counter and, with cataloguing eyes, scrutinised Logan's navy Jordan tracksuit, high top trainers and reverse facing snapback. His brows bounced to his hairline in silent acknowledgement. Hurling the gym bag onto a stool, he pulled open the fridge door, dwelled on orange or apple juice, settled for full-fat milk and ripped into a cereal bar.

I forgot to hire a tutor. "What are your plans?"

Logan licked the milk from his upper lip. "I'm meeting Tre."

"I should think not," I said, and he frowned. "You will stay in the dining room all day and study until I pay someone to educate you."

He binned breakfast wrappers. "Actually, I arranged to meet Tre because we attend the same high school."

I stared at him with hardened eyes. "You enrolled in a new high school?"

"No." He scratched his jaw, exhibiting the ice-gold bracelet on his wrist. "Look, Tre's cool. He's got a shit-ton of friends and invited me to hang with them. That's good, right?"

"I suppose your argument is somewhat pragmatic."

"Exactly," he supported his case. "Besides, I can't go through life hiding from my problems. If I run away from something as stupid as school bullies, I am setting myself up for a fall. By choosing the easy option, I am destined for a lifetime of cowardice."

I respected his dauntlessness. "Impressive."

Logan's face reddened as he smiled. "Is Alexa home?" he asked, and my chest constricted. "I texted her last night to see if she needed me at the youth centre later..." He noticed the sudden change in my demeanour. "Never mind."

"Alexa is staying with a friend," I said evasively. "I will have her phone returned shortly. I am sure she will respond."

He collected the gym bag. "Do you need someone to talk to?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "You are fifteen, Logan. I have nothing to share with you."

"Alright." Boldness masked his agitation. "No need to be a dick."