Book 2: Finding Valentina

Bad Guy

I pulled into the parking garage of Cole's apartment building, parking closest to the elevator.

"Marco, are you sure about this?" Danny asked.

I pulled the keys out of the ignition and sat them in my lap, thinking.

"Yes." I answered quickly and hopped out of the car just as fast.

I heard the passenger door open and close just as I got closer to the elevator, he caught up with me pleading for me to change my mind going on and on about how there will be nothing but negative outcomes and repercussions.

"Danny just calm down." I said pushing the open button for the elevator.

The doors opened and a couple walked out, the male holding the elevator doors before they closed and we stepped in, I ran my fingers along the buttons looking for the number 6, I pressed the button and the elevator jolted up.

"Marco, what is your plan, exactly?"  He asked.

"To talk." I said simply.

I just stared up as the elevator ascended to the 6th floor, not speaking. Danny's phone rang, causing himself to jump.

"Unknown number.'' He said declining the call.

The doors opened up to the sixth floor, right in front of Cole's apartment , I positioned myself in front of the door and rang the doorbell, within seconds I heard shuffling and then locks.

The door swung open revealing a dis-shoveled Cole, he looked like he had been drinking pretty hard the night before but he also had this smugness about him that lit this rage in me that I just wanted to unleash but I couldn't, not right now.

"Hey Marco....and Danny? I see you guys finally made up , knew it wouldn't take long." He said stepping to the side and ushering us in.

"Yeah, we are brothers and we do have to live together ." Danny replied as we stepped in.

"Feisty today, are we Danny." Cole teased closing the door.

Danny's phone kept ringing and he sent it to voicemail again as we  sat in the living room and Cole grabbed a glass of water joining us sitting in a chair that separated him from us, by a glass coffee table.

"What brings you guys here?" He asks.

"Well, about what I said the other day, about Artura being alive, I was drunk man and you know how I am when I get drunk, ranting and raving-"

"Dude, chill it's cool, you gotta lot of stuff on your plate, with your now ex-engagement, you want something to take your mind off of it, so the thing your mind goes back to is your dead ex girlfriend." He said.

"Yeah, crazy right." I half chuckled.

"Maybe you should see someone, like a therapist or something." He said.

"Pfft, maybe you should see a therapist you sociopathic dumbass." Danny said only loud enough for me to understand.

" Say something Danny?" Cole asked.

"No." Danny answered.

His phone rang again and he grabbed it from his pockets and read the caller ID.

"It's Nate, I'm gonna take this out in the hallway." He said standing and walking put.

Cole watched him as he walked towards the door and closed the door behind him, and then look at me and then back down at the cup.

"What's really going on, Marco?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your marriage falls apart and the magically Danny and you mend things? You don't think that Danny had anything to do with it, because I won't buy that he didn't, he had Camilla wrapped around his fingers." Cole said.