Page 85 of Crow
CHAPTER15
Angie parkedher car alongside the curb in front of the apartment building and shut off the engine. She scanned the area in hopes of seeing Crow’s motorcycle and sighed in disappointment after noting it wasn’t there. Her mind went back to the dinner they’d shared at Alfonso’s and how much fun it had been until the night ended on a sour note. When Crow had pulled away after kissing her, she’d felt humiliated and confused. Stubbornness and wounded pride had kept her from answering his calls, but when he’d stopped, Angie realized that she missed him—a lot.
It took a day of staring at her phone, going back and forth in her mind on whether she should contact Crow before she pushed aside her ego and sent him a text. And now they had a date—yes, adate—for Saturday night. She’d have to make sure to act cool and nonchalant when leaving Aunt Rosa and Uncle Leo’s after dinner on Saturday night. Nick and Dom would be scrutinizing her every move and word. If she confided in Nick’s girlfriend, Maria, that would help, but Angie didn’t want her brothers knowing anything about Crow just yet. They’d make a big deal about him riding a motorcycle and come up with a variety of reasons why she should never ride on one.
As many times as Maria assured Angie that she was trustworthy, she also knew Maria loved Nick very much and, if push came to shove, would throw her under the bus.
A knock on the window pulled Angie back to the moment. She glanced over and found a young, skinny boy leaning against the car door, his sticky fingers plastered against the glass. She grabbed her briefcase and purse, then opened the door and slid out of the driver’s seat.
“Hi there. What can I do for you?”
The boy, who she gauged to be around twelve years old, took a few steps back from her.
“Are you the lady that spies on people at Madera?”
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she replied. “I’m from HUD housing, but I don’t spy on anyone.”
“Everyone spies on everyone. My mamita is always looking out the small hole in our door. That’s why she sees so much.”
Angie smiled. “And what does she see?”
“El demonio.”
“A demon?” Her blood chilled.
“Yeah. You speak Spanish, lady?”
“A little. When did your mom see this person?”
“It’s not a person, it’s el demonio. She saw him the two nights ago walking up and down the halls and whispering stuff.”
“Like what?”
The boy shrugged his thin shoulders. “She couldn’t understand it. My friend, Caden, said it’s the shadow man. He said his mom saw him too.”
“Is your mother home now?”
“Nah, she’s at work.” The boy bent down and picked up a pen cap and shoved it into his pocket. “She won’t be home ’til tonight.”
“Which apartment do you live in?”
“Three twenty-three.”
“The Vazquez family, right? You guys just moved in last week. My co-worker, Joey Deets, came by to make sure you were all settled in.”
“My mamita didn’t like him. He kept looking around like he thought we were hiding shit.”
“Joey’s actually a nice guy. He was just making sure the apartment didn’t have any major repairs that he could see.”
“I dunno, he wasn’t friendly like you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Pedro. What’s yours?”
“Angie Morelli.” She held out her hand, and the boy reached out to shake it. “It’s nice to meet you, Pedro.”
Withdrawing his hand, he laughed. “Did you wanna come up and see our place?”
