Page 176 of Power
Newbury’s girlfriend started her car, turned on the headlights, and drove away. Newburg coughed, the thick phlegm catching in his throat. After he spit, he shut his front door. Luciano waited to be sure he’d gone inside.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
Still holding hands, they took off toward his car, parked around the corner. Once there, they jumped into the vehicle, but neither removed their mask. He started the car and drove out in silence. On the main road, he turned on the headlights. She pulled of her mask, he pulled off his.
“That was fun,” she said.
“Were you nervous?”
“Not at all,” she replied.
She’s the one.
In the dark car, they regarded each other. “I love you, Simone.”
She smiled. “I love you too.”
SIMONE
Simone was buzzing with excitement.She loved working with Luciano. His energy was contagious, his confidence radiated off him. When she’d heard the voices, her heart started galloping in her chest, but knowing Luciano was on the other side of the garage door kept her calm. Working with him was exhilarating. She hadn’t felt this alive in a long, long time.
Rather than obsess over every little thing that might go wrong with the case, she forced herself to stay on point. One small win at a time. She hoped Newburg would lead them to something relevant because she had nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Luciano drove to Simone’s, parked in the driveway, and got out. As she exited the SUV, they made their way up the walkway.
“I don’t need an invitation,” he said. “I’m staying.”
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
As she fished out her keys, Luciano said, “Simone.” The sternness of his voice had her following his gaze.
A large piece of white paper had been taped to her front door. On it, the word:
BOOM!
He grasped her hand, ushered her into his vehicle. She felt numb, then angry and overcome with dread. Luciano drove around the corner and pulled over.
“What about my things?” she asked. The second those words were out there, she wanted to retract them. “Never mind.”
Luciano made a call.
“How’d it go?” Teddy answered.
“No problem,” Luciano replied. “You did good.”
“We all set?”
“No,” Luciano replied. “There’s a sign on Simone’s front door. Boom. The place needs to be swept. Hawk has a robot for explosives. Simone, can you wait until tomorrow?—”
“Of course, but I don’t want Teddy putting himself at risk.”
“Thank you, Simone,” Teddy said. “My brother doesn’t care about me.”
Luciano chuckled. The calmness in his voice, paired with his relaxed expression, settled her down. He had this magical ability to insulate her from the reality of the situation. She couldn’t enter her home. Everything she owned might be lost if the house exploded?—
I lost my ALPHA team. I lost Fred. I might lose my home.
