Shadows That Remain

Louisa sat in the darkness, the only noise in her flat the soft tick of the clock on the wall. Her fingers clutched the phone hard, her mind racing through all possibility. Costa had no business being here—unless he'd figured it out. Gabriel. She had protected her son from him for years. If Costa were to find out the truth… A shiver ran down her spine. No. She wasn't going to let herself lose it yet. She had to know. And she knew who to ask. The Visit The club pulsed with music, the walls vibrating to the thudding beat. Neon lights strobed through the mist of cigarette smoke, lighting the room in electric blue and red. Louisa battled through the crowd undetected, her eyes locked on her target. Vincent Rizzo. Low-level informant but it's worth it. He'd had dealings with Costa's old crew. If Costa was up to something, Rizzo would know. She spotted him at the bar, laughing, two women leaned across his arms. He hadn't noticed her coming. Big mistake. Louisa grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back and slammed him against the wall. The women shrieked and jumped back. Rizzo's eyes went wide. "What the hell—" "Where's Costa?" she barked, her tone sharp as a knife. Fear flitted across his face. "I—I don't know what you're talking about." Incorrect choice. Louisa stepped in close, burying the icy snout of her gun into his stomach. "Try again." Rizzo swallowed hard, tough act shattered. "Okay, okay! I swear to God I have no idea where he is! But rumor has it—there's rumor that he's been seen with someone. Someone important." Her belly writhed into knots. "Who?" “I don’t know the name,” he stammered. “But. there’s a buyer. A serious one.” This didn’t add up. Costa wasn’t the kind of man to take orders. He made his money in power and blood, not deals. Unless— A sick realization settled over her. Gabriel wasn’t just some long-buried history to Costa. Gabriel was leverage. Her fingers trembled against the gun. She forced herself to steady. “You’re lying to me, Rizzo?” "No! I swear, that's all I know." Louisa fixed him with a glare. He was scared. But not of her. He was scared of someone else. Someone larger than Costa. Which meant someone more terrible was on the loose. She let the gun drop to her hip, but poison slithered into her voice. "If you hear anything more, you report it to me first." Rizzo nodded maniacally. "Yeah. Sure. Anything you want." She spun around and strode off, heart pounding. This wasn't the Costa who had come back for payback. This was something more. Someone had wanted her daughter. And she would burn the city to ash before she let that happen.