“Okay,” I said uncertainly.

“And I know him from when we were kids. His mother was one of Bud’s whores. He and I occasionally spent time together in the brothel.”

“You were friends?”

“No. I had no friends. He was scared of me even back then, but we often hid from Bud together, so we were allies.”

“Okay, if you think he won’t betray us, I believe you.”

Growl reached out as if to touch my cheek but dropped his arm. Disappointment filled me, but I had no time to dwell on it. “You need to get dressed. Grab a few things for the drive to New York. I want to leave in fifteen minutes.”

I put on comfortable clothes and stuffed a toothbrush and my remaining clothes into a backpack before I rushed out of my room. Growl waited in front of the door. Bandit and Coco were nowhere in sight. “I put them in the car,” he said, as if he’d seen the question in my eyes.

I nodded, drawing in a shuddering breath. I wanted to say something but my mouth was too dry. Instead I stood on my tiptoes and gave Growl a lingering kiss. His eyes softened, but mostly they looked melancholic.

“Let’s go,” he murmured.

In the car a strange sense of wistfulness overcame me. Not because I would miss Las Vegas, but because I’d miss whatever odd connection Growl and I had developed. I wasn’t sure what the future would bring, but I knew Growl and I couldn’t be together. It wouldn’t work. It was wrong.

I risked a glance at the man beside me. Almost two months ago, we’d been in a car together as well, and back then my life had seemed over. I’d hated him, feared him, wanted him dead. He’d been nothing but a monster in my eyes. His gruesome tattoos didn’t repel me anymore, and neither did his scar, which I now knew was only one of many. I understood him better now.

He wasn’t a monster. He was monstrous in parts, had no choice but to turn that way to survive the horrors of his past. But there was a human side to him as well. It had shone through more and more in the time we spent together. Perhaps eventually it would triumph over his monstrous side, but I knew I couldn’t travel his path to humanness with him. I had to think of my mother and sister.

The hope of being reunited with both of them gave me strength. I didn’t want to consider that I could lose everything.

“I didn’t tell anyone that we’d be going to your mother today. First, I thought about pretending you wanted to visit her, but after Falcone’s words yesterday, that would have only caused suspicion. He might have worried that you would warn your mother of his plans to stop the negotiations.”

“You’re probably right,” I said. “Where will we meet the guy who’s helping us?”

“Mino will be at a meeting point in a deserted factory.”

“So he won’t help you fight Falcone’s bodyguards?” What was his purpose then?

“I prefer to fight alone.”

Suddenly it struck me that Mino was only meant as a driver, but that only made sense if Growl didn’t expect to be able to drive us himself.

I had no time to think about it because we parked in front of my old home.

Growl didn’t hesitate. Everything had to go very fast. He practically sprang out of the car and ran toward the house. He rang the bell, and after a moment a man I didn’t know opened the door. Growl grabbed his head and twisted violently like I’d seen him do two months ago. The man dropped to the ground, and then Growl disappeared inside the house. My hand reached for the door. It was hard to stay in the car and wait. What if something went wrong and I wasn’t there to help?

What could I possibly do though? If one of Mother’s guards managed to overpower Growl, then that person would definitely have no trouble with me.

The seconds were trickling by and my palms were becoming sweaty. Then, finally, Growl stormed out of the house, dragging Mother after him. I let out a sigh of relief.

Mother was struggling against him, obviously convinced he meant her harm. I opened the door and that’s when she spotted me. Confusion crossed her face but she stopped fighting Growl, not that she’d been getting anywhere with her struggle anyway. I knew the power behind his grip.

Growl opened the back door and pushed Mother inside, then threw the door closed again. The dogs began barking in the back. Growl sat behind the steering wheel mere seconds later, and we drove off again.

Mother sat up from where she’d been sprawled out on the backseat, then noticed Coco and Bandit behind her. She gasped and shied away.

“They’re harmless,” I assured her.

She gave me a questioning look. Her eyes darted between me and Growl, obviously unsure if she should speak in front of him. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I tried to calm her. “Growl is helping us run away from Las Vegas.”

Mother’s eyes widened. “But what about Talia?”

“We’ll get her first and then we’ll drive to New York.”

Mother shook her head. “I didn’t succeed. Luca wants nothing to do with the Camorra. He won’t help us.”

“You aren’t part of the Camorra,” Growl interrupted. “You are family. He will take you in.”

I stared at him. “But you are. Doesn’t Luca know?”

“He knows. I’ve done too much in Falcone’s name.”

I didn’t understand. Would Luca take him in anyway? Or perhaps Growl had no intention of joining us in New York, and that was why Mino was supposed to drive us.

I noticed Mother’s scrutiny and averted my eyes from Growl. She couldn’t find out about my feelings.

“What about Falcone?” Mother asked.

“There’s no time to explain,” Growl said impatiently. His body was tight with tension.

He stopped the car behind a pickup parking on the side of the street. “This is Mino’s car. I want you to get in there, and I’ll take care of Falcone.”

I glared at him. “I thought he would be waiting in the abandoned factory for us after we were done with Falcone.”

“I don’t want you around when I’m dealing with him. You’ll only be in the way, and there’s not enough room for Falcone if you and your mother are there.”

A burly man got out of the pickup and waited.

“I won’t leave,” I said firmly.

Growl pressed his lips together. He was getting angry, but I didn’t care. I wanted to be part of this. “All right,” he muttered. “But your mother will leave.”

He got out and flung open the back door. Mother gave me a frightened look. “What are you doing, Cara? This is madness.” She didn’t get further. Growl pulled her toward the pickup and put her in the backseat, then he was back behind the steering wheel and we drove away. I peered over my shoulder at the pickup that pulled away from the roadside and went off in the other direction.

“Your mother is safe. Mino needs our help. He and his family can only hope for safety if New York grants them protection, and the only way that will happen is if your mother puts in a good word for him. He has no choice but to make our plan work.”

That information calmed me. If you could trust in one thing, it was that people wanted to save their own hide and protect their family.

The gate to Falcone’s mansion appeared in the distance. “There is a blanket in the back. Crouch in the legroom and cover yourself with it. I don’t want them to see you.”