Infernal

5

-15:59

No one had answered the first ring, so Tom pushed Gia's doorbell again.

He was pissed. It had taken that damn stupid cabby all of five minutes to lose the Grand Am. When he'd resigned himself to the fact that he'd never catch up to Jack, Tom had told the cabby to drop him at Eight Sutton Square. The guy had known Sutton Place but had no idea of how to find Sutton Square. So Tom had had to direct him.

Idiot.

Tom wasn't sure why he'd given in to the impulse to come here. Best guess was that he wanted to smooth things over with Gia. He knew she was upset with him—she couldn't be anything else—and that was a weight on him. He had to make her understand.

He caught a flash of movement in the sidelight—Gia peeking to see who it was. She opened the door.

"Hello, Tom," she said, her tone as flat as her expression.

Well, no reason to have expected a big welcome.

"Hi, Gia. Since I was in the area I—"

"Jack's not here."

I know, he thought. That's why I am.

"That's okay. I really wanted to speak to you." He shivered in a gust of cold wind off the river. "Can I come in? Just for a minute?"

She said nothing as she stepped back and held the door open. As soon as it closed behind him, Tom turned and reached for Gia's hands.

She slipped them behind her back.

"What do you want, Tom?"

"I want to apologize for everything that's happened. I had no idea—"

"You did! That's why you went looking for it." Her eyes blazed, her words strained through clenched teeth. "Why couldn't you have left that thing where you found it?"

"If I'd known it would come to this, don't you think I would have?"

"I don't know what you would or wouldn't do!"

"Aw, Gia, you can't believe—"

Tears rimmed her eyes. "Do you have any idea what you've done to our lives? Not just Jack's but to Vicky's and mine?"

This was heading in the wrong direction.

"I know I—"

"You know? You don't have a clue! I told you that Jack is our rock! But some time around eight o'clock tomorrow morning he'll be gone!"

Her features hardened again as she jabbed her index finger against Tom's chest.

"Can you understand that? Our rock will be gone. And all because of you!"

Each poke against his chest was like a knife thrust.

"Gia—"

"I don't think I have anything more to say to you, Tom. I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but in the end it all comes back to you. You're responsible."

"Isn't there something I can do?"

She opened the door.

Tom walked out.

The frigid air on her front step felt balmy compared to the chill in Gia's foyer.