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I regretted leaving Mina last night—my regret lying mostly with the fact that things between us were ill at ease. Aside from small talk, she hadn't spoken much after we collected her personal things from her apartment, doing well to keep her thoughts I craved to know to herself.
Prying it out of her any further than I had in the car would've just made things worse. That's what I momentarily willed myself to believe but another part of me figured we could've talked it out more before my departure.
I failed to come back home this morning due to the issues arising regarding both Vincenzo's arrival and the burning down of Loretta's.
The two events were connected somehow. Initially, I believed it related to Mina and the police officers harassing her, considering everything that has happened so far. They were finding newer and more destructive ways of taunting her, intimidating her into believing that they were close to catching her—it was a plausible theory.
That was until I reassessed the damages done to both Mina and Melissa's apartment. The police were messy in their destruction and they were equally sloppy, however controlled enough to not damage too much property aside from a few plates here and there.
Melissa's apartment was different.
The way her apartment had been trashed it took more than a two man job. The security cameras in the halls of her apartment complex had also been wiped and though Pete and Jamie did the same, the footage of them in front of Mina's was still recovered.
The attack appeared to be personal. Pete and Jamie had no reason to go for Gio's things. Similarly, the attack on Loretta fared the same. Security was wiped clean and somehow nobody saw anything.
It was a quick and clean job—something Pete and Jamie could not do. It would be convenient to blame the cops, making it easier for Vincenzo to slip under our radar but I wouldn't allow it.
I couldn't afford to.
My only question was why would Vincenzo attack the two—I had no connection to Melissa and my link to Loretta was through Mina and the laundering scheme I had going on. Two very separate things.
Was this his way of taunting me through Mina? It wouldn't surprise me if news had reached him that I was interested in her. It would also make sense to use our situation with the cops against us to his own advantage. I couldn't exactly go about things the way I wanted to with the attention of Jamie and Pete lingering on me and Mina.
It was a slow burning calculated attack. Vincenzo would start in the places I least expected and Melissa's was one of them. I wondered what would be next.
Despite all this, Mina still remained on my mind and as well as her words that rang true.
They respect you but it's not out of love or admiration, it's out of fear.
