Chapter 17 This Is Why I Can't Trust You

• Alessio knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Then stepped back. I stood beside him, my heartbeat steady but alert. From inside, I heard muffled voices, a child laughing. My stomach twisted. The door cracked open. A man in his late forties peeked out, thick glasses perched on his nose. His expression shifted from polite curiosity to sheer panic the moment he saw Alessio.
• "Dios mío..." He tried to slam the door shut.
• Alessio caught it with one hand and shoved it open. "Joaquin."