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“These are complicated machines. You’ve got to be like a machine yourself. There’s no room for mistakes.”
Nero is proof of the perversity of the universe. Never has such a dangerous object been disguised in such an appealing wrapper. He’s like a berry so vivid and juicy that it makes your mouth water just looking at it. But one taste will poison you.
God almighty, why did you give the man with the blackest soul the most heavenly eyes?
The truth is that Camille isn’t my type at all. But I sort of felt like we might be becoming friends—a little bit. I kind of liked her. And I don’t like anybody. I barely like my own family. In fact, right now, I’m only 50/50 on Aida.
I’ve got no interest in trying to bring other investors on board. If we need money, we should get it the old-fashioned way—by stealing it. As that cop reminded me, we are gangsters after all.
If you could see my whole life laid out on a string, this would be the one bright bead. The one moment of happiness.
I forgot that I swore to myself a hundred times that I would never, never, never let Nero Gallo get a hold of my heart so he could tear it into tiny pieces and stomp on them, like he does to everybody else.
I honestly think I would have found kidnapping a school bus full of children less distasteful.
“Don’t break the law while you’re breaking the law.” What he means by that is you should only commit one crime at a time. Otherwise you draw attention to yourself.
“I don’t ever want you to be jealous,” I tell her. “There’s nobody else, Camille. Nobody who ever made me feel like this.”
I want Camille like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. I want her to love me. She’s the only one who knows me, so she’s the only one who can. And I want to love her. I’m fucking awful at it—I’ve never had any practice.
“I’ve always felt things . . . intensely. Or I thought I did. But every emotion I ever had, my whole life through, is nothing compared to what I feel when I look at you. I don’t care about the car, or the money we just took, or anything else in this world. Next to you, all those other things just fade away.”
“But I love you, Camille. I’ll never hurt you. You can trust me for that, if nothing else.”
“I love you so much it hurts. I’m scared to tell you, scared to even let myself feel it. But I love you, and I have for a while.”
And finally, for the first time, I accept that Nero wants me as badly as I want him. He loves me like I love him.
“I won’t ever leave you,” Nero says. “Never, Camille. You’ll never have to wonder where I went. I’ll be right by your side.”
