Chapter 15

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Dante stumbled into the bathroom, bleary-eyed, and his bladder heavy with the overwhelming need to piss. He did his business and was on the way back to bed when he heard the noise.

People were talking below him. He peered at the neon green numbers of his alarm clock on the bedside table. It was way too early for Pop to be in, or anyone else for that matter. He thought the noise had stopped, maybe he was imagining stuff, and was about to crawl back into bed beside Izz when the sound started again.

Someone’s here.Dante was instantly alert. He scrambled into a pair of sweatpants that he’d left on the floor and ripped his phone from the charging unit to dial 911.

“Send the cops. There’s a break-in in progress at Pizza 3.14,” he said in a hushed voice into the phone as soon as the operator picked up. Dante shook Izz awake.

Izz mumbled and Dante thrust the phone into Izz’s groggy hands. “Stay here. I’m going to see what’s going on,” said Dante.