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“You know what?” Ricardo sarcastically asked. “Do whatever you want to do to me. Send whoever you want to send. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m as good as dead no matter what you plan.”
Ricardo didn’t wait for a response or any clever clapback. He disconnected the line and let the pain meds work their magic.
It was the only peace he had.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Massimo entered their home, mindful that he was much later than he expected to be. As he dropped off his briefcase in the foyer and made his way down the hall, something in the family room drew his attention. As he made his way to the entrance, Massimo noticed a smoldering fire in the fireplace, and then his eyes landed on his wife, curled up after nodding off on the couch. She’d tried to stay awake to receive him, but she had failed. Massimo thought it was sweet. He quietly walked across the room and stoked the fire, adding another log and reviving the heating flames.
“You finally made it home,” she uttered as his movement woke her, despite how quiet he tried to be.
Massimo turned around to face her. “Yes, I made it home.”
She sat up higher on the couch, pulling her legs underneath her. “So, you’re not cantankerous,” she noted.
“Cantankerous?” Massimo asked, making his way over to the couch and sitting next to her.
“Mmhmm,” Isotta smiled. “So, I take it things didn’t go as badly as you thought?”
“You were worried?” He asked.
“Of course, I was worried,” Isotta replied. “I was worried sick. But I guess I had no reason to be?”
“Maybe a little bit of a reason.”
Isotta scooted closer to Massimo, wanting to hear everything he had to say.
“When we first started, things were a bit testy.”
“Go on,” she encouraged. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Not even just a bit?” Massimo teased.
“Come on,” Isotta whined. “Don’t make me wait too long. I’m dying to hear what happened.”
“Like I said, things were testy when we first started, and they got testier before it was over.”
“Oh no,” Isotta sighed, thinking the worst. Maybe she’d misread Massimo.
“But,” he interjected.
“But?”
“But, as we continued to talk, things got less testy. We actually started to listen to each other. Well, in all honesty, they started to listen to me.”
“You?”
“Yes, and I pointed out our commonalities, including our joined interests.”
“And did it work?” Isotta asked, anxious to hear his answer.
“Yes, it worked. We are no longer at odds with each other, well, at least not openly. For the time being, our allegiances are aligned.”
Isotta reached out and grabbed Massimo by the neck. “I’m so happy everything worked out.”
“Me, too.”
“Now, can we go to bed?” Isotta asked. “I’m exhausted from worrying.”
