Page 44 of Complications

“Sam came to us through a recommendation, right?” I asked. Now that Joey had tossed his theory out, something clicked inside of me.

“Yeah. I checked every damn thing about him, but….”

The disgust in his voice probably bothered me more than it should. Everyone knew that no one was more thorough than Joey, and for Sam to slip through was an aberration we hadn’t solved yet.

“I know you did, Joey. That fucker was willing to try his bullshit with Matteo, though, and blame Elio. We thought it was a one-off…”

“But what if it wasn’t?” The realization hit Joey all at once. “What if they are all connected? Connor’s uncle owes someone, they plant Sam to cause a disruption, and…”

“And when Sam gets killed, they try the FBI route, except Matteo shut that down too, which leaves them with what?”

“Going after Connor?”

“Going after Connor.”

Joey still hadn’t pushed me away from him, and I hated that we’d have to leave this car to figure out if we were on the right track. My thumb absentmindedly rubbed along the ridge of his knuckles. His breathing slowed, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He stared down at our hands, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he almost looked wistful.

After twenty years, maybe it was time to talk about it.

CHAPTER FIVE

Joey

“I’m sorry. If I could take back that day,” Frankie whispered.

The tone he used wasn’t anything I’d ever heard from him before. Apologetic, yeah, but more than that. Sad? Yeah, okay, but that wasn’t it either. Fuck.

“What are you talking about?” Bravado seemed like the way to go. Of course I remembered the fucking day. Every time I looked at him, I remembered.

“It’s not that I’d take your place. I’d have never let it happen.”

“So you’re telling me twenty years later you regret kissing me?” I asked. Hopefully, I was hitting nonchalant. Bored would be good too. “Cool story, bro.”

“Shut up, Joey. Considering I fucked you last night, you know that’s not true.”

“Fucking me yesterday doesn’t have shit to do with today.”

“I’m sorry I pushed you away and didn’t tell my dad to get fucked.”

Frankie said his piece like it was a goddamn option. It wasn’t.

The son of a rat didn’t get to fuck around with the son of the bodyguard. I wasn’t to be trusted any more than my dad. Of course Frank Sr. lost his shit when Frankie got caught hanging out with me. Shit, he didn’t even learn that Frankie was gay until later. I earned my place with Matteo because…because he knew I was fucking loyal to him, because I knew how much disloyalty cost.

“Your dad was right.”

“The fuck you say?”

“You heard me. We had no business being friends then, and we ain’t friends now.”

Getting off with each other was a different problem, but I didn’t have to talk to him for that. Shit, it was better if we didn’t. He kept my mouth stuffed anyway, and that was good enough.

“My dad was an asshole to everyone, including you. You’re not your dad, and I’m not mine. Yeah, we have to figure out who is messing with Connor, but after that? We’re not going back. You belong to me. You have since we were kids fucking around in potting sheds.”

Before I could stop him, that fucker reached up and gently traced the scar that traveled the full length of my cheekbone.

“I knew it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Doesn’t matter. I hurt you, and you never told anyone it was me who did it.”