Page 37 of The Arrangement

“And I say the twentieth of December, by the way.”

Viviana coughed, loudly. “For the wedding?”

“Well, it’s not for anything else. Sasha called me four times today about your refusal to pick a date and stick to it because I haven’t given you a clear answer yet. I swear, if I have to get another frantic call like that from my mother again, I’ll change my fucking number.”

“That’s a day before my birthday.”

“That’s right. Gives us one day to get it done the way the arrangement was meant to be. No cancellations; we have no do over.”

Being it was the middle of October, they certainly had enough time to get the minor details sorted out.

There was no hesitation when Viviana shrugged and said, “The twentieth it is.”

Chapter Nine

It was relatively warm for an October day. Warm enough that Viviana didn’t need her coat, but she did steal one of the hoodies that Anton liked to jog in so she wouldn’t get too cold on her trip to the dog park with Rocco.

While her pup frolicked along with someone’s black Labrador, Viviana opened the romance novel she brought along and began reading. It wasn’t long before she relaxed, settling further into the bench and losing herself in the words of the book.

Quite a bit of time passed before Viviana thought to look up and seek out Rocco. The German shepherd had forgone the company of the other dog and was back to playing his usual game of fetch the stick all by himself. It wasn’t uncommon for their daily trip to the dog park to last a couple of hours, since she liked to get her pup out of the house as much as she could.

With her attention drawn back to her book, Viviana almost missed the shadow of a form that walked behind her. She didn’t pay the person any mind as they stopped beside the bench, but she did glance over out of curiosity.

A hood was pulled up over the man’s face, blocking it from view. Viviana was quick to notice the dog leash and collar he rested to the ground as he bent down to tie an undone lace on his running shoe.

Unbothered by the presence, she continued to read.

When the man grabbed up the leash and collar and stood, Viviana felt her back straighten against the bench. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt off, but something had settled like a dead weight in her stomach.

Perhaps it was because the man didn’t walk away. Maybe it was because he didn’t look towards the animals, but instead back to where the vehicles were parked. Or, it could have been because he had a collar attached to that black, leather leash that appeared as if it hadn’t been used even one time.

All dogs had to have their collars on in the park. She’d been here enough in the last three weeks to know the dog owners here were pretty particular about that rule. Even Rocco, her perfectly trained, always obedient pup, had to wear his identifier inside the gates.

The collar the man held had no tags and it too looked like it was brand new.

Alarm bells began ringing in Viviana’s mind as dread washed through her nervous system. Instinctively, she flipped another page in her book, hoping the odd man still standing beside the bench wouldn’t notice she had noticed him as his head turned in her direction.

Rocco was accustomed to people being near Viviana in the dog park, and this was his free time, so he wouldn’t come unless she seemed frightened or called for him. In fact, the dog was now paddling into the pond with his back turned and his hearing clouded by the surrounding noise.

The parking lot was a good thirty yards away. While there was a car with one or two of her bulls, she knew another one was on foot, somewhere. They rarely showed themselves, actually. Looking around for them or making some move to gain their attention would only serve to alert the man she was fearful of him.

The gun in her purse was useless in public. She wouldn’t take the risk of using it.

The cell phone in the pocket of Anton’s sweater she wore, however, was a different story.

Viviana slid her free hand into her pocket. Feeling around, she found and held onto the number one button. The device vibrated in her palm to signal it was dialing Anton’s pre-programmed number. She covered the speaker with her thumb, and three rings later, she felt the vibrations of his voice coming through the speaker. Not knowing what else to do, she hit random numbers on the keyboard.

Not a pocket dial, Anton, she thought. Please don’t think that. Please.

Even her thoughts were panicked.

Like the stuttering beats of her heart, her hands had started to shake, too.

The man sat down on the edge of the bench and Viviana caught just enough of his profile to know she was in trouble. Viviana would never forget the face of a boy who had once been a lowly soldier for her father. No one too important, as he wasn’t made then, but it had been three years and a lot could change.

Vito Cavallo.

Definitely Italian. Definitely mafia.