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She glanced at the weapons again. “What else is down here?”
“More guns, a shitload of casino chips, the dungeon . . .”
Her eyes widened. Dungeon?
* * *
It took the two of them an hour to reach a wide-open space tucked into the woods, the ground covered in an array of wildflowers, a line of tall pine trees surrounding it like nature had deliberately built a fence. Carmine dropped his backpack to the ground as Haven scanned the clearing, a look of awe on her face.
After setting up a target near the tree line, he positioned Haven’s body and grabbed his gun, explaining the safety and number of rounds. He told her to keep it steady and use her foresight to focus on the target, blocking out everything else.
Once she got it, he handed her the earmuffs and safety glasses. Taking a step away, he watched her aim, her hands shaking as she squeezed the trigger. He flinched as she popped off her first round, the recoil and expelled cartridge startling her. She screamed and nearly dropped the gun while he stared at the target—she hadn’t come close.
He put his arms around her again, holding the pistol with her hands on top of his. They fired off the rest of the rounds that way and she relaxed. After reloading, he handed her the gun and gave her some room. The first shot breezed by the target, closer that time, but her hands still shook.
He ended up reloading twice, not a single bullet hitting its intended spot. She came close, though, her eyes twinkling with excitement every time she squeezed the trigger. He tried to imagine how she felt wielding something so powerful, imagining the adrenaline surging through her veins.
Hitting the target after the third reload, Haven shouted and turned to Carmine, forgetting to lower the gun in her excitement. Carmine ducked, throwing his hands up protectively as she aimed at his forehead. “Watch what you’re fucking doing!”
She lowered the gun. “I’m sorry!”
He dropped his hands. “Never aim a gun at someone unless you’re willing to shoot that motherfucker.”
She nodded in understanding and turned away, firing a round that grazed the target. She smiled, trying to hold in her excitement. Sighing, Carmine walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. He pulled off the earmuffs and tossed them on the ground before lining her back up to the target. “You’re doing really good.”
She aimed with a look of determination on her face. He could feel her body tense in anticipation, her muscles firm and arms vibrating. He placed a light kiss on her earlobe without thinking, and she whimpered. Losing focus, she squeezed the trigger, a round echoing through the trees.
“Oops,” she said as birds squawked in the distance.
He laughed and nuzzled into her neck. “Better the birds than me.”
* * *
The walk home was a lot harder than Carmine remembered the walk to the clearing being. By the time the house came into view, the sun had set and he was utterly exhausted. The two of them headed for the stairs, but hadn’t made it to the second floor when there was a knock at the door. Haven continued upstairs as Carmine disabled the alarm, finding Max on the porch. “What’s up?”
“Is your dad home?”
“No. He’s in Chicago.”
“Shit, I need to give something to him,” Max said, reaching into his pocket for an envelope.
“I’ll take it for you,” Carmine said, holding out his hand, not questioning him. He didn’t want to know what type of business Max had with his father. Max dealt drugs to save money for school, which alleviated some of Carmine’s guilt when he bought from him. He felt like he was doing it for a good cause, like participating in a coke-a-thon to send a deserving kid to the Ivy League.
La Cosa Nostra, though, avoided the drug trade.
“Thanks, man. I told him I’d have it to him, and, well, I don’t want to be late with your father.”
Carmine took the envelope and said good-bye to Max before closing the door. He went into the office under the stairs again and took the large painting off the wall, exposing the safe underneath. He pulled out his keys and stuck the small golden one into the lock, punching in the code as he turned it. The safe unlocked, and a folder slipped out as soon as he opened it, papers spilling onto the floor. Bending down to pick them up, the word Antonelli caught Carmine’s eye on one of the papers. He froze, a coldness washing through him when he read genetic testing across the top.
His mind worked fast as he debated what to do, time ticking away, his opportunity dwindling. Curiosity overrode his logic as he grabbed the test results.
Besides Haven’s, there were no names, but it indicated a conclusive mtDNA match from somewhere. Written along the side, in his father’s messy scrawl, were the words CODIS partial match confirmed. Carmine kicked himself for not paying more attention in science class.
He shoved the papers back into the folder and placed the envelope in the safe, locking it all up before heading upstairs.
* * *
Loud noises woke them later that night, doors slamming on the floor below. The bed shifted as Haven sat up, wide-eyed. “What was that?”
