AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nah. The guys who work for him have too much respect for him,” Kyle said, waving off the notion we were sitting within a den of snakes. “If he was like the others, or the people who killed our parents, he wouldn’t inspire the loyalty he has with them.”
“Father was loyal to those he worked for, too. Look where that got him,” I mumbled.
“What if he wasn’t?”
I stared at my brother, turning over his question. What if daddy wasn’t loyal? Like he was what? Stealing? We didn’t have to steal. We had more money than we knew how to spend, and he wouldn’t risk us. It made little sense. No, something else had to have happened to our parents. It wasn’t father stealing from the families. “I don’t believe that for a minute. He wouldn’t do anything to put us in harm’s way.”
“What if it wasn’t father but mother?” Kyle was stretching. I could see it in the way he looked at me. I wondered how many nights he’d stayed up later than he should have, trying to connect the dots on what happened to our parents.
“Please tell me you haven’t been using Miceli’s Wi-Fi to investigate our parents’ death,” I said, heart lodged in my throat. “What if he has access to all of your search logs?”
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” he said with a playful smile. “I’ve been using a VPN and incognito mode, too. I don’t think anyone has found me yet.”
“The operative word is,yet,Kyle,” I hissed. “Damn it, what if your searching sends someone straight to Miceli’s front door?”
“Do you think someone would be stupid enough to come toIl Malocchino’shouse?” Kyle quirked a brow.
No. I didn’t think so. However, if they were stupid and didn’t think Miceli was up to the challenge, they would. I wasn’t stupid enough to think they wouldn’t. Nor was I stupid enough to beat on anyone other than Miceli, either. Wait, what? “Who’s theIl Malocchino?” Kyle stared at me like I was stupid. “Wait, are you telling me those rumors are true? He’s an assassin?”
Kyle inclined his chin.
“Holy shit. I mean... I heard things. Things little girls should never hear whispered by adults. I thought they were just, you know...”
“Making shit up?” Kyle chuckled. “No. So, I think we’re safer here than you realized.”
“Do we honestly want to put that to the test?” Here I was, promising myself I wouldn’t cause anymore waves, and my brother had been the guy at the control, churning up the waters without me realizing it.
“We can’t stay like this,” Kyle said. “Like you said, your job will eventually run out. We’ll have to leave this place at some point.”
“What about you getting a job as security here, huh, tough guy?” I teased. “I thought you had this all planned out.”
He shrugged. “What if that doesn’t work out?”
Well, I’d have to save my pay. Use the bare minimum to make sure we had food and the rest? Well, should something happen, we’d have money in an account to tide us over.Always plan ahead.Or, plan for the worst, hope for the best. “We’ll cross that bridge when it gets here. Until then, we keep moving forward, minus looking at our parents’ case.” I gave him a pointed look. Even if I wanted to dig into it, I couldn’t anymore. All it would take was one wrong move and Miceli would start asking questions.
“Fine, I’ll stop.” He lifted his hands in defeat. “So, what are we doing today?”
Nothing. Absolutely and blissfully nothing. “I was going to read all day. You can play your video games or watch movies. Whatever you want.” After the week I had, I didn’t want to move.
“Can I hang out with the guys?” He cut his gaze toward the main house and garage.
“I don’t care. Just be careful what you say to them.” It was hypocritical of me to point out Miceli’s failings as a father with Rocca, when I did the same to Kyle. He and Rocca were in the same boat together. Only, our issue was due to us supposedly being dead. Which reminded me... “Hey, we should think about bleaching your hair again soon.”
He grunted. “Yeah. Need a haircut too.”
In the beginning, I’d nipped a clipper set from a small salon near the motel where we were staying. I hated the idea of stealing, but we were scared and on the run. We needed the money to survive, so I couldn't justify paying fifty bucks for something. I hated myself for being that way. However, the kit came in handy. For almost a year now, every eight weeks, I cut and bleached Kyle’s hair. Sometimes only the roots and sometimes his entire head. We had to keep up with our disguises or else we’d be found.
“I can do that tonight.” After getting paid the first time, I’d ordered the supplies I’d need in bulk, so I wouldn’t have to go buy it. Thankfully, no one at the house questioned the delivery.
“Sounds good.” Kyle stood. “You know, I get why you’re so paranoid. This hasn’t been easy for either of us, but I think we’re safe here.”
He kept saying that. Still, I’d seen what even his nightmares were doing to him, too. He was just as scared as I was. “I hope so.” Every time I tried to tell myself that, little things kept creeping in. Maybe Kyle was right. I needed to tell Miceli everything. Doing so, regrettably, meant telling him I’d been lying to him the whole time. He specifically said no lying. Combine that with what happened last week, and I’d for sure get fired. Nope, it was best to keep my secret.
Once Kyle left, I tucked into the book I’d been reading before Robbie showed up. The escapism in reading helped settle my mind. I hadn’t realized how much I needed the downtime until I was right in the middle of it. I needed to put aside the pressing issues of being stuck in a no-win situation and concentrate on the present. When the time was right, maybe I’d have the solution to our troubles. Until then, I couldn’t dwell. Dwelling caused me to fuck up in more ways than one.
Miceli
The minute Soren called,I headed out. We met at a small jazz lounge in a secluded and upscale hotel I sometimes frequented. Benny was down at the bar while Antonio stood sentinel as a lookout. Whatever caught Soren’s attention, I had to know, even if it meant meeting with him away from my home.
