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Chapter Twenty-Four
ARIA
I glance over at my husband as he comes out of his office, and for not the first time since I was told I had to stick to the house, he looks not at all like himself. He looks tense and frustrated, like there is a problem he can’t solve, which I don’t think I have ever seen him believe himself unable to solve a problem. If nothing else works, he just goes for his gun. But this is different.
"Sal..." I say quietly, patting the spot next to me, my brows creasing in worry as he looks over to me. "Come talk to me, please."
He sighs and joins me, though the tenseness doesn’t go away. So, I decide to make him lean his back towards me as I begin to massage his shoulders. He seems to like it and pauses to take his shirt off so I can better to get to him.
"It's just this latest job. They aren’t always so easy or pleasant," he says with a shrug. "Nothing more."
I don’t press because I know enough about what he does to know that I don’t want to hear anymore and that he won’t want me to either. His job is to kill people, and while I believe many of them deserve it for one reason or another and that my husband can easily turn into the monster necessary to get the job done, I can't think that every life he takes is one he relishes in taking.
Hey, how does a vacation sound?" he asks me suddenly, looking over his shoulder. I give him a strange look back. This seems to me an odd time to go on vacation considering the safety concerns. "Maybe somewhere in the Mediterranean."
Was it so bad, the danger we were in, that we needed to get out of the country? I don’t say what I suspect when I answer him. "I do feel cooped up, and it does sound like a nice idea. Are you sure it would be safe?" I question as he turns around and takes my hand.
"I think the whole family should go; Marcel, your father, your sister...a good getaway and bonding experience. And we will have plenty of protection."
I try not to grimace at the mention of my father coming with us, but if this truly is about safety, then it makes sense. I hope he doesn’t expect me to pretend like I am going to have a good time with them, though. I will spend my time with those I care about or on my own, enjoying the beach.
For all I know, this could be leading us to Andrei, the best lead he has. So, I go with it. "Okay, maybe it'll be just what we need."
