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I pull the door open and he walks in like there’s nothing wrong with him, limping slightly on his left leg. “Good evening,” he says, helping himself to the armchair nearest the TV. “Glad to see you got home all right.”
“What the hell happened to you,” I ask, examining the swelling on his face.
“A minor disagreement over a work issue.”
“Minor disagreement? You look like someone shoved you in a barrel and then threw you off Niagara Falls.”
He leans back in his chair, staring up at me. “Are you going to offer me a coffee or should I make myself one?”
“No. You don’t get to come into my place and start being rude with me. Where the hell have you been the last few days? What’s been going on?”
“It’s nothing you need concern yourself with.” He smiles, his shoulders relaxing. “Our problems are over, that’s all you need to know.”
I look down at his hands, noticing the blood on them. “Did you kill someone?” I ask.
He rumbles out a laugh. “I did not.”
“Are you lying to me?”
He continues laughing. “I haven’t killed anyone today. That is a fact.”
“So you just dipped your hands and face in blood for fun, right? What was it? Vampire festival?”
Cathy appears in the doorway of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her. “I didn’t know we had company,” she says before noticing who’s sitting there with me. “Vincenzo? Jeez, you go ten rounds with Mike Tyson?”
“Rocky is downstairs waiting to take you to dinner. Ophelia, you’re coming with me.”
“Am I? What if I don’t want to?”
“I could pick you up and carry you out to the car but I’d prefer if you walk.”
I glance at him through narrowed eyes. “I am not moving a muscle until you tell me what’s going on, neither is Cathy.”
“Right,” Cathy says, crossing the room to stand next to me, her wet hair dripping onto the carpet. “Why do you look like that?”
Vincenzo sighs. “You know, in my line of work, you get used to withholding things from other people. I guess there’s no harm in telling you. My father is dying and he’s been trying to decide who to promote to Don of the east coast operation, either me or my brother Michael.”
He stretches his feet out in front of him, wincing slightly as he continues. “The first one of us to get married got the job. Only after I told him about you, he added a new condition. You needed to be pregnant. When Michael found out we were married, he knew the clock was ticking. He tried to kill me. Hence this.” He points at his face.
“Your own brother tried to kill you?”
“He failed so he decided if he couldn’t get me, he’d come to get you instead before I could get you pregnant.”
“Me? Why kill me?”
“If you’re dead, I’m not married and his wedding is in a few months. He takes over by default as the eldest. So he came here tonight.”
“Wait, he was here?”
“Was is the important word here.”
“Where is he now?”
“Rocky arranged for the body to be collected and disposed of.”
“The body? I thought you said you hadn’t killed anyone.”
“I didn’t. The piece of shit ran when he saw me, tripped on the stairs, and broke his own neck. Now, come with me.”
