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“Girl, get out.” I laugh, knowing I’m going to make her request.
My phone rings again. I look at the name and frown.
“Oh, who’s that? Your face looks like you smell shit,” Toni asks.
“Lou,” I reply as I send the call to voice mail. He’s been calling a lot since the morning after the attack. He can go fly a kite for all I care.
Dario
I hang up with Carleen and dial Gio. I need him to make some things happen for me. I have a small window to do it all in but I need it to happen.
“Hello,” he answers.
“What you have for me?”
“An address. I can get it to Apollo within the hour.”
“No, I need you to clear me a path. I’ll be in and out. This is a problem I want to handle on my own and I need to see someone. That’s my woman and child. I’m not going to feel right if I don’t do this.”
There’s silence on the other end for a few beats. I check the phone to make sure we’re still connected. When I place the phone back to my ear, Gio grunts.
“I’ll have a jet there, fueled and ready to go within the hour. When you land, I can hold open a ten-hour window. Get whatever you need done in that gap. It’s all the path I can give.”
“It’s all I need.”
“Some salty situation, that’s what this all is. I’ll send the package to you. Check the warehouse.”
I understand right away, he’s talking about the warehouse we keep for curing meat. That’s going to place me in the center of the airport and this other thing I need to do.
“Thanks, Gio.”
“You’re welcome. Have a safe flight.”
The line goes dead, and I make one more call before I head down for the car to leave. This will be a long seven and half hours by private jet. Long enough for me to allow my demons to surface.
Chapter 38
The Butcher
Dario
“Did you get the box from the safe?”
“Yes,” Apollo says from the driver’s seat.
When the plane landed on the tarmac, he was waiting for me in a black Jaguar. I climbed in and gave him instructions for our first stop. I’m glad to see him, because I know in my bones, if he weren’t driving, I’d be on my way to Carleen.
I need to make these visits and head back to my plane to get back to Italy before the feds are tipped off that I’ve reentered the country. I focus on my sole purpose for this trip. The security of my family.
“Wait out here for me,” I say as I look out the windshield at the mansion we’re pulling up to.
I know this home well. However, I never thought I’d be coming here for this. Not in this lifetime. I step from the car and fix my suit jacket before tugging at my cuffs.
Reaching into the back of the car, I pull out the gift I asked Apollo to get for me. Inhaling a deep breath, I turn for the front door. I ring the bell and wait.
A few calls and I was told both Mitchells would be home tonight. However, it’s Patricia Mitchell who answers the door. She gives me a huge smile and tugs me into a hug. I return the embrace with my free arm.
“Dario, it’s so good to see your face. It feels like forever,” she sings.
“Likewise, Doc. How you doing?”
“I’m well. Come on in.” She waves me into the house. “I thought you were in Italy.”
“I was. I’m returning tonight. I just have a little business to handle.”
“Does Carleen know you’re here?”
“No, ma’am, my business is with your husband. I don’t want Carleen to know I’m here.”
“Oh, I understand.” She bites her lip and wrings her hands. I hand over the gift bag. “Oh, thank you. Good luck, Dario.”
She leads me to the great room, then turns to leave me with her husband. Dr. Mitchell is seated in his recliner with a book in his hands. When he looks up from the book, he frowns at me.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Humph.”
“May I have a seat?” I ask before moving any farther.
He grunts and nods his head toward the couch. I move to the sofa, open my jacket, and take a seat. I sit staring into my palm, rubbing my thumb into it.
“I can remember the day I knew I was in love with your daughter. I wasn’t more than eight. We were on the playground, and she tripped over her feet and skinned her knees.
“It was that day that I knew I’d do anything to protect her. My love for her has only grown. I have desired to be her husband for years. To provide for her, to cherish her, to be her best friend and comfort. Carleen is an amazing woman and I love her with everything I am.
