AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Because my brother doesn't know about them."
Irritated, I looked at him.
"This is not a petting zoo for my troubled siblings."
"Sure, your siblings are the disturbed ones."
"What are you trying to imply?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, still petting the tiger.
Meanwhile, my heart was racing, although I had long since calmed down on the outside. I couldn't believe he hadn't at least warned me.
"Nothing. I'd just like to know what other surprises await me here. Besides a tiger, a mountain lion, and a leopard, of course."
He looked at me piercingly for a few seconds but said nothing. Somehow I got the feeling that he had more than one other secret that he wasn't planning to tell me.
Goosebumps formed on my arms. "I'm going back to the pool," I announced and turned around so I could quickly escape.
Since there were no loungers, I spread my towel on the natural stone tiles, sat down, and opened my book. Out of the corner of my eye, I squinted in the direction from which I had just come.
You couldn't guess from my seat that there was an enclosure back there for a rescued tiger, which supposedly posed no danger.
* * *
A shadow crept in front of my face, and when I looked up, I noticed that Vincenzo was standing over me, looking at me with a grim expression. What was it with this man that never looked exuberant or halfway cheerful for even a second?
I raised an eyebrow questioningly, unsure what he expected from me. Did he want me to vacate my spot by the pool, even though I wasn't doing anything that might bother him? Or had he tolerated me near him long enough today and wanted to send me inside, as one did with small children?
Instead of asking him what brought him to me, I kept looking at him, waiting for him to say what was on his mind.
It couldn't be that hard, could it? I had never learned to read minds – probably much to his regret.
Finally, he crossed his arms. The former mafia boss really had a lot of trouble saying what was on his mind.
It felt like half an eternity of just staring at each other. Eventually, he emitted an annoying noise. "I have a few questions for you."
"I see," I replied. "And it took you five minutes to say that?"
A steep wrinkle formed on his forehead as if he had not expected this retort.
"I wasn't sure if I should ask you or not."
"Why?"
"Because some topics of conversation are better left alone. "
More confused than before, I straightened up a little. I hated that he was standing over me, looking down at me. "So what's this about?"
"Your father."
Of course. I should have guessed he hadn't come out to have a pleasant get-to-know-you conversation. Sighing, I leaned back again and propped myself up on my arms. "What do you want to know?"
"How great is his value to the mafia, really?"
I snorted. I guess he always got right to the point. "Do you really think he would have spoken to me about that?"
"I think you're a brilliant woman, and you've picked up a thing or two over the years. Even while you weren't living with him."
Vincenzo was not entirely wrong, but I was unsure whether I should actually pass this information on to him. Why did he ask for it at all? No one asks questions like that for no reason.
