“I didn’t realize that was a bad thing.”
“It’s not... Not at all. It’s just not something you’d expect from a guy.”
I found her back peddling adorable. So much so, I couldn’t stop myself from goading her. “You think there’s something wrong with me, huh? You think I have OCD or something?”
“No! Not at all!” she gasped. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I don’t know.I think that’s exactly what you meant.”
“I was just saying that your house is really clean. It’s a good thing.” She must’ve caught onto the fact that I was messing with her because she turned the tables on me. “I mean, you don’t have to worry about your allergies kicking up or catching salmonella or E. coli.”
“No, I certainly don’t, but then again...”
Just as I was about to turn things back in my favor, my cell phone started ringing. I grabbed it out of my pocket, and as soon as I answered, I heard Antonio ask, “Are you ready to play?”
“That depends.” I wanted to tell the guy to fuck off and that I was no longer working for him, but I feared it might make him suspicious. “Where’s the game?”
“My place.”
“How many are playing?”
“Just one. You think you can handle that?”
“Yeah, I can handle that.”
“Good. I’ll see you shortly.”
As soon as he ended the call, I turned to Everleigh and said, “I’ve gotta go out for a while.”
“Yeah, I heard.” A solemn look crossed her face as she asked, “Will you be gone long?”
“Hard to tell.” I grabbed my keys from the counter, then started for the door. “I’ll be back when I can.”
“You aren’t going to lock me up?”
“I was hoping you could behave yourself until I get back.” I turned to face her as I asked, “You think you can manage that?”
“Yeah, I think I can manage that.”
“Good.” I gave her a quick nod, then headed out. “Don’t wait up.”
I closed the door, then went out to the garage to gather my equipment. Once I had it all loaded, I drove over to Antonio’s place. When I pulled up, one of his guards greeted me at the front steps. I took a quick look around, and unlike the time before, I didn’t see any evidence of an attack.
Figuring the cleanup would be inside, I went around and grabbed my duffle bag from the back of the van, then said, “I’m ready when you are.”
He nodded, then motioned for me to follow as he headed inside. I followed him through the front door and up the stairs to Antonio’s office. As soon as I walked in, I spotted a young man in his early twenties sprawled out on the floor. He was wearing a black suit—one similar to the guard standing at my side, and he had two bullet wounds—one to his head and the other to his chest.
I was taking in the scene when Antonio walked up next to me. He was also dressed in a suit, but unlike the kid’s, his cost more than my monthly mortgage, and his shoes were equally as expensive. DeLuca wanted everyone to know he was wealthy. He thought it would gain him respect, but it hadn’t gained mine. I knew what kind of man he was, and I was far from impressed by the narcissistic and power-hungry asshole.
He glanced down at the young man on the floor and shook his head. “Such a waste. The kid had potential.”
“He one of yours?”
“He was,” Antonio answered coldly. “Unfortunately, he wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
“It happens.” I turned my attention to my duffle bag and pulled out my suit. Ignoring Antonio’s fixed stare, I slipped it on, then knelt down to check the range of the blood splatter. When I saw that it was minimal, I turned my attention back to Antonio and said, “This shouldn’t take long. It’ll take less if you’re willing to lose the rug.”
“I could care less about the fucking rug.”