Family Ties (Morelli Family 4)

Clearly I’ve taken him off-guard. He just stares at me, wordless and baffled.

The door opens and some balding asshole starts to walk in.

“Bathroom’s out of order,” I bark at him.

The guy’s eyes go wide behind his spectacles and he about trips over his feet turning around to leave us alone.

“Why are you so pissed off?” Vince asks, scowling down at my hand on his shirt. “Get your hands off me!”

Instead, I push him against the wall a little harder. “I asked you a question.”

“I don’t remember what I said word for word.”

“Did you mention me?” I demand.

“Of course I didn’t, I’m not a fucking moron.”

“Never?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” he says, glaring at me. “You think she’d be so fucking friendly to you if she knew you were as willing to kill him as I was? We pinned the whole thing solely on your dad, like we talked about. I wasn’t ratting on anyone but myself, I just… wanted to be honest with my own girlfriend.”

I roll my eyes, but release the idiot. I can breathe again, but just barely.

“You ever say a fucking word to implicate me, Vince, I guarantee I’ll put a bullet between your eyes before Mateo can.”

“No shit,” he says, glaring at me while he jerks his shoulders and straightens his shirt. “I take it you didn’t tell Francesca.”

“Of course I didn’t fucking tell Francesca. There’s a time and place for honesty, kid, and this ain’t it. Some of us actually have brains in our heads and know when to keep shit to ourselves. Jesus Christ. You gotta wise up or you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“I thought she was on my side,” he mutters, still a little butthurt that I manhandled him a second ago. I don’t give a fuck. This little asshole was high-risk to begin with, Mark tried to tell me that, but I’m starting to think he’s better off dead.

“No one’s on your side,” I inform him. “You try something like that and fail, you tell no one. You try to convince yourself you had no part in it. You do not confess your sins, not to anyone, not with a fucking gun to your head. Keep your fucking mouth shut is the first lesson you should’ve learned. Mateo really doesn’t teach you shit, does he?”

“I do keep my mouth shut.” He shoots me another glare, not appreciating my evaluation of his skills. “I don’t tell Mia about business shit, but this wasn’t business. She should want him dead.”

“That’s your problem, right there,” I say, pointing at him. “It was business. You made it personal. You gotta stop with this Mateo shit,” I say, shaking my head. “It doesn’t even matter if you’re right, the only person you’re making look bad is yourself. She mentions his name and you get shitty. Here’s a better idea: stop flying off the handle. When she says, hey, it was nice of this man who knows people are out to kill him to show up alone with someone who might shoot him on sight to save me? You wrap your arm around her since she’s your fucking girl and say, yeah, it was, I’m so glad you’re safe. Then you kiss her. You take her home and fuck her, because only you get to do that. Who won? You. You won. When you act like a dick, you know who wins? I’ll give you a hint—the only threat who isn’t you. He might be a crazy asshole, but he keeps it in check. Learn from your enemies, Vince.”

He’s still watching me with that narrowed glare of his, but I’m done here, so I leave him in the bathroom alone and find myself hoping Mateo kills this little bastard before I have to.

Chapter Thirty Six

Francesca

I miss our house in the suburbs as we stand together at the bathroom sink off Sal’s bedroom, brushing our teeth at the single basin.

He watches me in the mirror as he rinses his tooth brush and drops it back in the toothbrush holder. “What are you thinking about?”

I rinse mine and drop it in next to his. “Ethan’s house. I was just thinking I wish Adrian wouldn’t have ruined it.”

He wraps his arms around my waist, tugging me close and giving me a lengthy kiss. “How did he ruin it?”

My eyebrows rise and I just stare at him. I don’t want to bring it up, but isn’t it obvious how he ruined it?

“Oh,” Sal says, realization dulling the shine in his handsome brown eyes. “Well, sure, that wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t ruin the house. We can still buy it from him. I’ll probably have to sell this one since we don’t need two houses less than an hour away from each other. We’ll just remodel the living room. If that’s the house you want, that’s the house you’re getting.”