Tempted by the Sinner

Or I could keep changing. I could embrace what I was.

I took a deep breath and headed down the block, back toward Vince’s house.

It took me a while to walk there. I took my time, watched a family move an old couch down to the curbside, watched a couple sit on a stoop and share a bottle of water, watched the city buzz around me with life.

I reached Vince’s door and knocked. I wasn’t sure why, I figured it wouldn’t be locked. But a few seconds later, it opened and he stood there staring out at me.

He looked surprised. He wore a light gray t-shirt over a pair of tight jeans, his muscles bulging, his hair pushed back.

“I’m back,” I said.

“Didn’t think you would be,” he said.

“Yeah, well, I decided I couldn’t just walk away from this.”

He smirked a little, tilted his head. “I got under your skin, huh?”

“No,” I said. “I just decided I have to follow through.”

“Yeah, all right. You tell yourself that.” He stepped aside. “Welcome home, little journalist.”

I bit my lip then stepped up and crossed the threshold.17VinceThat afternoon after my Mona came back, I piled her into a black SUV and drove over to my father’s place.

“Where’d you get the car?” she asked as I parked out front.

“I’ve got guys all over this city,” I said.

“Yeah, okay, but seriously.”

I laughed. “Had Dino drive it over,” I said.

“That’s what I figured.” She sighed and chewed her lip. “Why are we here?”

“Got to talk about what happened,” I said.

“And you’re bringing me?”

“You’re in the shit now,” I said. “Might as well embrace it. Come on, let’s go see what the old man thinks.”

I got out of the car and she followed. Roberto answered the door a moment after I knocked, which meant he’d been standing there waiting for us like a goddamn creep. We stepped into the entrance hall, into that absurd grandeur beneath the glittering chandelier nobody ever lit and walked down the hallway over plush carpeting and past heavy, expensive wood paneling. We reached my father’s study, Roberto knocked, and we were ushered inside.

My father paced along behind his desk, his hands behind his back. He turned as I approached, Mona just behind me, her hands clasped in front of her like a choir girl. My father’s eyes flashed to me then back to her, and his expression hardened.

“I didn’t expect you to bring her,” he said.

“She’s a part of this now,” I said. “Witnessed the whole thing.”

My father frowned then looked at me. “Are you okay?”

I waved a hand. “You know me. Bulletproof.”

“I know you think that, son. But nobody’s bulletproof.”

I took a seat in a chair in front of his deck. Mona lingered, moving from foot to foot, and my father stared at her.

“What about you?” he asked. “After what you witnessed, I’d guess you’re having some difficulties.”

“I’m handling it,” she said.

He cracked a smile. “I’m sure you are.”

“Do you know who came after us?” she asked.

He gestured at the chair next to mine. “Take a seat,” he said.

She hesitated then did as instructed. She sat up straight, her back rigid, her head held high. I raised an eyebrow at her, a little smile on my lips. She sat there like a queen addressing her subjects, and I had to admit she had an aura about her. Before, she’d been a scared, timid little mouse.

But there was a woman that could command a room.

My father seemed to notice it too. He frowned at her, tilted his head to one side like he was trying to decide what to make of her, then shook his head and let out a breath. He pulled back his own chair, sat down across from us, and leaned forward on his elbows.

“Do you have any idea how many phone calls I’ve gotten?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Twelve?”

“The fucking mayor,” he said, ignoring me. “The fucking chief of police. Even a couple of state goddamn senators. Do you have any clue how pissed they were?”

I spread my hands. “What was I supposed to do?” I asked. “I didn’t make the Jalisco come at me.”

“And yet they did,” my father said. “And you decided to kill them all.”

“Steven helped,” I said.

He glared at me. “Don’t bring Steven into this.”

“What do you want me to say?” I asked. “You should be angry with them, not with me.”

He clenched his jaw then smashed his hands flat down onto the desk. Mona jumped a little bit, and I could tell she was still on edge, despite the new confidence.

“I am angry with them,” he said. “Those little fuckers think they can break my plans just because it inconveniences them.”

“Seems like they’re right,” I said. “If you lose the Jalisco, the flow of heroin dries up. Not something we can really afford right now.”

My father shook his head. “I can’t let them push me around. If they start getting away with shit like that, every two-bit gang in this city’s going to go after my guys with impunity.”