“Yeah, see? We know all about him and his little betrayal. Information is king. It’s the true king, not my father and not your big brother. Roman got the best of your family and all of you nearly died because of it. I’m guessing you’d rather not let such a thing happen ever again.” He narrowed his eyes at my shoulders and the top of my back as if staring hard enough would let him see the damage.
Christ, this guy was a putrid piece of shit.
Unfortunately, he had a point. “So, if I do this, if I help make you disappear, you’ll provide me with this information when?”
“Once I’m gone?” he suggested. Did he think he was being funny?
“Yeah, try again.” I let how much he repulsed me seep into my voice.
“Right before I’m gone? We can work out the details to make it a safe bet for both of us. Deal?” Dante thrust out his beefy claw and I shook it, not con
cealing my scowl.
“Deal.”
Once Dante left, I went to the restroom and scrubbed my hands until they hurt. I didn’t like what he’d offered, but I couldn’t ignore that Roman had been able to blindside us because we hadn’t known enough about him. The Bianchis were one of four main families here in Philadelphia, and only they came anywhere close to the same level of power we wielded.
If they ever decided to pull a fast one, it’d be massively beneficial for me to have this rabbit to pull out of my hat. Not that I planned to keep this quiet. Luca, at least, would need to be privy to it. But I’d wait for now, see if the intel was even worth the trouble I was about to go to. If it proved to be less than what’d been advertised, only my time and minimal resources would be wasted.
I could live with that.
Part of the reason I’d agreed to this, too, had to do with what they’d done. A year ago they’d blasted into our home and killed Angelo in cold blood, and I had yet to forgive them for that. If I could make them pay, even if that payment wouldn’t come due for a while, I’d feel better.
No one should ever be allowed to make fools of the Varassos, and as much as I used to love instant gratification, delayed gratification had its charms, too. Maybe revenge really would be a dish best served cold.
With that unexpected interruption over with, I departed the bistro and went to a local grocery store. I collected a bouquet full of daisies, roses, and carnations, two large cans of chicken noodle soup, a two liter of ginger ale, and a box of saltine crackers.
Time to pay Kelly a visit.
15
Kelly
I was pathetic, and I knew it. But I couldn’t face the outside world—Marco, in particular—after the way David had looked at me. For half an hour’s worth of pleasure, I’d traded my brother’s respect and then neglected the care of my mom. I felt like the worst sister and daughter on the planet.
So now, I sat by my mother’s bedside, waiting for her to wake up.
When she did, I’d get her whatever she needed. And when tomorrow came, I’d figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I didn’t want to give up my job, but I doubted I’d have much of a choice.
David would do his dead level best to bring charges against Marco, possibly jeopardizing his law enforcement career in the process. And Marco probably wouldn’t want to keep an employee around when her brother was so intent on throwing him in the slammer.
What a mess.
I don’t know why I’d thought I could change. This had been my existence for as long as I could remember. When I’d been younger, it’d been school and taking care of my mom. Then, as I’d gotten older, it’d been school, work, and taking care of my mom. Now, at least I didn’t have school.
My main problem was if I couldn’t keep my high-paying job, my family’s finances would go right back to being a disaster. Dad didn’t make enough to cover rent and the basic utility bills, and that excluded all of my mom’s medical expenses. That’s why David and I had gone to work so young. It’s why we’d each contributed.
To leave my parents out here in the world alone would spell their ruin. I couldn’t do that.
Still, as guilty as I felt about letting my mom’s care go this morning, I didn’t regret what I’d shared with Marco. It’d been so lovely. I’d never even touched myself that way—Mom made it sound so wrong—but with Marco it didn’t feel wrong at all. At least I’d had the opportunity to experience what ecstasy felt like.
Even if all that was over now, which it was.
Mom probably wouldn’t wake for a few more hours, but I felt like her seeing me once she woke would make up for earlier. So I sat at her bedside in my sweatpants and hoodie, mindlessly flipping through the catalogues that came free in the mail. I still had the nest egg I’d been saving, so it’d be a few months before the bills caught up to me again.
Maybe by then, I’d be able to find another job.
Something told me that getting paid as well as I did right now was unlikely, though. When the doorbell rang, my mom didn’t so much as stir, so I went to answer it. The only people who ever came by other than Chloe and Laura were the maintenance men who replaced filters in the apartment. And since my friends were at work, that must mean a filter needed to be changed out somewhere.