Formal living rooms are a waste of space when there are comfier, more casual spaces to occupy. And despite the minimal time we’ve spent here, the kitchen has already become the preferred spot to hang out, especially when the afternoon sun beats down against the outside of the four-story house.
“While I respect the sanctity of marriage and the necessity for private discussions, I feel it’s important we’re all on the same fuckin’ page right now.” Felix leans against the broad stone countertop, his arms folded across his chest and his jaw flexing with a rage he long ago learned to bottle up and hold on to for himself. Because even if he’s the loudest, most obnoxious, seemingly selfish brother of five, beneath all the noise and drama is a protector who would take a thousand lashes on his back if it saves any of us from a single one.
His eyes shift to Minka, dark green orbs following her even as she releases my hand and meanders toward the fridge.
He growls in the back of his throat. “Open communication would be helpful right now, Chief.”
“There’s nothing to say that you didn’t already hear.” She takes out a bottle of orange juice, slams the fridge, and opens cabinets in search of a glass to pour it into. “Cordoza is not accepting no, and despite Archer’s idea of packing me into a box and shipping me to Africa?—”
“Jamaica.” I exhale a noisy, breathy sigh, and pushing away from the door, I cross the kitchen, passing Micah and Cato, and tug out a stool at the counter. “I suggested Jamaica. Try the cabinet to the left of the stove.”
Huffy, Minka follows my directions and whips the door open, revealing a stash of tumblers, large and small. “I’m not going to Jamaica, either. Cordoza wants an autopsy, so I’ll do one for him. I’ll process the body the way I do a dozen others every single week. I’ll write the report, but I won’t officially file it. Then we wipe our hands of this mess and stop inviting arrogant, misogynist bastards to family functions.” She straightens out and sets the glass on the counter, smiling broadly and hitting Felix with a look. “I suppose we should make an exception for you, though. It would be rude not to.”
“Thatwas rude.” He points an accusatory finger in her direction. “I’m over here developing a stomach ulcer for you, and you’ve got nothing better to do than to pick at me.”
Unbothered, she uncaps the juice and fills her glass. “We each cope in our own way. What can you tell me about Anthony Agosti?”
“Apart from the fact that he was a piece of shit?” Cato settles against the wall, resting on his shoulder blades and tucking his arms behind his back. “He was fifty-something, I think. Like fifty-three? Fifty-four. As many wives as my father had baby-mommas. His father, and that dude’s father, too, were the family CEOs before him.” He does finger quotes aroundCEO. “Ironically, every Agosti man has died around the mid-century, and never because of poor health. They lack a lot of tact and class required for longevity in this world. They piss people off, step on toes, and demand things they really shouldn’t.”
“And so, someone kills them.” Minka puts the bottle of juice down and swaps it for the glass. “Okay. Not sure anyone will cry at his funeral. Tell me about his business dealings.”
“He’s—”
“You wouldn’t approve,” I cut in, drawing her fiery eyes to mine.Fuck. This is the shit I didn’t want to have to tell her.“Agosti liked to trade in skin.”
Her jaw clicks. That’s it. A fucking inferno, locked under Herculean control and hidden behind her hand as she brings her juice up and takes a long, slow sip. “Skin?”
“He bought and sold women,” Felix explains. “Lots of them. Too many of them. There’s a market for it, whether we wanna acknowledge it or not, and he didn’t mind doing the work, not when these women come with massive dollar signs attached to their faces.”
“He managed an international transport system that moved girls across borders and delivered them wherever they needed to be.” I watch Minka’s eyes darken with every new word I speak. Her cheeks flex. Her chest stops moving completely because she stops drawing fresh oxygen. “The more we tell you, the more likely you’re gonna tear that motherfucker up when you’re supposed to be autopsying him.”
She closes her eyes and gently shakes her head from side to side. But at least she breathes again, expanding her lungs and broadening her chest. “Keep going.”
“He had so many wives, cos he always had the pick of the litter,” Cato explains. “He liked them young and afraid. He only fathered one son, as far as I know, and that dude is already dead. The rest of the women, if he impregnated them, didn’t live long enough to tell us about it.”
“And the wife from last night?”
“Jasna?” Felix nods. “She’s barely old enough to drink, and it’s my understanding heappropriatedher during a shipment a couple of years ago. He’s held on to her longer than any of those who came before.”
“Probably because he can’t afford a newer model,” Micah growls. “Some men enjoy upgrading every year or two. Poor men have no choice but to hold on to what they’ve got. Either that, or have nothing at all.”
“Have we checked her alibi?” Christabelle wanders through the back door with Zora blissfully curled against her chest, sleeping soundly in spite of the chaotic world she was born into. “She’s the only person who had free access to his room, and she was the one who discovered him and came out screeching. She was his prisoner; the bracelets she wore were cuffs, no matter how pretty they were. If I wereappropriatedand forced into marriage with a man I despised, I might resort to slitting his wrists and pretending to be the innocent, grieving wife, too.”
“Good thing you don’t despise me, Darling.” Felix drops his frown and replaces it with a lopsided grin. “I kinda stole you and kept you against your will. But I gave you the option to leave, and you attended our wedding of your own free will. That counts, right?”
She rolls her eyes, tugging out a stool three down from mine and perching on the hard wooden top. Then she looks at Minka and raises a pointed brow. “I suppose I would suggest checking toxicology results to see if she tried poisoning the prick first. Women typically try that route first, right? Slitting his wrist was Plan B.”
“Tox results can take weeks. Even months.” Minka sets her glass of juice back on the counter and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I don’t think Cordoza realizes this isn’t happening overnight.”
“You just do the autopsy like he asked,” Felix rumbles. “Deliver what you can, when you can. The rest will come when it comes. If he’s not happy with that, he can find his own lab to finish it out.”
Mary steps out of Steve’s wing in silence, moving to the sink and stopping close enough to Minka that their arms brush.
“Jesus,” Cato groans. “I didn’t realize until now how hungry I am, and it’s only because I saw Mary that I remembered.”
“That’s called codependency. And being weird.” Minka pushes her glass away and moves around the counter, giving Mary space to work. “I’m not sorry about it, though. Having Mary here—and Debbie, too—means he focuses on you and not me.”
“Don’t fret, Doc.” Cato strides forward and scoops the baby straight out of Christabelle’s arms. “I have enough love for everyone. Christabelle,cos she’s my sister-aunt. Zora, cos she’s my cousin-niece and the cutest little thing ever. I have affections for Doctor Emeri, especially now that she’s my sister. And we can’t forget McStinkerson, since she’s the OG niece I never knew I wanted.”
