Worried he isn’t drinking fast enough, I pick up my bottle, gulp it down, and hand him his. Then, I kiss him and if I’m broken, he sure doesn’t notice.
“Maybe we should skip the movie and take it to the bedroom?”
“You sure?” His eyes dilate, he starts to stand, and as his head droops, he hisses. “You little bitch. What was in it?”
“You’ll only be out a couple of hours, I promise.” Lowering him to the sofa, I kiss the top of his head and after his eyes close, trot down the stairs.
At the bottom, I whisper to Joey watching TV in his living room. “Uncle Vinny wants to see me, alone. Be back in a few. Make sure the messenger gets the doll.”
“Copy that. Take the boat.” He tosses me Nona’s car keys and I catch them in midair.
“Thanks. Be right back.”
“Call me if you need anything, anything at all. I mean it.” At his worried gaze, I pause with my hand on the doorknob.
“He probably wants to question me about my date. You know how he gets. He’s worse than a kid.” I try to sound nonchalant but Joey’s not buying it and grimaces.
“Be careful, cuz.”
“Always.” Once outside, I note the SUV blocking our driveway and moan.
Dammit.Can’t anything ever go right?I put my nose to the offending vehicle’s window and when I realize it belongs to Wheels, sneak back to the snoring man on the couch. My heart pounds as I search his muscled body. I find his keys in his front pockets, but his jeans are too tight to retrieve them. Despite being oh-so-very careful, his cock twitches the moment I unzip his fly. It bulges as I spread the opening and grows more while I dig in his pocket.
Certain I’m going to hell, I dash outside, move his car, and leave his keys under the mat. Hopping in Gram’s mammoth gold Impala, I follow my GPS to a diner on Atlantic Avenue. By the time I arrive, the booths are mostly filled with the after-movie crowd.
Once I’ve ordered coffee and French fries, I start shooting angry birds at evil pigs. Vinny shows up when Vinny’s good and ready. It could be moments or hours. While I’m deep in play, a stranger slides into my booth.
With my finger coiled around my Taser’s trigger, I lift the barrel above the table line and point. “Talk.”
“Calm down, princess. Your uncle sent me.” Smiling, the blond holds up his hands and exposes a hole where a front tooth should be.
Noting the knife scar on his cheek and his broken nose, my gaze narrows. “What’s the password?”
“Pepperoni, no anchovies. We good?” The thug eyes my weapon and as I lay it on the table, I can’t help but wonder why my gangster uncle didn’t show in person.
“Tell me, what couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
“He needs to know what da fuck you were doing on the dark web.”
“I already told him. The cat jumped on the keyboard.” A lump forms in my intestines and my stomach gurgles.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I doubt it was smart enough to download Tor. Someone had to have been browsing. Was it you?”
“Tor? What do you mean?” It’s a stall tactic and we both know it, but I need a second to create a reasonable lie.
“Don’t play stupid. It doesn’t suit you. Who was you with?”
I once read how a psychopath’s eyes are completely devoid of emotion. I never believed it but it’s true. I’m quite certain if this thug doesn’t like my answers, uncle or no uncle, I’ll end up wearing cement shoes in the bottom of the East River.
“The only one I can think of is my ex. He’ll do anything to get me in trouble.”
“Hmm. Are you willing to come outside and tell Mr. Lapa?” He makes it sound like a threat, but I shrug it off.
“Sure, no problem. Mind if I bring my fries?”
“Whatever.”
Gulping down my lukewarm coffee, I pick up my ceramic plate, and shout at the waitress, “Be right back.”
