“Dead, I know,” Aidan said patiently. He looked at me. “I’ll leave it to you to explain the more gruesome details there.”
And so I did, laying out my own idea about his missing foot, ear and fingers being used to encourage the idea that he was dead.
“Well, if itishim, he’s fucking committed, I’ll give him that,” Mr. D said at last, his voice quiet and ironic and dangerous. I was glad to hear it. We needed that side of him, not the party boy he liked to play at. “But there’s something else you should—”
“Finch,” the Boss said sharply.
“Luca,” came the soft reply, and then the line went silent.
“Are they still there?” Aidan wondered.
“They put it on mute. We might as well settle in.” While we sat there waiting, Aidan was chewing his fingernails down to the quick. I pulled his hand away from his mouth and held it, instead.
When the line came back on, the Boss didn’t bother with any more small talk. “What I’m going to tell you doesn’t leave your lips. Understand?”
“Yes, Don Morelli,” I said, and poked Aidan.
“Okay?” he squeaked.
“Finch and I were under the impression that…another person had killed O’Leary,” the Boss continued slowly, like he was watching every word. Then he broke into rapid Italian, with added confusions via our own abbreviations and codewords for anyone who might have bugged our phones. He told me the whole story: how Finch had killed his sister Maggie to save Tara; how Gus Donovan hadn’t denied killing Jim O’Leary when Finch had accused him of it; how Gus Donovan wasn’t exactly around toclarifythe situation.
“Okay,” I said at the end, while Aidan looked blankly at me. Apparently he didn’t speak Italian. “Well. That…explains some things. Not others.” I added in Italian, “You shouldn’t go back to that house, Boss. Get away from the Donovans altogether. Doesn’t seem like we can trust them.”
“I’m not going back to New York until we sort this out,” came Mr. D’s stubborn voice in English, and Luca’s sigh followed it. Apparently Mr. Dhadstarted picking up some Italian. “I don’t believe this is something Tara’s doing,” he continued. “She’s not like Maggie. And besides…we’d all be dead right now if that was her plan, right? She’s had the last few days and nights to take us out.”
“Idothink the target is Aidan,” I said, and squeezed Aidan’s hand apologetically. “Not necessarily anyone else.”
“Butwhy?” Aidan demanded plaintively. “I’m nobody.”
“You’re not nobody,” Mr. D told him fiercely. “And until we can figure out exactly what’s going on, I agree that you and Teo should stay away.” I felt a sense of relief wash over me. If Mr. D wanted it, then the Boss would agree. That was how they worked.
“You go see Dylan tonight, Vitali,” the Boss said, confirming my thoughts, “We’ll try to sort everything out with Tara in the meantime.”
“You sure you don’t need me there, Boss?” I asked. I felt I had to. I might have been a bodyguard but I was a Morelli soldier first and foremost, and if the Don’s life was in danger, it was my duty to be there for him.
“No. Finch wants you with Aidan, and Carlucci’s still here. There’s something going on, but I do agree with my husband—I just don’t see Tara as a threat. Call in tomorrow and we’ll let you know the score.”
It sat uneasy with me, but I could hardly contradict the Boss.
“So where does Dylan live?” Aidan asked, after I hung up the phone.
I gave a quick smile. “That’s not what the Boss meant. We’ll find a motel and stay there for the night.”
Aidan looked unconvinced, but he nodded. “And now we trash the phones?”
“Look at you, you’ll be an undercover expert in no time.”
“I guess if the priest thing doesn’t take, I’ll always have a backup career.” He said it like it was supposed to be a joke, but he didn’t sound like he was kidding.
“We’re gonna need a new ride as well,” I said. Aidan saw what I meant and looked like he was going to protest. “It’s important,” I told him before he could refuse. “And we can’t just go rent a car.”
“But this one’sbulletproof.”
“Bulletresistant. Ain’t no such thing as bulletproof. Everything breaks sooner or later. Anyway, this car’s showy as hell. Memorable. We’ll have to take the chance that staying under the radar is more important than being bullet resistant right now.”
“But where will we leave this car? Where will we get thenewone?“ He seemed to be working himself into an anxiety attack. I reached over and put a hand on his knee.
“Same place for both. Long-term parking at the airport.”
