I was in one of several offices available in Hillview after I asked Tara if I could go somewhere private. Apparently this office had soundproofed insulation in the walls, or so she said. Ithadsounded much quieter when I shut the door. I bet no one would have heard bedsprings squeaking from this office. But I’d had to put that thought out of my head fast when Finch D’Amato’s voice came through loud and clear as I paced back and forth.
“Mr. D, I was going to talk to the Boss about this, but you’ll notice I did you the courtesy of calling you first. You could have done the same.”
There was a short silence. “Youalmostsound as though you’re trying to tell me what to do, Teo,” Mr. D said in a lilting voice, but I’m no fool. I knew he was pissed at me.
I just didn’t care, was the thing.
“Iamtelling you, Mr. D. You can’t come to Boston.”
“Uh, you want to rethink your tone there, Teo?”
“I’m sorry if you don’t like my tone,” I said, just as evenly as I’d said everything else so far. “But you still can’t come back to Boston. The Boss put me in charge of security decisions, and that’s the decision I’m making right now. It’s too dangerous here.”
After another long pause, he replied bluntly. “You’re overstepping. I’m coming to my BFF’s ordination, Vitali. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
I smiled then. “You know, I think there might be. Does the Boss even know about your plans yet?”
There was a clunk and a cracking sound on the line, and I realized that Mr. D had actually thrown his cell phone across the room. “Listen here, you little shit,” he began, when he got it in his hand again.
“—so I’ll just give him a call now and see what he reckons, huh?” I interrupted.
He let out a long, furious groan. “Teo, comeon.”
“Mr. D, listen to me. I get that you want to be here with Aidan. But it’s too dangerous, and I’m not just talking for you. It’s dangerous forAidan. It’s hard enough for me to do my job, now you wanna split my focus?”
“That’s not…that’s not what I’m asking you to do,” he said, and the resignation in his tone told me I’d already won.
“Yes it is. You being at that ordination means I’ll be with you, and someone else will be on Aidan. So let me ask you, Mr. D—”
“I want you on Aidan,” he said at once. “I don’t trust anyone else. You’re…you’re the best we have.” He sighed as he realized he was only arguing against himself.
“Then you need to stay put.”
“But can’t you just put someone else on me?”
“No,” I told him. “You’re okay without me if the Boss is around, but when you’re both out in public together in a situation like this one will be, I wouldn’t let anyone else handle you. The Boss’ll be distracted, there’ll be way too many people around—no. Nope, not even Carlucci,” I added, before he could suggest it. “He’s good, but he’s still green. Come on, Mr. D,” I finished. “Don’t make my job harder than it has to be. These people are out for blood and—” I paused. It would be below the belt to say what I’d been about to.
“What?” Mr. D demanded. “And what?”
Fine. I’d let him have it. “These are the same people who took out your last bodyguard.”
I heard a low gasp. But for once, Finch D’Amato was speechless.
“So, do I need to call the Boss?”
“I’ll be a good fucking boy, okay?” He was bitter, and maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned what I mentioned, but it pulled him back into line. I fully expected some kind of petty revenge when I got back to New York—Mr. D was an evil genius sometimes—but the outcome was the only thing that mattered to me.
Because there was no fucking way Aidan O’Leary was going anywhere near that church without me as his bodyguard.
* * *
When night rolled aroundand Aidan made moves to go to bed, I stood as well. Without even looking at me, he said, “You don’t need to come with me, Teo.”
The politeness of his voice killed me. I would’ve preferred frost. “I feel like an early night,” I said.
Aidan looked as though he were going to argue further, until John, reading under a lamp in the corner while Tara and Nancy watched a competitive cooking show together, spoke up. “Goodnight, son. Goodnight, Teo.” He nodded to me. I nodded back and then followed Aidan out of the room.
The ride up in the elevator was silent and strained. I cleared my throat once, wondering what to say, but Aidan shot out of the doors as soon as they opened, charging up the stairs and then down the hallway to the bedroom.Hisbedroom. The original bedroom.
