The fact is, I trust expertise, and Darla has it—in this area, anyway. She even seemed to enjoy her work. After she left the room this morning, I overheard Finch apologizing to her that I was such a challenge.
“That’s exactly what I’m looking for,” she replied. “A challenge. It’s why I agreed to take this job.”
I liked that when I heard it. I enjoy a challenge, too.
However, there’s one challenge I am not enjoying at all, and that’s the way Finch heads me off at the pass again that night. I’m propped up on pillows, slightly on my side, and I motion him into the bed with me. Having my arms around him makes me feel morerightthan I’ve felt for some time, and I let my hands wander a little.
“Luca…honey…” Finch says, gently taking my hands off his body. “We can’t.”
“Wecan.” I lean in to kiss him, trying not to wince at the sharp stabbing sensation that runs through my side when I do. I don’t mind a little pain with sex, but only when I can control it.
He allows the kiss, but when I move my hands lower again, he grabs them. “Seriously, Luca,” he sighs.
“Iamserious. Haven’t I been good today, like you wanted?”
“Sex is not supposed to be a reward between us, honey.”
“But itcouldbe,” I persist.
A slow smirk lifts his mouth sideways. “You’re telling me you expect a reward because you refrained from being a dumbass for six hours?”
This is not how I thought things would go tonight, but I’m willing to play it Finch’s way. “Do you want me to beg? I will, if that’s what you want.”
He threads a gentle hand through my hair. “I mean, sure, that would be hot. But Darla said your dick would still be sore from the catheter, so we should skip the sex for a while.”
I’m glad I catch the gleam in his eye before he replies, because the idea of anyone suggesting what I can or can’t do with my own dick does not sit well with me. But this, it seems, is a test on Finch’s part. “As far as I’m aware,” I tell him, “yourdick is still in good working order.”
He chuckles. “Maybe. But I still think we should wait a little. You literally just got out of the hospital, and I…well, my sleep schedule’s all fucked up.” I catch the vulnerability in his tone and think, not for the first time, about how much I’ve put him through over the last few weeks.
Over the last fewyears, if I’m really honest with myself.
I kiss his forehead. “Okay. I’ll cool it for now.” The way his shoulders relax and his body curls into mine tells me it was the right way to play it.
And the next day, I aim to be the model patient once more. I am obliging and understanding and I don’t complain to Darla about a damn thing, from the sponge bath to the painkillers.
Finch stays with me most of the day, dozing or listening to music, and visitors to my sickbed have to be vetted by him first. I’m pretty sure Frank has been told not to talk any business with me, and I’m happy to let Finch have his way until late in the afternoon, when Gio Carlucci presents himself with news.
“Is it really urgent?” I hear Finch asking him, just outside my door.
“Carlucci?” I call out, and he and Finch fall silent. “Come in.”
There’s a long moment before Carlucci opens the door and steps into the room, followed by a mutinous Finch. “Afternoon, Boss,” Carlucci says, standing at the end of my bed with his hands behind his back, eyes tactfully to the side.
“Baby bird, I’d like some more of that herbal tea,” I tell Finch, who folds his arms. We have a short, wordless battle of wills, and then Finch leaves the room, shutting the door hard behind him.
I’ll have to fix that later. For now, I turn my attention to Carlucci. “What’s the news?”
Carlucci leans forward, resting his hands against the ornately carved foot of the bed, looking more relaxed now that Finch is gone. “Fontana checked out that lead on the IFF, but the roaches had scattered. Word from Boston is, that’s how they work. Big fucking fireworks, then they’re in the wind like dandelion seeds, doing their own thing until they get called in again.”
I think that over for a moment. “Is Fontana here?”
“No, but he can be.”
“Get him. I need to speak to him anyway. And after that, Carlucci, get hold of all the senior members, along with my brother. Tell them all that I want to see them tonight. And you should start packing. We’ll leave for Boston tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Carlucci was a good choice for Capo, and I’ll reward him on our return to New York. But I’ll need him with me—with Finch—in Boston. Vitali will be too busy here with the remodeling of Tino’s old house, and as for the others…
