He sighs, cigarette hanging between his lips as he makes a turn. He removes it and blows smoke out through the open window.
“Or maybe you really don’t think I can do this bodyguard thing?” I ask.
“You’re a good bodyguard, Dec,” he says softly. “I’m just pointing out it’s all dangerous.”
“I’m not looking to get out of my role in the family.”
“I fucking know that,” he mutters. “Maybe this stalker guy had a helper, but stalkers don’t usually work that way.”
“Always a first time.”
“Christ, Dec.” He laughs. “You like her, just admit it.”
“She’s the one who had me arrested.”
My brother, bless him, doesn’t dare say a word on that.
“What do you make of our trip to Maspeth?” I ask.
“It wasn’t a total bust.”
“Because we weren’t shot?”
“No,eejit,because we know if Milo doesn’t have Heston and the cartel doesn’t, then he probably disappeared himself.”
“Maybe Milo stirred up a hornet’s nest with wanting his stolen cartel drugs back,” I say, “you know, if he stole them from the cartel.”
“I won’t deny Milo might have a beef with the cartel, but I’m not sure he stole the heroin. Marcello is big in the mafia world. But it does make me think. Who put the hit on your girl? If someone put that hit out to stop us from looking into Heston, and then killed Gregor, what the fuck did Heston do?”
Her mam springs to mind, but I reject the idea. It’s her mam. She wants her daughter protected.
I hesitate. But she doesn’t give a damn about us.
“I don’t think he wants to be found.” I say. “Do you?”
“His kid’s the apple of his eye; would he leave her like that? The mother knows something, but probably only enough to know her husband’s alive. So it comes back to the same thing. What the fuck did he do?”
“Oh Lord,” Lucie says as she hands Tally to Harriet.
Raff’s running around, squealing and laughing as I assume he is chasing Lola upstairs if the low growling meows are anything to go by.
Clawzilla sits on the arm of the sofa looking smug as the dogs play with some toys. Bruiser sits on the floor below Clawzy.
Lucie looks me up and down and then hugs and kisses Cal. “Upstairs. Now.”
I watch them leave. “Hey, Clawzy…hey, Bruiser. How’s Pepper? He’s quiet. Maybe we should?—”
“Pepper’s eating, and what the fuck is thisbusiness about me being the face of the ballet and their PR star?” Molly snaps. “Mom called and there’s some…”
I turn as she trails off, going pale as she takes in my appearance.
She shoves me. Then one fist smashes into my chest. The other follows, and soon she’s pummeling me. “What the fuck? Oh, God, what the actual fuck? You’re covered in blood.”
Molly goes to grab something from my hair and pulls her hand back, recoiling like I just bitch slapped her. Then she hits me again. “Is that…brain?” she shrieks.
Fuck.
I grab her fists as she tries to hit me again and pull her into me. “Come on.”
