“Need a favor,” I told him as I watched the empty house. Was that movement?
“For my little brother, anything.”
His tone caught my attention, and I stared at my cell. “You okay?”
“Dandy.”
“Oh fuck, what have you done?” I asked cautiously.
“I blocked all her personal credit cards.”
“Whose?” But I knew whose. I knew because I wasn’t the only Santo with a woman in his life who drove them insane. “Angel’s? Tell me you didn’t.”
“I could, but . . . it would be a lie.” I heard his smirk.
“She’s going to kill you.”
“Pft.” I heard his humor. “She needs to prove it first.”
“Dude . . .” I had no words. They had astrainedrelationship. They were business rivals, and yet it seemed that they were both as intent as the other to destroy each other rather than compete in the boardroom.
“Now, what can I do for you?”
“I need to know about a house listing.”
“Why?” I heard him lose some of his humor. “You moving out of the frat house?”
“It’s not a frat house,” I reminded him for the hundredth time. “You were in the same house.”
“Pure frat house.”
“We’re not in a fraternity!”
“Whatever, which house?” I gave him the address, and I heard the silence. I waited. “Why? Is this because ofher?”
“No.”
“Lie.”
“Fuck, Onyx, just fucking tell me where the fucker’s gone.”
And then I saw movement. Definitely movement in the house. “Forget it.” I hung up and put my phone on silent and off vibrate as I shoved it in the glove compartment. Checking my surroundings, I made my way to the house. Hesitantly, I tried the back patio door handle. It opened, and I made my way inside, pulling my bandana up over my face.
I listened.
Shuffling overhead made me move to the stairs. The study was on the ground floor, and I quickly looked in, seeing the hole in the wall where the safe used to be. It could be painters in here, making good the redecoration for selling.
Or it could be Harry the happy cameraman.
Slowly, I made my way up the stairs. I ducked at the last minute as the punch came swinging for me, almost losing my balance as I blocked the follow up, and then, with only defense on my mind, I punched the hitter back. Confusion cleared, and I saw I had hit Harry. Rage made me hit him again, and then I hit him one more time. With feeling.
As he lay on the floor in his hallway, I looked around, making sure he was alone.
“There’s nothing left to steal,” he told me as he raised his hands in supplication. His nose was broken by the looks of it, but it didn’tstop me from wanting to stomp on his face. “There’s nothing here of value to you.”
Well, he was wrong about that, because he was here, and he was very valuable to me.
“My wife is going to be home any moment,” he said as he tried to stem the blood from his nose. I knew my snort conveyed my disgust.
