And the little way her eyes narrowed?Amusing, but also concerning.
I was learning that expression meant I was in trouble.But for the life of me, I didn’t know why.
Her eyes did that now.
I’d done nothing wrong.I’d been a perfect gentleman.She wore new clothes, her apartment was being cleaned, the window fixed.And she went to the bar to work.
“Remember how you complained Loppa wouldn’t let you go on the terrace?”
Ellie was looking at me, but this question was directed at her sister.She’d spoken loud enough I overheard, an unfortunate byproduct of being in the same room.
“Yeah, well he’s insisting on watching me as I work.”
I didn’t watch her work.I watched everyone else watching her.
“And he thinks my apartment is unsafe.”
It was.A ground-floor unit with a sliding door was too vulnerable.Especially for an attractive woman living alone.There were more lunatics out there than just Johnny Pornstach.
“And he’s got a grudge against my ex.”
Duh.
The man touched her.Then he terrorized her.
He simply could not live another day.If I could find him, he’d be dead already.I’d rattled cages, shook trees, dug deep into the dealings of not only the Conti faction but all of the major players in the region.What I’d learned is that Johnny was a minor blip.At least he’d been until about six months ago.Then he began dating Ellie.And people took notice.
Especially when he began trading on her family’s history.
Despite that, only one family reached out.And it wasn’t even official.Dianora had dangled legitimacy in front of Johnny to suck him in.And he fell for it.
If it were any other twit, I’d almost feel sorry for him.
Ellie laughed at something Allie said.“I know.”
Knew what?I logged that moment so I could ask Mario what his wife said about me.
“You think I should?”
I braced myself.That overly sweet tone spelled doom.And since I was the topic of conversation that meant Ellie and her twin were devising a torture aimed at me.
Another laugh.
If evil didn’t cackle, it would have that silvery cadence.In fact, it likely did disguise itself in angelic tones.All the better to murder you with.
“Oh.I’m sorry, I haven’t.I forgot.”
I couldn’t help myself.“Forgot what?”I asked.
Ellie covered the mouth microphone.“To go check on her place.She told the neighbor she’d only be gone a week.It’s been almost a month.”
“We’ll go there before your ‘event’ tonight.”
Her eyes narrowed again.This time I knew why.My reluctance to an unnecessary exposure was well-voiced in both tone and argument.
“You don’t have to go,” she told me.
We’d hashed this out already.I was going.And if we weren’t going together, I’d go separately.Johnny’s friends weren’t helpful because they’d ditched him once he began hanging out with the wrong crowd.And his new acquaintances were equally unhelpful because he was hiding from them.Someone had to know where he was, but if they did, they’d successfully lied to no fewer than three crime families, and the cops.
