CHAPTER 26
DEANNA
Oh shit. Oh fuck. He knows. He fucking knows and he’s going to tell me. Carbone smiles politely at my mother and shakes her hand. He accepts some coffee and says hello to my father. Yolanda flutters about, until the pair of us are left alone.
My parents think he’s here to discuss business.
Carbone seems out of place in my mother’s living room. He’s a hard thing, made from flint and steel, while she likes everything soft. A pink blanket sits by his elbow. I wonder how many men Carbone has killed.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about you, Deanna.” He cradles his coffee in his lap. “There was a problem at the house. We didn’t discover it until this morning. Only a few hours ago, actually.”
“What’s wrong?” I want to throw up. They found him. I knew this would happen, but I thought I’d be with Prime. Instead, I’m alone, and fucking Carbone knew it. He came here to corner me.
I know what this is. He’s sending a message. He knows where my parents live. He knows what they are. And he can find me whenever he damn well pleases.
“It seems that Frankie Inzerillo, one of Mr. Fontana’s associates, met with an untimely end in one of the guest bedrooms.”
I cover my mouth in alarm. I don’t even have to fake it. “What happened?”
“We aren’t sure. There was a gun involved and we suspect foul play. Can I ask you some questions, please?”
“Yes, of course. Oh god, I’m sorry about your friend.”
“Frankie wasn’t a friend.” He sips his coffee. “The house guards mentioned you went to the bathroom.”
“Yes, ah, it’s embarrassing.”
“There’s a dead man, Mrs. Spadaro. We’re past that.”
I look down at my lap. Fuck, he’s going to catch me. He already knows. “I got my period early. I had to go, you know, clean myself and take care of it.”
“Yes, it must be difficult to be a woman.”
“Sometimes.” I struggle to keep from fidgeting.
“They said you weren’t gone long. Ten minutes at the most.”
“Like I said, I had to clean up too.”
“I see.” Typically, men would shy away from a conversation about period blood and menstruation, but Carbone’s watching me intently. “Did you see Prime during that time?”
“He wasn’t in the bathroom.”
“Not in the hallway either?”
“I think he was still in the meeting.”
Carbone’s lips press together. “Are you sure?”
“Not really. I was distracted, I mean, like I said. It was pretty embarrassing.” I keep thinking, this is for my parents. If I screw up, this man is going to kill me and he’s going to kill them too. My mom and dad are hostages and Carbone’s not going to hesitate to murder them all, even poor Yolanda. All their lives are in my hands andI can’t fuck this up.
Sweat dribbles under my arms. Fear riles in my stomach. Carbone sits motionless but he might as well hold a gun to my forehead.
“Did you hear anything? A shout? Any other strange sound?” he asks.
“No, the water was running most of the time.”
“Did you see anyone?”
