Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I am. Anna and Paulina are staying home from school this week, so I’m on duty full time. Once all the dust settles, I’m not sure if I’ll still have a job.”
“I’m sure Mr. Puzo left Mrs. Puzo very well taken care of. And she’ll still have all of her causes and societies. The kids will still need a caretaker. My guess is you’ll still have a job.”
“True. The question is whether I want it. I love the girls, but all of a sudden this house feels strange to me. Like ghosts are watching me or something.”
I rub my arms against the chill that erupts. “Yeah, I know what you mean. When someone dies, it feels that way.”
“Maybe this weekend though,” she says. “I still have Sundays off.”
“Okay. We’ll set it tentatively. But I understand if you need to cancel.”
“Ditto,” she says. “Take care, Ray.”
“You too.” The call ends with a soft click.
No sooner does CJ hang up when my phone rings again.
It’s Falcon.
20
VINNIE
“What about Belinda McAllister?” Grandfather asks.
“I’d like to talk about…taking a more active role in her life.”
Grandfather raises one eyebrow. “Vincent, I didn’t know you had those inclinations.”
I feel sick. I could upchuck right now, right on my grandfather’s smug face.
I swallow it down. I won’t give this bastard the pleasure of a violent reaction. “I don’t have any such inclinations, Grandfather, and you’re disgusting to even think that. But if the woman is to be my wife, perhaps she should come live with Mom and me. In her own room, with her nanny.”
God, I sound like a first-class creep.
Grandfather’s eyebrows are still raised. “Declan will never go for that.”
I sink into my chair. “Which is why you need to convince him.”
“Convince him?” He scowls. “He’ll think you’re a fucking child molester, Vinnie. We’re lucky we have such a good alliance with the McAllisters at all, considering that your father killed one of them.”
I’m not sure what to say to my grandfather. If I tell him that Declan is hurting Belinda, he won’t care. It’s par for the course in his world.
“I think it would be good for my mother,” I say. “She’s very lonely.”
“And you don’t think Declan would be lonely without his daughter?”
I jump to my feet. “I don’t fucking care if Declan will be lonely. Right now he’s hurting her.”
Grandfather’s expression doesn’t change.
Just as I thought.
“And you know this how?”
I can’t tell him. I can’t tell him that Belinda gave me a note and that I talked to the nanny. If I do that, he’ll go straight to Declan, and both Belinda and the nanny will pay the price.
“Never mind.” I cross my arms. “I’m sure she’s fine where she is.”
“Yes, I’m sure she is as well.” He strokes his chin. “Do me a favor, Vincent.”
“What now?”
“Forget about what you think you might know about the child.” He leers over the desk. “And in return, I am going to forget you ever brought this up. Do we understand each other?”
I look into my grandfather’s cold, watery eyes. Yes, we understand each other perfectly. He knows what’s going on with Belinda, and he doesn’t care.
And he knows someone breached a confidence, which is how I know.
So he’ll keep quiet… As long as I let it lie.
“Yes, we understand each other.” I keep my expression noncommittal.
But inside I’m raging. How can he let a young girl suffer? And am I supposed to do that as well? She asked for my help.
No, she begged for it.
And Natalie is risking her job—and probably her life—by trying to protect her little charge.
That little girl should not be in this situation.
She should be working toward a scholarship to Juilliard. For a career as a concert pianist. All that talent will go to waste. She’s being raised to be a quiet child-rearing Mafia wife.
This life is not fair.
It’s not fair to anyone.
Even to my grandfather. I don’t feel sorry for the old bastard, but watching the love of his life suffer could not have been easy. No wonder he had to let his heart turn to stone.
I’ll have to find another way to help Belinda. Without my grandfather’s—or Declan’s—knowledge.
A plan begins to percolate in my mind.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off, but…
“If there’s nothing else, Grandfather…”
“There is, actually,” he says. “I need you to go to Colombia.”
I cock my head slowly. “What for?”
His lip twitches. “That will be made clear to you soon enough.”
My instinct is to push him on this. To tell him he’s insane if he thinks I’m going to fly off to Colombia without even knowing what my assignment will be when I get there.
But then I think of that poor little girl. And how the man in front of me might be my only shot at giving her the help she needs.