Quinn notices it, too, because he shoots a curious look at me.
I shake my head and give a half-shrug. “Okay, so you’ll hang out in front of the school to start. Maybe get out and walk around the campus every hour or so just to make sure nothing is going on. The school has a ton of security, but you know as well as I do that shit can slip through the cracks. I already texted the head of security to let him know you’ll be there for the girls. The situation with the texter is still like an open sore. We don’t have any closure on that yet. Turns out, the kid never sent those texts because he’d lost his phone while he was here the day of the party. But whoever did send them may come around again, especially if they know Maria and Sofia will be back at school.”
“I’m surprised the school didn’t order me to keep them home,” Kristina muses, her gaze still focused on the counter.
“What do you mean?” Quinn asks.
“Well, with the attack on my parents and the situation with the muggers who infiltrated school grounds to get to us when the girls were home, I’d think they would want to focus on safety of the school community, right? If I were part of the administration, I’d make them stay home and far away from the school people pay a shit ton of money to send their kids to.”
“Yeah, but maybe they don’t want to start a mass panic.”
“So they’d rather risk a massacre? Seems pretty shortsighted to me.” Kristina straightens up and runs a hand through her hair. “I’m going to grab a sweatshirt before we go.”
I watch as she walks out of the kitchen, her shoulders slumped forward.
It’s barely nine o’clock and this day is already rotting like month-old meat.
“Your girlfriend makes a good point,” Quinn mutters. “I’d keep the girls home, too.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I mutter. “And they need normalcy.”
“And walking around a high school not knowing if someone’s gonna jump out and attack you with a cleaver is normal?”
“They’d never get a cleaver past security. It’d most likely be a different kind of weapon.”
“Smartass. Is that your way of dealing with everything?”
I quirk an eyebrow. “I’m not gonna sit here and say your family history isn’t fucked up beyond belief but mine is pretty high up there, too, brah. I’m a smartass for the same reasons you are. It’s deflection.”
“It’s also a bullshit façade. We both know what sits underneath.”
“Yeah, well, all of that has to stay buried because it won’t do any good for anyone.”
Quinn nods, taking another sip of his coffee. Steam rises from the mug, but he’s too intent on sucking down as much caffeine as he can to care if he scalds his tongue. “So you think it’s smart to take Kristina into the city?”
“It’s not at all. But she needs to stay with me. No offense.”
“None taken. I can’t promise I wouldn’t make a play for her if you left her with me.” He winks. “And you know what that means.”
My jaw tightens at the mere mention of his intentions and a smile spreads across his face at my obvious displeasure. “I thought I struck a nerve when I called her your girlfriend but damn. You’ve got it bad for the doc, don’t you, Mas?”
“I’m just doing my job.”
“Does your job include nailing the mafia queen?” He waggles his eyebrows. “Did I strike another nerve right then?”
“Speaking of striking, if you don’t shut the hell up, I’ll strike you with a goddamn baseball bat.”
“Ahh, come on. Have a sense of humor. This shit is serious as cancer. No wonder you need to blow off some steam. Blow…” He winks at me. “’Cause, you know…”
“I really want to punch you right now but I can’t because the girls need you.”
“You can’t blame me for having a little fun with you. I haven’t seen you like this, all sensitive about a girl and feelings and whatnot. It’s not like you, Mas. It’s kinda nice but also a little weird since you usually don’t even know the names of girls you bang.”
“Could you please lower your fucking voice?” I hiss. “I don’t need anyone else hearing this.”
“Hey, all I’m saying is that it’s about time. You deserve to be happy and find someone great who really knows the human body, like, inside and out.” With a little wink, he finishes the coffee. “That’s gotta make things really interesting, yeah?”
“I hate you right now. I’d tell you to fuck off if I could.”
“You think I’m hassling you right now?” A mischievous smirk lifts his lips. “Just wait till I tell Patty what you’ve really been doing out in Stuck-Up Rich Bitch Syosset.”
“We’re not all stuck-up rich bitches, you know.” Sofia strolls into the kitchen, a seductive smile on her face.
My gut knots.
She’s only eighteen, for Christ’s sake.
I can’t imagine being a father to that, knowing what I’ve done, what Quinn has done…
It actually gives me a raging headache.
Well, that and the threat of impending death and destruction, of course.
They’re pretty big contributors to that headache, too.
“I don’t know. You might have to prove that to me, ’cause I’m not convinced.” Quinn flashes a sly grin at Sofia and her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.
Bastard.
He’s gonna make me sweat this one out judging by the smug look on his face.
Quinn is another one who rarely knows the names of girls he nails.
When you live our life, it’s best not to get too attached.
Something I’m very keenly aware of with Kristina, but for some reason, I’ve completely forgotten my own self-imposed rules.
I shoot him a warning look just as Kristina and Maria come back into the kitchen.
“So you guys know Quinn will be hanging around the school today. If you need anything, text or call him.” I nod at Quinn. “Give them your number before you let them out.”
I turn toward Kristina. “And you’re with me. This is the best way I can think of to protect all three of you. We should be back by the time the girls are out of school.”
She shifts in the doorway, an apprehensive expression on her face. “You’re sure?”
I nod. “Yes. Without a doubt.”
More fucking lies.
They’re choking me.
I have so much doubt, it’s oozing from my pores.
But Savio is fucking with me through Eddie Lugo. I know it.
And the only way I can establish control of the situation is to go toe-to-toe with Lugo.
Show him what I’m capable of if he reneges on the deal he made with Savio.
I’m still trying to figure out what that is right now, but I have about an hour to come up with something brilliant.
Kristina sets the security alarm and locks the house. I hear them whispering and Sofia giggles, throwing a look at Quinn over her shoulder. Then they all huddle together for a group hug.
A pang assaults my heart.
I shouldn’t care about them bonding.
I shouldn’t care about any of this.