He smiles a little, like this is some hilarious thing, and his friends either crack a smile or have a twitch of their lip, but since I’m not in on what makes the statement funny, I make no comment.
I’ve never really been one to talk just to talk, and as having been raised in one of the darkest parts of the city, I learned that you usually learn more interesting facts about a person just from observation than from what they are usually willing to tell you.
“You’ve already met Alessandro,” Giovani says, and Alex nods his head at me, and I nod back, now noting that while his hair is slicked back, it’s in a tight knot at the base of his neck before falling into a dark ponytail, but somehow with his calm cool and collected actions earlier, the hair works for him.
“That’s Luca,” the only blond in the group give me a killer smile, and with his bright blue eyes, angular jaw and lithe form, it sure would be a doozy if I hadn’t just cleaned blood off my hands. He’s dressed in chinos, and a slightly rumpled button down that’s rolled up at the sleeves. But something is off about the way he’s standing that causes me to give him a more thorough look.
“If you’re not used to carrying your gun IWB you should pick a different carrying place,” he shrugs, “ as well as the same with the ankle carry, your holding your body so awkwardly even someone not in my line of work would note it,” I go on,
The man next to him jabs him with an elbow and starts chuckling, and Giovani’s eyes snap over to them, but I see him roll his eyes at the antics even if he gives off an annoyed vibe.
“I told you, you look ridiculous trying to carry that way!” the remaining man says. He’s wearing a blazer jacket in a fancier style than Giovani, but still looks casual and carefree then looks at me and flashes a huge grin, “I’m Antonio. He didn’t want to have to wear a jacket into the club, cause then someone would miss all that manliness,”
I can’t help the smile that curves my lips, just as Cobra calls my name drawing my attention from the four men.
He’s clenching his fist around his cell, his eyes holding the thinly vailed murderous intent. I fight the urge to release the switch blade after I just finished cleaning it.
“Someone broke into your apartment, Priest.”
I clench my jaw to bite back what I’d like to say. Like why all of a sudden people are looking for Elda, who on paper fell off of the face of the earth long before mom died. Like why is no damn place sacred. Like why the hell me? As far as I can see none of this makes a lick of sense, I’m the daughter of a stripper and a gang member, there isn’t a thing special about me for fucks sake.
“Drop me off at home. I’ll take care of it.”
All four men’s eyes jerk to my face, probably at how my voice has lost all inflection and had turned to dry ice, so damn cold it burned.
Bones is at my elbow, and I briefly notice that his eyes are on me, not Cobra. I say nothing to Bones or Cobra as I put my knife back in my pocket, my mind is too far away, thinking about someone’s hands on my stuff, invading my space. I take a deep breath, not to settle nerves or any bullshit like that. No, I take that breath so I don’t just take the fuck off toward my apartment, that’s just a few miles from Misfits, because I know that Cobra would string me up if I attempted any vigilante shit without him there, this time.
I look at Cobra, and he takes a deep breath himself.
“If they fucking touched Rose, understand, you will not be able to stop the shit storm that will be raining down on whoever entered my home.”
Cobra nods, resign to the fact that if anyone touched my dog, all bets are off. I’ll make that movie were the assassin loses his shit after some punks kill his dog look like a goddamn daydream to anyone who lays a hand on Rosary.
I hop in the cab of the truck we have set to haul Vin, and I don’t have to wait long for Bones to hop in to drive. Cobra pops his head in and says something to Bones, and then heads back over to the Conti men, before the five of them head toward a dark tinted SUV. Looks like he’s catching a ride with them.
I can’t tell if that’s actually a smart move on his part, avoiding being in a confined space with me while I’m already just a hairs breath away from boiling over, or if he’s just signed himself up for extra bullshit from me for avoiding conflict.
Decide later, focus on Rose.
Bones doesn’t wait more than a minute to start taking off toward the little apartment I called home.
Giovani
She was definitely Alonzo’s daughter, if just looking at how his features had settled on her face wasn’t enough, that steal gaze and promise of retribution settled the matter.
“Please don’t have let anything happen to that fucking dog,” Cobra muttered under his breath from the passenger seat. It was easy to see the man was trying to contain his own want for retribution, his hands in tight fists at his side, his gaze out of the window like if he kept looking within the SUV he’d somehow manage to set the damn thing on fire.
“Dog?” Tony said form the back seat, and a quick glance in the rearview mirror shows that he’s his usual unruffled self, even while being sandwiched between Alex and Luca. They on the other hand look like angry wet cats at the confined space.
“Some terrier mutt that she found on the street after Lene died, and if anything happened to Rosary…let’s just hope nothing has happened with the dog.”
“I know what you told Alex, but what promises did you make that prevented you from coming to Alonzo after she’d learned to handle herself?” I can’t help but ask, because I don’t think it took him this whole time to get her ready for the world we live in.
Just looking at how she carries herself, she’s going to be a great asset to the family, that was obvious, but the other families that had hoped that if Alonzo ever did find his daughter that’d she’d be an ornament for them to throw their young men at to try to take our family… they are going to look at her like the already brandished knife that she is, and realize she is far from the doll they hope to control.
“I may not be active in the family anymore but do not forget who you are talking to,” Cobra Coretti’s voice was like steal, and it was not hard to picture him in a suit like Alonzo loved to wear, prepared to rain down blood and kill those who opposed him. That’s what happens when the family’s favorite hired gun gets agitated, or so I’d been told, but I also knew that he wouldn’t do anything at the moment. He had too much to explain, and knew that Alonzo wouldn’t be all that forgiving if he killed or maimed Alonzo’s favorite enforcers.
“Why?” I pressed.
He doesn’t say anything, and I continue to follow the truck holding the lost girl of the Conti family. Most of the other families don’t think we’d actually ever find her…little did they know, I’m like a bloodhound on a scent, and with nothing other than finding her on my plate there was no other option other than success. Alonzo deserves that from me, he deserves to get to know the daughter he’s spent most of his time balancing between mourning and loving.
“You’ll see,” he says with a resound sign, and I get the feeling that he doesn’t want us to see, doesn’t want to have us watching her at all, as we will be starting from the moment Alex made contact.