Page 60 of Traitor
Teo closed out the pictures on his phone. “I thought that might make you happy. Plus, I have a gag order hanging over his head right now, courtesy of rifling through your files on your computer.”
I rolled over onto my back. “Found the ‘common items’ file, huh?”
He laid down beside me, taking my hand in his. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a seven-page long gag order before.”
“Hey, I’m nothing, if not thorough.”
He pulled me against his side to cuddle. “You’re so much more than that, beautiful.”
I closed my eyes, cherishing the moment. “So are you, handsome.”
He kissed the top of my head and I soaked in all of it because for all I knew, there was another attack about to be mounted. I knew the Lucchese Family was waiting for us to strike back, so the best tool we had in our arsenal was to wait.
Which I knew Teo could do well.
“I’m proud of you, you know,” Teo murmured.
I sighed. “I wish I felt proud of myself.”
“What do you mean?”
I peeked up at him. “Do you ever wonder if I’m… becoming more like my mother?”
He furrowed his brow. “You could never turn into the devil your mother’s become.”
I propped myself up on my elbow. “Are you sure about that, though? I mean, look at me. Not that I’m downing your lifestyle or anything, but it is pretty…”
“Not good?”
I giggled. “Yeah, not good. And while I’ll always back you up, I’m not stupid. I know you’ve killed people. I know you’ve harmed people. I know you have that capability, but yesterday I proved that I have that same capability. And what’s worse is that I liked it. I liked shooting that fucker in his chest and putting him exactly where he deserved to be.”
“I mean, I think he deserves to be put in the ground, but…”
I sighed. “See? This is what I’m talking about. This is the rabbit hole my mother spiraled down. At least, I’m assuming it is. What if I wake up one morning and I can’t tell her apart from myself in the mirror?”
He sat up and kissed my cheek before pulling me into his lap. “The mere fact that you’re willing to ask that question tells me you’ll never turn out like her. Ever.”
I sighed. “I really hope so.”
I nuzzled beneath his chin and felt him cradle me close. I felt safe whenever Teo was around, especially when he had me wrapped up in his embrace. But, spending this much time with him also made me a little more familiar with the sounds of his phone. He didn’t keep his ringer on, but there were different vibrational noises, depending on the notification. Like, a text message was three short buzzing sounds, while an unheard voice message was two short buzzing sounds and a long one. But, the one that always worried me were the two long buzzing sounds. Just two long ones, followed by a bit of silence before it repeated itself.
And that’s the buzzing sound I heard coming from his bedside table.
“It can’t be,” I whispered.
Teo released me. “Hold on. I need to see this with my own eyes.”
I peered over his shoulder and saw the name scrolling across his screen. All it said was ‘Lucchese’, and that’s all that needed to be known. It didn’t matter what Lucchese was on the other end. The only thing necessary to know was that someone from that snake of a family was actually calling him.
And when he answered, he put it on speakerphone. “I’d say ‘good morning’, but I’m pretty sure you aren’t having a good one.”
Ronnie chuckled on the other end. “Not really a good morning, considering Lorenzo had to go back into surgery late last night for a blood clot that dislodged itself.”
“Did it go straight to his heart the way that bullet should have?”
“You haven’t been to check on your businesses. Don’t tell me you and Char are laid up as well.”
Teo chuckled. “Just enjoying the raw, unfiltered sounds of the ocean breeze.”
